《My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending》


 Chapter 1

    (Gashan)


    A high-pitched noise reverberated indoors.


    The noise, which would make one close their ears with both their hands reflexively, was produced by a man, who seemed to be in his mid 30¡¯s,  growing a Kaiser beard, holding a staff which shined with a black lustre, and donning a high-collared military uniform. He had smashed a huge vase, which was about 1 meter tall, with the staff grasped in his right hand.


    White petals fluttered down, as the leaking water spread onto a deep crimson carpet.


    ¡¸How will you take responsibility for this!?¡¹


    ¡¸I am extremely sorry! Please forgive me¡­¡­!¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t screw around, you inferior woman!¡¹


    The man¡¯s face was dyed with anger. The phrase, demonic expression, indicated his facial features perfectly in the current situation.


    Like a raging fire, in his anger, which was as though it couldn¡¯t be satisfied by merely smashing a vase, he was using foul language to abuse the servant in front of him, who was on her knees, bowing her head down and offering words of apology while crying.


    There was also the appearance of a young woman, wearing a resplendent dress, hugging a young boy and looking at the servant with scorn in her eyes, next to the man. At a glance, it seemed as though the man in the military uniform and the woman in the dress were verbally assaulting a lone servant.


    Comprehending the current state of affairs, Hirasawa Kazuki came to the following conclusion.


    (¡­¡­Maybe, this is a game event?)


    It might seem like a flustered and crazy conclusion, but there was a reason this conclusion was reached ¨C Kazuki recognized this figure and this scene.


    Presently, the sequence of arguments unfolding in front of him bore a resemblance to a scene in the single-player RPG ¨C ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», which was up for sale a few years ago.


    He was able to recall it instantly because he was a fan of the game, and no other reason. Even the fingers on both hands weren¡¯t enough to count the number of times he had completely played the game.


    There was no mistake, since the dialog of the characters in each event scene was more-or-less memorized.


    The man in the military uniform and the woman in the dress were the parents of a character appearing in the game, and the servant begging for forgiveness while crying was the mother of the main character of the game.


    Grasping the circumstances up until there, Kazuki, who was being hugged by the woman in the dress from some time, falls into a state of extreme confusion and comes to a standstill.


    Why are the characters of a game moving; in the first place, is this reality; is something happening to my body.


    His thoughts were racing with each emerging question.


    Abruptly being dropped into this scene of fighting, to which his comprehension couldn¡¯t catch up, a single thing was clear.


    (I¡¯ll be troubled if I¡¯m thrown into such a depressing event all of a sudden though!?)


    For argument¡¯s sake, if the current scene were to trace the scenario of the game,  then the servant, Clara¡¯s, life was in an extremely precarious situation.


    Based on Kazuki¡¯s thoughts, it could be guessed that this is an event where the servant is killed. Clara¡¯s life is taken by the hands of Harold, the son of the man in the military uniform.


    (Where is Harold, the vital character? If I¡¯m not mistaken, in this scene, his anxious mother is¡­¡­¡­eh, no way)


    And then, Kazuki realizes a fact which comes as a huge blow ¨C That his current position is the same as Harold¡¯s.


    A certain uncomfortable feeling rose up like a link. It was a concern about the height of his field of view.


    Even though he was firmly standing on both his legs, his field of view was considerably lower.


    This event scene is shown as a reflection of the past in the story. His exact age was unknown, but at that occasion, Harold was a boy of about 10 years old.


    Various factors displayed an unpleasant coincidence.


    (Perhaps, I have become Harold¡­¡­?)


    That was a preposterous thought that hit him. It wasn¡¯t as though there was any proof. But the instant that possibility went across his head, severe chills ran down his spine.


    (No no, what am I saying. This is a dream, if I think about it normally.)


    As though to shake off an unpleasant premonition, he persuades himself. That is the most acceptable answer according to common sense.


    No matter how desperately his reasoning claims that this is a dream, the warmth transmitted from being hugged, the angry voice striking his ears, carrying a sense of reality, screams at Kazuki¡¯s five senses. No matter how much he denies it, in no way could it be thought of as a dream.


    (Well then, since I know that this isn¡¯t a dream, as expected, is this the game world? There¡¯s no way¡­¡­¡­but this feeling of reality, can only be thought of as¡­¡­..but still, the world of the game¡­¡­.if thought of like that, then isn¡¯t Clara-san going to die!?)


    Being torn between the conflicting thoughts of his reasoning and instinct, Kazuki could only act like an idiot. He wanted to stop thinking, since his thoughts were repeatedly going around in circles.


    As though it was cut off from his will, his body moved in contrast with his thoughts. Shaking off his mother¡¯s arm, his legs advance, step-by-step.


    ¡¸There is no merit in lending ears to you begging for your life. That corrupt blood, I will personally purge it. ¡¹


    ¡¸Father, wait. Entrust the execution of this woman to me¡¹


    The man had taken the sword which was hung on the wall, ready to cut down the servant. From behind him, Harold spoke words of restraint.


    Kazuki was familiar with those words as he had seen them on-screen.


    He spoke the dialog which wasn¡¯t voiced out in the game originally, in the voice of Harold, which he had gotten used to. Intervening at that point wasn¡¯t entirely only his intention.


    ¡¸To you? What do you plan to do?¡¹


    ¡¸Recently,  I learned a new magic. Let her become a guinea pig for testing that. Instead of dirtying the room with the blood of an inferior species like this, isn¡¯t that a better use?¡¹


    He found out that the corners of his lips rose up. Contrary to Kazuki¡¯s feelings, a villainous smile floated up.


    It goes even without saying, but Kazuki didn¡¯t even have the slightest bit of complacency to express the smile. On top of being placed in an incomprehensible situation, his body overturning his will and taking action on its own was an unendurable terror for him.


    Kazuki hadn¡¯t piled up an abundance of life experience to think fast in such a situation. A person who can adapt to and deal with such a situation, surpasses what can be called as calm or skillful and can only be called as a freak.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, Kazuki wasn¡¯t a freak.


    But if viewed from another angle, this meant that the flow of this event was irreversible.


    ¡¸Hohou, that might also be amusing. Until then, throw this woman in the dungeon!¡¹


    As soon as Military Uniform raises his voice, immediately a soldier arrives and drags Clara away by grabbing her hand. Kazuki could only see off her retreating figure off.


    ¡¸Filthy mixed-blood. Even though she was hired after I took pity on her, when asked to do something, she can¡¯t do even a single thing properly.¡¹


    ¡¸After all, she is an inferior species. Harold wants to test his magic, so she might be useful.¡¹


    ¡¸Humph, that is also true.¡¹


    As though looking at an object which was filthy, their eyes had no intention of hiding their disgust. This married couple didn¡¯t even perceive the servant, Clara, as a human being.


    Under normal circumstances, towards this, Kazuki would have expressed his discomfort.


    However, since his outlook had contracted due to the chaos, the married couple¡¯s speech and conduct didn¡¯t reach his ears. Even if it had reached him, he wouldn¡¯t have properly perceived the contents.


    He had fallen into a stupor for several minutes. Let alone his surroundings, since then, what kind of conversations he exchanged with whom, how he reached this location, not a single thing did he have a recollection of.


    When he finally came to his senses, Kazuki was in a room, of which he had no memories, resting deeply on a single person sofa, with his gaze wandering about in empty space.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Where is this? Is this Harold¡¯s room?¡¹


    While muttering with a powerless voice, without an aim, he looked around inside the room with swimming eyes.


    Since it doesn¡¯t appear during the course of the game, its accurate parts aren¡¯t known, but from the feeling he got from looking at the width of the room, the canopied bed, the sofa he was resting on, he could guess as to whom this room belonged to.


    In a corner of the room, there was a full-length mirror whose height was greater than a grown male¡¯s. Kazuki swallowed his saliva, with a sharp sound resounding from his throat.


    Standing up after putting all his power into his trembling knees, he walked towards the full-length mirror with unsteady footsteps.


    To confirm his hypothesis. While praying that his hypothesis was off.


    As he gets closer step-by-step, his heartbeat increaseed violently and his breathing also became fast and shallow. And yet, Kazuki didn¡¯t stop his footsteps.


    And finally, he stood in front of the full-length mirror. He slowly raised his face, from a position where his head was bent low where he could only see the tips of his foot.


    Facing the full-length mirror, he opened his tightly shut eyelids. The person who was reflected from its surface, was without a doubt¨D¨D


    ¡¸It¡¯s a lie, right¡­¡­.¡¹


    Ruthlessly depicted, was the figure of Harold with the appearance of a young boy.

 Chapter 2

    Glossy black hair and red pupils. Even if he didn¡¯t want to, he could feel that Harold¡¯s face had the features found on people outside Japan and even far away from Asia.


    Roughly 140 cm in height and as expected, aged approximately 10 years.


    Dressed in a pure white shirt with a cross-tie and knee-high half-pants, he had the appearance which was exactly like a painting of a young boy coming from a distinguished and noble family.


    Hirasawa Kazuki had become Harold Stokes. It seemed hard to accept, but with this, he had practically confirmed that this was the truth.


    Neither the reasoning nor the process was understood. Well then, should this situation be gathered as possessing a person or should it be fine with viewing it as a frighteningly real dream. Or maybe, Hirasawa Kazuki had switched places with Harold Stokes, or it might also be that the consciousness of Hirasawa Kazuki had been birthed by the delusions of the owner of this body that had gone crazy.


    The loss of a factor to verify one¡¯s self. Attacked by a feeling of as though loosing all the support from his feet, at the same time as he put his hands on his knees, which had lost almost all their strength, he held back the sense of nausea which was welling up.


    His breathing was agonizing and his visibility was dyed white due to vertigo, while his gastric juices rampaged around in the opposite direction.


    In any case, it was an awful feeling.


    Shall I throw away everything as it is and just sleep ¨C With such irresponsible feelings, Kazuki collapsed onto the bed. He didn¡¯t have any willpower left to work out his thoughts.


    Waking up after sleeping and telling ¡¸It was all a dream, I was seriously flustered¡¹- muttering that, he wipes off his cold sweat. Clinging onto that hope, as his consciousness was drifting off, it was pulled back into his body due to the knocking sounds on the door.


    ¡¸¡­¡­Come in¡¹


    The thought of feigning ignorance passed through his mind.


    But before he could think deeply about it, he gave out a reply.


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was Harold¡¯s will or Kazuki¡¯s subconsciousness.


    (Ah, but I wouldn¡¯t abruptly tell them to ¡¸Come in¡¹)


    Without even knowing who it was, talking in such a rude manner, Kazuki wasn¡¯t a person who didn¡¯t know about courtesy. If that is the case, like before, did his body move on its own?


    Since he had already replied, without a choice, he raised his languid body up while thinking such thoughts, which put him in an even more depressing mood.


    While that may be true, it wasn¡¯t as though the visitor would  refrain from entering into the room. A man with greying hair opened the door, bowed respectfully and stepped inside the room.


    Looking at his face, Kazuki realized who the other person was.


    Norman.


    He, who serves as a butler in this estate, given the nickname- ¡ºConscience of the Stokes house¡» by the players, is a character affectionately called as ¡¸Norman-san¡¹. Since he was just a butler and not a blood-relative, he wasn¡¯t a member of the Stokes family.


    Anyway, he, who becomes a refreshing agent to the heart in the event related to the highly ranked and valued Stokes house, stepped into Kazuki¡¯s (Harold¡¯s) room.


    ¡¸Excuse my rudeness¡¹


    ¡¸What business do you have?¡¹


    ¡¸To be honest, I want to consult Harold-sama about¡­¡­.¡¹


    Norman¡¯s words trailed off at the middle of his sentence.


    Feeling suspicious, Kazuki intently watched Norman¡¯s face. When he did that, the words which followed, bewildered him.


    ¡¸Perhaps, are you feeling unwell? Then¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s no problem¡¹


    ¡¸But your complexion is¨D¨D¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m telling you that there¡¯s no problem¡¹


    Without even an ounce of consideration, he cut off Norman¡¯s words filled with concern and discarded them.


    Honestly, there were all kinds of problems, but it wasn¡¯t as though he could straightforwardly convey ¨C ¡¸Actually, it seems like I have possessed Harold-kun ¡¹. And so, when he mildly wanted to refuse, it became like this. It seemed as though this mouth automatically translated words into Harold¡¯s style. Was the previous ¡¸Come in¡¹ also the work of this mouth. If that was the case, what an annoying feature this was.


    In response to Harold¡¯s blunt reaction, Norman felt that something was out of place.


    The young Harold that he was aware of had extreme hatred towards holding back, and would never work hard, would run away from pain, and would eliminate everything he disliked.


    His parents were also largely responsible for generally approving something like that, that is to say, if Harold was feeling unwell, instead of enduring it like this, he would have exaggeratedly cried out about his condition.


    However, only on this day alone, did he not do this, urging to continue the conversation, even though his face was extremely pallid.


    He thought about speaking at a later time, but looking at Harold¡¯s eyes which were screaming ¨C ¡¸Hurry up and speak¡¹, Norman continued the conversation.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Then, I¡¯ll be brief. I am requesting for reduction of the punishment imposed on Clara¡¹


    When he heard that, Kazuki remembered. The reality that the current him holds the life of a person.


    The shock of realizing that he had become Harold was too big, due to which his memory had lapsed completely.


    His mouth had spouted out the dialog of the event, where he makes the servant as the test subject for his new magic, on its own, and naturally, Kazuki had no intentions of doing that.


    That being the case, as he was about to instantly consent to Norman¡¯s request, he wasn¡¯t even able to form them into words.


    It wasn¡¯t as though Harold¡¯s will obstructed him. It was that Kazuki himself, swallowed down the words.


    This was because he had to answer according to the situation, since he had knowledge about the original work.


    If the situation followed the original work, then the servant, Clara, would be burned to death by Harold¡¯s magic. As a result, the woman¡¯s daughter, Colette, would be driven out of the Stokes¡¯ territory, since she would have no relatives.


    Before long , Colette, who would have collapsed due to the exhaustion of both mind and body, would then be sheltered, and would start to live with the original work¡¯s protagonist and his family, under the same roof.


    In short, Colette was the main heroine and if Clara was saved now, she wouldn¡¯t encounter the protagonist, which would be a huge deviation from the story. Kazuki realized this and was at a loss for words.


    In the end, this was just a possibility.


    There was a possibility that even if Clara was either saved or killed, Colette might encounter the protagonist and become his friend.


    The phenomenon which could be called as the power to alter history.


    If this power worked even if Kazuki moved as he pleased, then for better or for worse, there was no need for him to worry.


    (If that is true, then the events of the original work can¡¯t be avoided and my future would be pitch black. Let me assume that a power like that doesn¡¯t exist)


    If he hadn¡¯t done that, Kazuki¡¯s mental health would have taken a hit.


    Conversely, if a thing like the altering power doesn¡¯t operate, using the knowledge about the original work, Kazuki could avoid the messed up actions taken by Harold, and it wouldn¡¯t be extremely difficult to behave in a way that wouldn¡¯t lower his impression.


    A ray of hope rose up in Kazuki¡¯s heart.


    (For that purpose, if I take actions which deviate too much from the original work, I would lose an advantage, which would be a poor plan. Without changing the scenario in a broad sense, if I could guide only the conclusion to a decent direction, then¡­¡­..!)


    As it was, if he didn¡¯t take any actions and the scenario progressed completely in accordance with the original work, in a few more years, Kazuki would welcome death. He must do everything he can to avoid that.


    However, what kind of influence the destruction of the original story causes, wasn¡¯t known. Much less, in an RPG world, where death was ever closer. In a world like this, knowing the rough flow of the future was the greatest advantage, and if this was ignored, death might come due to a development absent in the original work.


    A colossal death flag called the world of survival of the fittest. To take on both those parties and survive, the flow of the original work must be drawn while it would be fine to move forward by breaking down his own flag.


    Anyway, Kazuki strengthened his resolve to do all he could before he could start talking pretentiously, if he didn¡¯t want to die.


    Norman was startled by seeing Kazuki¡¯s eyes, which were harboring such a stubborn determination. This was because, he had never seen the boy making such eyes previously.


    ¡¸Clara is that servant, right? Bastard, are you telling me to act for the sake of rescuing her.¡¹


    Kazuki instantly regretted the opening of his mouth.


    As for Kazuki, his intention was to tell ¨C ¡¸Clara-san was the servant from some time ago, right? I really want to save her but, I cannot move openly¡¹. How freely was that translated for the remark to be like this.


    Naturally, as though he was dispirited, Norman¡¯s expression became clouded.


    (This is bad!)


    Kazuki felt through his body that the flow had become extremely bad. The way things were going, his Hate Points was going to increase from the already existing amount.


    Somehow trying to gloss over things, he frantically squeezed out words.


    ¡¸If you want to help, to start with, move on your own. I will listen to your words after that¡¹


    ¡¸In, in that case¡­¡­..!¡¹


    ¡¸Importunate. Get out immediately¡¹


    Kazuki, flustered by his own mouth spouting out abusive language more than what was expected, made Norman leave, by driving him out mid-sentence.


    Seeing him leave while expressing gratitude even after such treatment, Kazuki was relieved that his will to somewhat co-operate was conveyed.


    Throwing himself down on the bed, looking up this time, Kazuki started to reflect deeply on his careless thinking.


    He cannot avoid taking back his previous opinion already. As long as this mouth was there, it seemed that it would be a considerably difficult problem to alter only the conclusion of the event without lowering his impression.


    While that may be true, he couldn¡¯t just tell ¨C ¡¸As expected, shall I give up¡¹. If the worst situation was to be assumed,  the situation where death in this world would, without a doubt, be the death of Hirasawa Kazuki, which would be extremely troublesome. There might also be a possibility of returning back to his original world by dying here, but the risk was too high for him to put it into action.


    And so, until the clue to escape the current situation was caught, the best way to survive as Harold Stokes was to act in accordance with the original work and avoid taking screwed up actions.


    In that way, with a situation close to the original work¡¯s, if the flow of this world was continued to be observed closely, it would become clear whether this place was the same world of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡» or a world which was a counterfeit of it.


    And so, what was it that Kazuki ought to do now. It was to gather information, to get a good grasp on the present situation.


    Kazuki, who had recovered his energy to a certain extent due to the discovery of hope, got off the bed and started rummaging through the drawers and searching the bookshelf. When he did that, other than general goods he also found some items which had appeared in the game.


    Nearly everything stowed on the bookshelf were books related to magic or biographies which contained lots of illustrations. Fortunately, the books were written in Japanese, which could be read even by Kazuki.


    As expected, it might be a world of made ?in ?Japan.


    After briefly finishing his search, he went out of the room. In order to talk with Clara.


    He calls out to an armored soldier who was nearby.


    ¡¸Oi, bastard¡¹


    ¡¸Ha Ha!¡¹


    The soldier bent down on one knee and lowered his head.


    By the way, he stopped minding about the use of his language in each and every single situation.


    ¡¸Lead me to the dungeon where the servant called Clara is imprisoned¡¹


    ¡¸To the dungeon?¡¹


    ¡¸What? If you have any objections, I¡¯ll listen to them¡¹


    ¡¸No, I don¡¯t! This way please!¡¹


    With brisk movements, the soldier took the lead. The armor was clattering noisily. It looked like it would be an annoyance if he wandered around in the mansion during night.


    He followed behind the soldier like that for a short while.


    They arrived in front of a desolate looking building with a height of 3m, made out of stone, situated behind the mansion.


    ¡¸This is the dungeon¡¹


    ¡¸How many people are imprisoned?¡¹


    ¡¸For now, it should be a single person, but¡­¡­.. ¡¹


    If it was like that, it seemed that the only one inside was Clara. For Kazuki, this was convenient.


    ¡¸You remain here and keep a lookout so that no one comes inside¡¹


    ¡¸Ce, certainly¡¹


    Making the soldier stand outside, only Kazuki entered inside the building after opening the wooden door.


    ¡¸Ha, Harold-sama!? Uo!¡¹


    In the narrow room, which had the appearance of a guardroom, there was the form of yet another soldier. Lying down upon the chair which was lined up, was the posture of the soldier indicating his blatant idling.


    The soldier, hurriedly trying to rise up, tripped and fell down from the chair. Kazuki ignored that and extended his hand to an iron grill, furnished on the ground in the left-hand corner of the room, which appeared to lead to the dungeon. When he pulled it, he found that it was locked tightly.


    ¡¸Hand over the key¡¹


    ¡¸Ye, yes!¡¹


    The soldier handed over a key to Harold, from the ones hung on the wall. He inserted the key into the keyhole and when he turned it to the left side, the lock opened with a loud clank.


    ¡¸I have to talk with the person in the dungeon. Don¡¯t you dare enter¡¹


    Nailing down that point, he descended the stairway leading to the dungeon while he still held the key, so that he wouldn¡¯t get locked in, even if by chance.


    The stairway was gloomy and even the steps couldn¡¯t be seen properly. He finally reached the prison after carefully descending the 10 odd steps.


    The prison had a total of 4 cells, 2 on each side. Each cell only had something which seemed like a bed made only out of straw and a simple toilet out in the open. On the wall at the other side of the prison was a small window, with a height of 20 cm and a width of 30 cm, through which a small amount of light was illuminating the prison.


    Kazuki stopped his feet in front of the cell situated at the interior right hand side, in which Clara was imprisoned.


    ¡¸There is no mistake that you are Clara Emerel , right?¡¹


    ¡¸Harold-sama¡­¡­?¡¹


    Kazuki stood in front of Clara¡¯s cell in a position where she could not make out his facial features.


    It was at the level where she could only guess at who it was from looking at the small silhouette of the person and listening to the voice of the person.


    However, a doubt rose up in her mind.


    A doubt about why he came here.


    ¡¸Perhaps¡­¡­¡­.Has that time already come?¡¹


    Her voice shook.


    A test subject for experimenting a new magic. The boy standing in front of her had definitely told that some time ago.


    Thinking that the time had already come, Clara¡¯s face was etched with an even more deeper color of despair.


    But the reply from Harold was something which greatly deviated from her prediction.


    ¡¸If that is your wish, then I will do so. But currently, it¡¯s for a different matter.¡¹


    Harold folded his arms and leaned his back on the iron bars of the opposite cell.


    She thought about what he meant by a different matter. She had already worked in this mansion for almost 2 years and the amount of times she had directly conversed with Harold was uncountable, but still, she tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡¸A different matter, is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Just confirmation. You only need to answer my questions without any lies or deception¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Okay, I will answer all the questions you ask me¡¹


    The vigor with which Clara could show agreement, was only by nodding. It was completely different from how he normally behaved, where he always wanted to have his own way. She was swallowed by the atmosphere given off by Harold, who was emitting a calm and composed aura and was unbecoming of his age.


    ¡¸What is the composition of your family?¡¹


    ¡¸I have a single daughter¡¹


    ¡¸What is her name?¡¹


    ¡¸She is called Colette¡¹


    ¡¸What about blood relatives or close family members other than her?¡¹


    ¡¸I left my hometown with my husband, which was similar to running away, and from then on it was a state of isolation from my house. 3 years ago, due to a disease, my husband¡­¡­..¡¹


    (So there was reason like that for Colette not having a relative other than her mother)


    The purpose of the questioning was for comparing and adjusting the knowledge of the original work.


    Clara was getting baffled by listening to him asking questions about her circumstances which had nothing to do with her punishment, but Kazuki paid no heed to that and persistently continued to interrogate her.


    ¡¸The age of your daughter is?¡¹


    ¡¸She becomes 9 this year¡¹


    ¡¸Do you have any experience in martial arts or using any magic?¡¹


    ¡¸No, things like that in particular¡­¡­..¡¹


    The time it took was a few minutes. Kazuki indifferently repeated the questions. The outcome was rather good.


    All the information obtained from Clara was consistent with Kazuki¡¯s. With this, all the information that could be obtained at this stage was present and he was able to decide on what to do hereafter.


    ¡¸That¡¯s it. Well then¡¹


    ¡¸Wait for a moment please¡¹


    Clara pleaded for Kazuki, who was about to leave, to halt.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..What?¡¹


    ¡¸If I die, then my daughter¡­¡­¡­Colette will be all alone. At that age, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to survive if she is left alone¡­¡­..¡¹


    Clara tells that while shedding tears.


    ¡¸Therefore, after my death, please take care of my daughter! That girl has done no wrong. Please, please I beg you¡­¡­.! ¡¹


    Instead of worrying about her own life, she, who was anxious about the future of her child, begged while grovelling and bowing her head, to the one whom she should hate to the core, who was similar to a person falsely accusing her.


    If it was the real Harold, he might have ridiculed and laughed at that appearance.


    But Kazuki was different. He could currently sense the unconditional love from a mother to a daughter, from Clara.


    Kazuki couldn¡¯t laugh at the mother who was begging for the happiness of her daughter, instead of worrying about her own life. He now held the conviction that she was an existence that was absolutely indispensable for Colette.


    The likes of killing such a person was improbable.


    ¡¸Unsightly. That appearance and also the utter stupidity of being seized by needless and meaningless anxiety¡¹


    For Harold, this seemed to be consoling words. Up to what extent does his haughty attitude go.


    ¡¸That is, what do you mean by¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    Without answering Clara¡¯s question, Kazuki starts to walk away. If he were to stay in front of her any more than this, it seemed as though he would start crying out of sympathy. Turning his back on her, Kazuki briefly told her ¨C


    ¡¸If you love her to that extent, never again let go of her¡¹


    Before long, the sound of footsteps also vanished and the sound of the iron grill at the entrance being closed resounded out inside the dungeon.


    Clara absentmindedly gazed at the darkness, through which Harold had disappeared, digesting the words he had left behind.


    ¡¸This despair is needless anxiety, is it¡­¡­..? Can I once again embrace Colette with these arms¡­¡­..?¡¹


    There was no one to answer the murmur which leaked out from Clara and those words were swallowed up by the silence.


    She didn¡¯t know why, but she now felt as though the silence was tender.

 Chapter 3

    Even though he had obtained important information, he was far from finding a solution to the problematic situation. There was a need to form a concrete plan to save Clara and Colette.


    For now, Kazuki thought out that the 2 of them needed to leave the Stokes territory and shift their residence to the Brosch village, where the Liner family of the original work¡¯s protagonist lived.


    The probability of Colette and Liner coming across each other would be the highest when Clara is still alive. As long as one had played the original work, they would know that the Brosch village was in no way large, and from the remarks of Liner in the game, they would also know that all the village children knew each other. The problem was whether Colette and Liner would develop a close relationship as in the game.


    As long as Clara was still alive, it would be difficult to produce a situation where Colette would live together with the Liner family.


    In that case, he was ruminating whether he could somehow or the other, place Colette in the childhood friends position.


    Even though he was groaning ¡®Umumu¡­.¡¯, no bright ideas came to mind. The one who appeared at such a time, where he was reaching his limits, was none other than Norman.


    ¡¸Excuse me¡¹


    Kazuki, who saw Norman bowing down his head in the exact same manner he had done a few hours ago, thought ¨C ¡®as expected, a well disciplined butler is different¡¯, and felt moved meaninglessly.


    If there was something different form before, it was the bundle of sheets held in both his hands.


    ¡¸Harold-sama, how are you feeling¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸How many times will you make me say it, there¡¯s no problem. And, what is that?¡¹


    ¡¸These are the map of the Stokes territory and its surroundings, and the information regarding the settlements in and around the neighborhood of the territory¡¹


    (Norman-san, efficiently done!)


    He held back that shout of delight, which would destroy his character. Well, even if he had told something, it would be translated into something ominous like ¡¸Hou, a bit impetuous, aren¡¯t you¡¹, which might not even seem like a compliment.


    Nevertheless, it seemed as though, in just a few hours, Norman gathered up the huge amount of information. He decided to ignore asking him about what he did with the original work he was assigned.


    ¡¸Well worked. Well then, how the hell do you plan to save that servant?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..It is extremely difficult for me to say this but, I think that it would be ideal for her to migrate outside the territory of the Stokes house¡¹


    This was a huge wager for Norman.


    Sending people out of the territory, this would reduce the manpower and also the revenue that could be collected from them. Harold was thinking that there was no need to mind it since, right from the start, he had no intention of killing her. Norman never thought that Harold was thinking like that.


    He thought that Harold might feel unpleasant due to the manpower and revenue becoming the property of other nobles.


    The thing called a noble¡¯s honor.


    ¡¸Is that so. Where is the candidate town located?¡¹


    ¡¸Th, that is, here¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    However, looking at Harold responding as though nothing had happened, Norman, who was partly vigilant, was letdown.


    Harold was looking through the document brought by Norman, while listening to him. That attitude was seriousness itself.


    In fact, being enthusiastic about Norman¡¯s proposal, he promptly started to think about a plan to deal with the point which appeared to be problematic.


    ¡¸The things that need to be gathered to migrate outside the territory is numerous. In the first place, is it even possible to come and go out of the territory of the other nobles easily?¡¹


    ¡¸For individuals, there are no particular regulations. However, if we send her off without anything to an unknown land, the circumstances of her livelihood might be hard. I think that a minimum amount of materials are required¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    If that was the case, there was a need to use a small, horse-drawn cart. Of course, a horse-drawn cart of the Stokes house.


    And, for a cart belonging to a noble or a merchant to pass through, a transit permit was indispensable.


    ¡¸With the goods, if the daughter is also added to that, the utilization of a cart cannot be avoided. Then, there is also a need to do something or the other regarding the transit permit¡­¡­¡­¡­.really, there is nothing more problematic than this whole damn thing¡¹


    Contrary to his words, his eyes don¡¯t leave the document even for an instant.


    And, Norman was surprised to see that Harold had a grasp on the matters concerning Clara and her family, as though it was obvious. He had thought that normally, Harold was indifferent like his parents.


    (Perhaps¡­¡­¡­..No, it must be so. Harold-sama, even at his age, must be thinking about the people)


    Therefore, didn¡¯t he ask the one who had proposed to save her to tackle the situation personally?


    If thought about it like that, everything fell into place.


    Also, wasn¡¯t the bragging about using her as a test subject for his new magic, to hide her, who was about get slain, in a safe place for the time being.


    Without showing disapproval at losing the almost nonexistent profit from the manpower and revenue of a single person, wasn¡¯t he seriously trying to save her without putting on airs.


    While thinking about the future, Clara running away to a land where the Stokes house¡¯s power doesn¡¯t reach would be the safest for her. That being the case, rejecting that suggestion would be idiotic.


    From the start, Kazuki was moving to save her. It was natural that he wanted to give it his all when he was unexpectedly requested for assistance in that matter.


    Passionate feelings welled up in Norman¡¯s heart. And simultaneously, he felt ashamed at himself for being suspicious towards Harold.


    He shouldn¡¯t be doubting the young boy, who was groping around for a solution to save a single servant in such an earnest manner.


    If the boy himself was so serious, then he must also be serious. When he thought like that, his tone also naturally became passionate.


    ¡¸In this town, in the following season, due to the harvest festival, they constantly require help¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Compared to the Stokes territory, the cost of living is high. If there is no environment where they gain a stable income¡­¡­..¡¹


    Regarding his opinion, Harold precisely pointed out the problem, with the document as his basis. That thinking ability, outlook and knowledge weren¡¯t that of a 10 year old.


    Inside the young boy¡¯s body was a university student, so it wasn¡¯t a mystery that he was able to do that, but Norman who didn¡¯t know that, couldn¡¯t help but think that he was a prodigy.


    If he spoke about his feelings frankly, Norman didn¡¯t have even the slightest bit of agreeable sentiments concerning the Stokes house.


    The current head of the family and his wife were the embodiment of the pure-blood principle and considered themselves to be the chosen ones. They looked down on anyone other than pure-blood nobles and didn¡¯t even think of the popualtion of their territory as people.


    But he, who was the son of those 2 people, was different.


    Without being seized by an easy-going prejudice, holding the moral values important as a human, he had a mindset comparable to adults.


    This young boy, wasn¡¯t he the light of hope that would change the Stokes house. Harold was emitting a brilliance that wouldn¡¯t be there if he wasn¡¯t carrying such expectations.


    ¡¸¨C That is all¡¹


    Eventually, the heated up discussion had ended after more than 2 hours had passed from the start of it. The sky, which could be seen from the window, was dyed in a red color.


    From the exchange of his views with Norman, Kazuki also noticed some of the finer details, which he wasn¡¯t aware of.


    With that, the migration of those 2 to the Brosh village was mostly decided upon.


    They hesitated on deciding the day on which they would carry out the plan. As he had played the original work, he didn¡¯t feel that a large number of days had passed before Harold had killed Clara.


    It seemed to be done on that very night at the shortest, 2 days later at the longest.


    If there were no drastic delays, it wouldn¡¯t affect the flow of original work, but with respect to taking insurance, the plan had to be carried out within 3 days, including today. This was also to avoid a situation where his parents would doubt him if he were to be too impatient. Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to implement the plan today, at this time. Then it would have to either be the next day or the day after.


    ¡¸Norman¡¹


    ¡¸Ha¡¹


    ¡¸We will carry out the plan tomorrow night. I will do something about the transit permit. Until then you complete the preparations ¡¹


    ¡¸Understood¡¹


    Even though he was worried, Kazuki chose to act the next day.


    Guessing from Harold¡¯s personality, he would kill Clara on the very same day, in other words, tonight. He judged that it would be the best if they made the situation stay close to the flow, as much as possible.


    After Norman had left, in the room where there was only a single person, bathing in the western sunlight, he started simulating his actions and dialog for the time period starting from now until tomorrow night, a number of times.


    He was taking part in a make-or-break match, where absolutely no mistakes would be permitted, since he was responsible for the life of a person.


    With this, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t be nervous.


    To shake off the nervousness, Kazuki single-mindedly repeated the simulation.


    He was doing that the whole time, until it was time for dinner when his completely immersed consciousness was brought back to reality.


    He would know whether it was effective.


    When they began eating dinner, to deceive his farther, he was able to smoothly lie.


    ¡¸Father, right, I have a request¡¹


    ¡¸What is it Harold?¡¹


    ¡¸Recently, it seems that a blacksmith has opened up a shop in Leitze, and it also seems that the swords sold there are amazing. I also wish to try swinging them¡¹


    ¡¸Fumu, in that case, shall we send a servant to randomly buy some swords from there¡¹


    ¡¸That will take some time. I want it now, as soon as possible¡¹


    ¡¸Harold really is gallant. In the future, he will become a splendid noble like you, dear¡¹


    His mother was laughing with a ¨C Hoho Hoho.


    Kazuki didn¡¯t know why he was gallant for just wanting a sword, but since it was no different than being a covering fire, he decided to take advantage of it.


    ¡¸Mother is also telling that, hey isn¡¯t it fine? If there is a transit permit, we can send someone to buy them for my use¡¹


    ¡¸Doesn¡¯t Harold seem like he really wants it? Dear, won¡¯t it be fine to just write a few lines¡¹


    ¡¸Alright. Then, tomorrow morning, I will write the transmit permit¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you, father!¡¹


    If one only looked at the dining table filled with laughter, they would think that it was an intimate and happy family. But for the surrounding servants, it wasn¡¯t a thing that they could warmly watch over.


    Everybody knew, that they only thought of the servants as rocks on the side of a road.


    It would be the same even if they were there or not there. In the first place, they don¡¯t even notice them.


    Even though it was the family of their employer, they couldn¡¯t find those kind of people likeable.


    The bleak harmony, formed from talking with the current head and his wife, advanced with the night.


    But nobody present here knew that this was a scene which was false.


    Except for Kazuki and Norman.

 Chapter 4

    There were some vigorous movements the next day. Mainly by 2 soldiers.


    These were the 2 soldiers who knew the actions Kazuki had taken the day before.


    To impose a gag order on this time¡¯s plan to save Clara, thinking that it would be desirable to limit the number of people who were concerned with it, Kazuki had confirmed whether these 2 were people who could be trusted with confidential work, from Norman the day before.


    Norman¡¯s answer was a yes. For Kazuki, it was fortunate but, it was hard to say for the soldiers.


    Called by Harold early in the morning, when they headed to his room filled with trepidation thinking about exactly what they were called for, all of a sudden they were given an explanation about the plan to save the servant.


    Without their understanding catching up to the situation, the one thing that was carved deeply into the hearts of the 2 soldiers and the coachman of the horse cart, who was called like them,  was that, if this plan failed and was discovered by a third party, their lives would be in danger.


    Therefore, one of the soldiers completed the orders given one after the other with a ¨C hii hii.


    The other one was running around the town at the same time.


    The only one who was at ease was the coachman, who had no work until night.


    ¡¸Ha, Harold-sama, I have bought all the goods and come back¡¹


    ¡¸Toss them into the dungeon while not being seen. After finishing that, ride the horse and confirm the route to the highway with your own eyes¡¹


    ¡¸But I still haven¡¯t brought the horse along¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll be fine if you borrow a horse from the ones in the mansion and go. However, give it an injury that arouses suspicion. Come back before it gets dark¡¹


    No mercy, precisely Spartan.


    If explained why, since Kazuki himself was at his wit¡¯s end, he didn¡¯t have enough room to pay attention to his surroundings.


    Confirming that the soldier had headed towards the stable, Kazuki resumed practising his magic.


    The magic he was practising was the low grade magic ¡ºFlame Column¡», directly translated, it was ¨C pillar of fire (Hibashira). The magic which was thought to be fired by Harold in the original work, to kill Clara.


    They actually didn¡¯t know what it was, but among the players who had watched the movie scene, ¡¸It¡¯s probably Flame Column¡¹ was what they had widely perceived it as, and so he decided to conform to it.


    Well, it was relatively inconsequential but, it couldn¡¯t be helped that it¡¯s power was weak.


    At first, with embarrassment added to him thinking whether he could really use magic, he performed the chant. Surprisingly, when it succeeded in the first try, as expected, he was excited, but when he looked at it properly, it only rose up to a height of 40 cm and its thickness was also about as small as an aluminum can.


    In the original work, it had a height and thickness which could easily envelop a grown woman, and in the combat scene, it looked as though it was a pillar of fire which had a height of 2 ¨C 3 m.


    If this body really was that of Harold Stokes, then it should also be possible for Kazuki to do it.


    It wasn¡¯t as though he would burn Clara to death so, Kazuki also knew that it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary for it to have so much firepower. Even for the actual performance, he had no intentions to activate the magic as extensively as shown in the movie scene.


    That said, since he was letting Clara get away, there was no way he could show a corpse and so, he needed enough firepower to show that he had burnt her so much that not even cinders remained. For that reason, from some time ago, Kazuki was practising magic while simultaneously, leaving burn marks on the ground and tree trunks and also burning leaves.


    Even though it was an open location, he was still inside a forest with dense, overgrown trees. Carefully paying attention so as to not start a forest fire, he was repeating a truly boring operation.


    ¡¸Fuu¡­¡­..It should be enough to this degree¡¹


    There was no change in his arrogant tone even though he was speaking to himself. For Harold, it seemed as though this was how he spoke originally.


    Leaving that aside, for the time being, he disguised the vicinity as though it was the aftermath of a fire. Later, for the act, to show this off, if he just made a pillar of fire, it would be thought that it wasn¡¯t a mystery that the corpse had been burnt off.


    Honestly, he was a bit anxious. Or rather, he was full of anxiety.


    Since his decision would divide whether a person died or not, there was no way his mind could be calm.


    After all, they are game characters ¨C Even if he thought of it like that, after actually exchanging words with them and experiencing those emotions, they were already human beings as far as Kazuki was concerned. He couldn¡¯t possibly view them as just computer icons.


    No matter how much preparations he had setup, ¡¸With this, its absolutely fine¡¹- he probably couldn¡¯t be convinced that that was the case.


    On the contrary, currently for Kazuki, that was fortunate.


    When he came to his senses, he was lost in a world which seemed to be inside a game, and he was currently personally experiencing the unprecedented situation of possessing a character¡¯s body.


    Under such a situation, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to keep calm.


    However, presently, Kazuki could see the life-threatening crisis approaching him, and since he was doing his all to avoid it, he didn¡¯t have the leeway to be concerned with other affairs. It was close to a kind of running away from reality, but it was an unshakeable fact that by doing so, he maintained mental stability.


    With this, is it really fine; Do any defects exist in the plan that I have thought out; Is there anything more that I have to do ¨C Kazuki, without stopping these thoughts, was immersed in making careful preparations until the sun set.


    And then, the long awaited full-moon night came.


    In the forest illuminated by moonlight, Clara arrived, lead by the soldier.


    She wasn¡¯t wearing the maid outfit that servants normally wore, but casual clothes often seen in the town. During daytime, Kazuki had sent the soldier to buy them, and had ordered him to tell her to change into those clothes.


    ¡¸Umm¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸Keep quiet¡¹


    He rudely interrupted Clara, who was uneasy. Even now, Kazuki was extremely nervous.


    For a while, the strained silence continued. Kazuki, Norman, Clara and soldier A- the one who was slacking off yesterday-The thing that broke off the silence which had descended upon these people, was the sound of a horse¡¯s hooves impacting on the ground, from far away.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Finally¡¹


    Deep from inside the forest, from the the direction of the town, the ones who appeared were the soldier, who was brushing aside plants, and a small girl, riding on 2 horses.


    When they saw each other, Clara and the girl simultaneously raised their voices.


    ¡¸Mama!¡¹


    ¡¸Colette!¡¹


    Clara strongly embraced the little girl, who was let down from the horse. With that in his peripheral vision, Kazuki received the report from the soldier.


    ¡¸Sorry for being late, Harold-sama. It took some time to cross the forest while pulling the horse, so¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸That is inconsequential. While bringing that girl, was your figure seen by the town-folk?¡¹


    ¡¸No problem. But, it seems as though a person going from the town to the mansion like her, has leaked out the circumstances, and rumors that Clara was already going to be killed are spreading out¡¹


    ¡¸Tsk¡¹


    He involuntarily clicked his tongue. Now that it was mentioned, it was obvious, but he didn¡¯t think that far ahead.


    As expected, he still wasn¡¯t calm enough.


    But for now, he didn¡¯t have the leisure to worry about it. He put off regretting and reflecting for a later time.


    To the 2 people who were hugging each other with tears floating in their eyes, he talked to them in a compromising tone.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll present 2 choices to you bastards¡¹


    In front of the faces of the 2 people who were looking up at Kazuki, he raised up his index finger.


    ¡¸First, die here¡¹


    Towards Kazuki¡¯s words, Colette let out a voice as though she was convulsing. In contrast to that, Clara was staring straight-forwardly at Kazuki¡¯s eyes. In front of their eyes, he next raised up his second finger.


    ¡¸Second, discard this land and start a new livelihood outside the Stokes territory¡¹


    ¡¸Eh?¡¹


    With this suggestion, as expected, even Clara opened her eyes wide. Outside the territory, in other words, if they migrated to another noble¡¯s territory, the Stokes house couldn¡¯t interfere with their lives.


    That is, acquittal.


    ¡¸If the latter option is chosen, then it will be declared that you bastards are dead. Coming back here once again isn¡¯t permitted and all the connections made until now must be severed¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Will you forgive me?¡¹


    Murmuring as though partly in a daze, Clara uttered that.


    ¡¸About what?¡¹


    But, in a haughty manner, Harold asked that question in return. As for Kazuki, he wanted to tell -¡¸What is it about? ¡¹- and play dumb with a smile.


    First of all, the cause of this racket was when Harold bumped into Clara, who was watering the flower bed, and after slipping down he got dirty. It was clear that it was a really stupid incident in the game. It couldn¡¯t just be called as pitiful, getting killed for such a thing.


    For this reason, the resentment Colette felt towards Harold in the original game was extremely high.


    Naturally, Kazuki didn¡¯t even think of it as anything and it wasn¡¯t as though he was angry, since his consciousness only surfaced after the incident.


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine, so quickly choose. As for me, it would be convenient and helpful if I killed you here and now¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­I¡¯m extremely sorry. I feel that I still want to continue living with this girl¡¹


    (Right~)


    With this, if she told something like -¡¸Please kill me¡¹- all the troubling things he had worked for, would come to nothing.


    First of all, there was no way Kazuki could carry out the act of killing people.


    ¡¸Fu~n, boring. Then, take this and go¡¹


    Kazuki produced a jute bag from his breast pocket and casually threw it towards them. Opening that drawstring bag and casting a glance at the insides, Clara stiffened up due to being surprised once again.


    ¡¸Th, this is ¡­¡­..?¡¹


    ¡¸Consolation money. Don¡¯t spout out that you don¡¯t know what it means¡¹


    ¡¸¨CThank you very much¡¹


    Clara put her hands on the ground and with a quivering voice, expressed her gratitude. The money itself was the allowance his father had given, when Harold had told that he wanted a sword and so, it was hard for Kazuki to accept that gratitude frankly.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll give this to you¡¹


    As though hiding his embarrassment, Kazuki also handed over a thing to Colette. It was a necklace which had the emblem of the knight order of the Saint King -a single-edged sword imitating  wings, giving off a silvery obsidian shine- as an ornament. It was an article which he had discovered when he was in the middle of thoroughly searching Harold¡¯s room.


    ¡¸Never let this part from you, always wear it around your neck. This is the condition for letting you bastards run away. Understood?¡¹


    ¡¸Ye, yes¡¹


    Although she was frightened, Colette nodded.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.But, if a guy who wants it appears, give it to him. Only give it to a guy whose age is around yours and appears to be a bit skilled. In exchange for that, make him promise to protect you as a knight¡¹


    ¡¸Uhh¡­¡­?¡¹


    Colette was confused at Harold¡¯s excessively detailed orders. Even if he wanted to explain it in a more simplified manner, his mouth wouldn¡¯t allow him to do that.


    Thereupon, a timely help came from beside him.


    ¡¸Harold-sama is telling you to hand it over to a person who would protect you¡¹


    Nice translation ¨C thinking that, Kazuki clenched his fist lightly and did a Guts-pose.


    Colette who understood its meaning this time, rigorously nodded her head twice.


    ¡¸Un, understood¡¹


    ¡¸Then go already. It is unbearable for me to be troubled by you bastards anymore¡¹


    Turning around, Kazuki gave orders to the 2 soldiers. It was arranged that Clara and Colette were to ride the horses from here and were to be lead until the the vicinity of the highway. After that, there was no other choice than to leave it to the soldiers A, B and the coachman of the horse-drawn cart.


    ¡¸Harold-sama. Really, thank you very much¡¹


    Just before straddling onto the horse, Clara and Colette together, bent their waist deeply, announced that, and then left.


    Undoubtedly, they were showing their gratitude for him doing everything that was possible, for them.


    However, originally speaking, Harold was the cause for all this so there was no reason for them to thank him. Certainly, if it weren¡¯t for Kazuki, Clara might have died, but in the first place, if it weren¡¯t for Harold, then there was no way they would have fallen into such a predicament.


    (For a rescue operation when I¡¯m acting in my own play, even if you express gratitude¡­¡­)


    At least, there was no way he could feel proud. Well, it¡¯s fine since Clara and Colette can live happily after this ¨C thinking that, for the time being, he put a stop to the gloomy feelings in his heart.


    There was one last job left to do.


    ¡¸Norman, go back first¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Understood¡¹


    Norman responded to Harold¡¯s command after hesitating for a breath. Looking at Harold¡¯s expression, which seemed as though he was brooding over something, he hesitated because he was thinking whether it would be fine to leave this boy alone.


    However, that expression returned back to a calm one in a very small amount of time. In that case, now isn¡¯t the time to unnecessarily interject ¨C thinking that, Norman decided to withdraw.


    And then, he immediately realized that it was a mistake.


    While he was reluctantly heading back to the mansion, the wind carried Harold¡¯s voice to Norman¡¯s ears.


    When the voice, which was broken due to it being mixed among the sound of rustling of the tree leaves, reached his ears, Norman reflexively stopped walking.


    ¡¸Ha, unsightly face¡­¡­¡­no value in living¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    The boy¡¯s voice, which could be heard faintly, contained self-derision


    ¡¸No way¡­¡­..forgiven¡­¡­..¡¹


    As though repenting for one¡¯s sins


    ¡¸Life¡­¡­..useless¡­¡­ At least, if¡­¡­.death¡­¡­¡­,right?¡¹


    And yet, it contained a sharpness which could cut through one¡¯s body.


    The monologue of a 10 year old boy. With a cleverness unbecoming of a child, he saved the parent and child, and he, who had accomplished a praise-worthy thing, was suffering.


    All alone, so that no one could find out.


    ¡¸It¡¯s over¨C¡ºFlame Column¡»¡¹


    (Gou)


    A thunderous roar, together with a hot wind blew through the forest. The pillar of fire, which was growing higher and higher, as though it was the manifestation of the feelings inside Harold¡¯s heart, was fiercely blazing.


    As though burning down the pain contained in that small body.


    The conflict held within Harold. Norman, catching a glimpse of that part and being petrified while in a daze, couldn¡¯t move until Harold came back, stamping on leaves and branches.


    Seeing Norman like that, Harold¡¯s expression warped.


    ¡¸What are you doing at a place like this? I should have ordered you to go back first¡¹


    Kazuki¡¯s tone became rough. This was because, just now, he had spoken out the dialog of the event.


    In a place where nobody was present, mocking and laughing at a Clara who had already left long ago, and talking to himself while murmuring ¨C this was a shame play where his dark history shined brilliantly. If somebody heard that, it was at the level where he would hang himself or at least seriously consider doing it.


    Much less, if people started thinking that Harold was a sad person who had chuunibyou, then it wouldn¡¯t just end with the destruction of his character. He would have to silence anyone who would expose that shameful behavior, because if he didn¡¯t, then there was a possibility that in the future it would lead to a troublesome situation.


    ¡¸Everything that happened, everything that you saw and everything that you heard today, forget about them completely. Otherwise, without telling it to anyone in the future, carry it to your grave. I won¡¯t accept an answer other than a ¡°Yes¡±¡¹


    As though vigorously pressing for an answer, he keeps talking to Norman without a pause.


    It was something that he was desperate for to that extent, but that desperation held a different meaning in Norman¡¯s eyes.


    (Trying to hide his weakness to such an extent, why¡­¡­¡­Even though he is still a child, just how big of a responsibility is Harold-sama trying to carry)


    The attitude obstinate enough to not depend on anyone else was sorrow itself.


    But Norman could do nothing other than to nod his head.


    Taking a glance at Norman who showed his acknowledgement, Harold left with a quick pace. That retreating figure looked as though it was extremely worn out.


    Perhaps, Harold, taking his biological parents as a good example of what not to do, without having any real power presently, was trying to avoid a direct confrontation and was deceiving them.


    He couldn¡¯t do anything other than that. If by chance, his thoughts were discovered by his parents due to a third party, there was no mistake that it would give rise to some discord.


    If it were a normal kid, they would likely clash with their parents as it was, but since this boy was sagacious, he might have understood the dimensions by which it would affect the future, if he had done that.


    For the sake of it not becoming like that, he had chosen to deceive his parents and all the people in the mansion. Thus, not a single person who had anything to do with the Stokes house could see through his facade to know what he really was like.


    His motive for acting like he always was, wouldn¡¯t have been clear if it wasn¡¯t for this irregular incident, and most probably, it also wouldn¡¯t be found out in the future.


    Towards the boy who was continuously fighting alone, he, who had judgemental thoughts, didn¡¯t have any rights to be worried about him.


    Norman found that to be unbearably vexing.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­No, I can¡¯t just keep regretting and do nothing¡¹


    I¡¯m surely going to keep regretting the fact that I couldn¡¯t get close to Harold during the past 10 years, for my whole life.


    But, doing only that, won¡¯t solve anything. These 10 years of inactivity, there¡¯s no way other than to get it back from using all the remaining time, from now on.


    Until the day that kind boy loses the reason to keep tormenting his heart under the pretense of evil.


    ¡ó


    How much time has passed from being shaken due to the cart.


    While stroking the hair of my daughter, who was sleeping using my lap as a pillow, I noticed the sky growing lighter. Daybreak must already be near.


    But still, Clara wasn¡¯t feeling drowsy and was feeling a fluffy sensation as though she was floating in midair.


    In these past 2 days, her world had turned around completely.


    When she was imprisoned in the jail, she already thought that she was going to be executed. The only thing she felt was the fear towards death and despair for leaving her only daughter alone.


    The one who saved her from that was a boy, whose age differed from her daughter¡¯s by only a single year.


    For the sake of a servant, who could be changed easily any number of times, he had handed over clothes, horses and a cart and also, a huge amount of money for them to start a new life, free of charge.


    There was no way Harold¡¯s parents, who had abused Clara by calling her an ¡ºinferior species¡», would allow such a thing. Which meant that this was something he himself had done.


    While they were being escorted to the cart, she heard from the 2 soldiers about how the boy had saved them.


    First, telling that he wanted a sword from a famous blacksmith in Lietze, he obtained the transit permit. He gave it for the coachman¡¯s use and then, asked him to pretend departing to Lietze early in the morning, while he hid in the forest which was in the vicinity of the highway, where there were less people, a bit away from the town.


    Meanwhile, the 2 soldiers, who were in civilian clothes so that they wouldn¡¯t stand out, went to the town to loan the horses and to buy and gather the necessary goods. ¡¸Thanks to that, we ran around the town for the whole day¡¹- smiling wryly while telling that, but also feeling a bit proud, the soldiers narrated.


    And then, after entering Brosch, Clara and Colette would remain in the village, while the horse-cart and 1 of the soldiers would continue on to Lietze. It wouldn¡¯t look to be suspicious because, on the shortest route from the Stokes territory to Lietze, they would need to pass through Brosch village.


    The round trip to Lietze would roughly take 4 ¨C 6 days, so a delay of 1 full day was also within calculations.


    When Clara heard this, she couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. A 10 year old boy had thought up such an elaborate plan in not even half a day, and had splendidly accomplished it like this.


    To add to that, the money given to her was the money given to him by his father to buy a sword for himself.


    Then, when they went to Lietze, they wouldn¡¯t be able to buy the sword ¨C when Clara was worried about that, the coachman stifled his laughter.


    When she asked the reason for his laughter, he told her that he had asked Harold the same question when he had revealed the series of plans to him. And, he had gotten this reply back.


    ¡¸Bastard, are you an idiot. Won¡¯t it be fine if you choose a cheap sword randomly¡¹


    It was as though there was some gentleness mixed in those sharp words. Maybe he had sensed that, since hearing the coachman telling it as though it was enjoyable, left a deep impression on her.


    By no means could Clara¡¯s lifetime be called as smooth sailing but still, Colette being born and encountering Harold, she thought that those 2 things were irreplaceable.


    ¡¸Clara-san, are you awake?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. Did something happen?¡¹


    ¡¸Brosch village is coming into view¡¹


    Hearing the coachman¡¯s words, she peeked out from behind.


    The thing that came into Clara¡¯s view was, illuminated by the sun rays rising from the horizon and covered in morning mist, a sparkling Brosch village.


    ¡¸We¡¯ll have arrived by the time the sun has completely risen. Until then, how about resting for a while?¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you for your consideration. But, for now, I want to burn this into my memory¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so. Well, I understand, those feelings¡¹


    Clara, the coachman and even the 2 soldiers, had their hearts stolen by the scenery which was like an illusion.


    By that form of Brosch village, which was as though it was blessing Clara¡¯s and Colette¡¯s new life.

 Chapter 5

    Listening to Harold¡¯s report, his parents believed that Clara and her daughter Colette, were dead. It was unlikely that they would even think of doubting their son.


    Even though their son had killed a woman and her child, seeing them only praising him extravagantly by telling ¨C ¡¸You have talent in magic¡¹, Kazuki felt that the gap between him and his parents would never be covered in his whole lifetime. As long as they didn¡¯t rid themselves of this kind of sense of values, there was no way he could see eye-to-eye with them.


    Well, because of them blindly believing in him, they didn¡¯t doubt anything he told. So for now, that was more than enough-was what he thought.


    For now, it could be said that the plan to rescue Clara and Colette was a success.


    Truthfully, this was when he should¡¯ve been happy, but confronted by a new problem, for Kazuki, time was precious. The most he could do was to pray that Colette would get close to Liner.


    Leaving that aside, the thing that was troubling Kazuki was how to deal with the growing displeasure of the populace, due to the political pressure of the Stokes family. In short, it could be summed up as severe taxation.


    Since the Stokes territory, with the exception of the towering mountain range to the northeast, was facing the plains, and the highway was laid out as though running beside the city, it was considerably blessed in the field of transportation. There were no seas in the surroundings, but there was a river formed by a stream from the mountain range, which passed nearby, and a forest stretched out from the northwest to the eastern side so, it was a land suitable for forestry too.


    The circulation of people and money was good, and nature was abundant. Naturally, both primary and secondary industries were prosperous.


    However, since the Stokes territory wasn¡¯t very vast, they couldn¡¯t make use of those benefits. Advanced despite being a small town ¨C was the scope of it.


    On a self governing area with that scope of economy, the Stokes family was imposing quite a heavy tax.


    For the residents living in the vicinity of the town center, who had considerably high income, it wasn¡¯t as though they couldn¡¯t pay the tax, but for the agricultural community living in the suburbs, it was quite a burden.


    Particularly, in the recent years, being assaulted by natural disasters as though it was an annual occurrence, the volume of crops harvested was unfavorable, and due to that, profit went down and the farmers running under deficit weren¡¯t less.


    For that reason, voices rose up from the farms, appealing to reduce the tax temporarily, but there was no way that couple would lend their ears for something like that. On the contrary, the pressure was tightened by telling -¡¸If you make any more noise, I will raise the tax rates even more¡¹- It was dealt by threatening them like that.


    There were talks about how the populace suffered from the political pressure in the game, but there were no detailed descriptions about that portion. It was likely that, without Norman¡¯s documents, even Kazuki wouldn¡¯t have noticed this.


    If the present condition lasted for a long while, the displeasure accumulated due to the pressuring of the Stokes family would without a doubt, explode at some point of time. That would be the first sign of indication to the fall of the Stokes family.


    Well, for Kazuki, no matter what happened to this family, it didn¡¯t have anything to do with him, but the chances of him getting involved and undergoing a disastrous experience was extraordinarily high and so, there was no way he couldn¡¯t take some measures.


    ¡¸Excuse me~¡­¡­¡­Tte, what are you doing?¡¹


    Showing his face from the opened door, without even waiting for a reply from knocking the door, was the accomplice who helped in rescuing Clara, Zen ¨C the coachman of the horse-drawn cart.


    Somehow, as of late, even though there was no work for him, it became as though he was involved with whatever Harold was doing. No matter how harsh his speech was, other than laughing dryly, it was as though he wasn¡¯t enduring at all.


    Zen was 19 years old, a youth in the same generation as Kazuki. Also, among the males who were working in the mansion, his age was the closest to Harold, and in Kazuki¡¯s mind, he was an existence that Kazuki could easily associate with.


    He was somewhat like a dog, or rather, it could be said that Zen¡¯s personality played a big role in making people feel friendly towards him.


    He tilted his head when he saw Kazuki¡¯s eccentric behavior.


    Even though it was called eccentric, he was just recording the growth of plants which were there on the balcony of about 50 cm, furnished on the window.


    ¡¸It is unrelated to you. Quickly, close the door¡¹


    ¡¸O~tto, It somewhat has the scent of a secret¡¹


    Closing the door behind him, as expected, Zen spouted out some dog-like remarks and peeked at the balcony. As for his attitude, it could be said that it was disrespectful at best.


    About 20 potted plants were lined up on the balcony, which were divided into 3 segments and 3 types of plants were being grown. For some reason, there were some specimens among them whose growth was preeminent.


    ¡¸Bell tubers and Bluna, and also red Groot¡­¡­¡­Are you going to eat them after they grow up?¡¹


    (Tl ¨C What are those? (??Òæ?£©? ©ß©¥©ß  I suck at translating katakana. HELP


    The original ¨C ¥¹¥º¥¤¥â¤Ë¥Ö¥ë©`¥Ê¡¢¤½¤ì¤Ë³à¥°¥ë¥È(suzu imo ni buruna, soreni aka guruto))


    ¡¸Do you want me to cut out your guts and, including the pot, shove it inside your stomach?(¡ùShould I make Zen eat it?) ¡¹


    ¡¸No thanks!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    If it is like this, we might never have a relaxed conversation- while being depressed by that thought, his hand kept moving while recording.


    As Zen stated, all of these were edible vegetables. Frankly, only leaves couldn¡¯t be seen under the earth for bell tubers and it¡¯s name fit it correctly.


    Adding onto that, it was in the top three most cultivated principal crops of the agricultural community in the Stokes territory.


    ¡¸Even so, the way they¡¯ve been grown is different, isn¡¯t it¡¹


    Without being cowed by Kazuki¡¯s statement, Zen asked that with a look filled with interest. A heart made of steel or tough nerves, either way, he was resilient.


    While admiring Zen, who seemed to have the endurance level of a sandbag, Kazuki held out a glass bottle.


    ¡¸There are those which were watered with water mixed with this, and those which weren¡¯t¡¹


    The thing held in Kazuki¡¯s hand, which was familiar to all fans of  ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», was a semi-transparent bluish bottle. The thing which was extremely handy only at the start of the game, an item which doubled the stamina recovery rate.


    It¡¯s name is ¡ºLife Potion¡».


    ¡¸Life Potion for crops¡­¡­..?¡¹


    He had never heard of a technique like that to cultivate crops. But, the ones which were given the Life Potion were obviously bigger and juicier.


    Zen¡¯s eyes showed shock at Kazuki¡¯s thinking which wasn¡¯t bound by any common sense, but for Kazuki, it was just another simple thought.


    In the system of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», ¡°Compounding¡± existed. By mixing many different ingredients, items were created, but for some of the ingredients, if one didn¡¯t cultivate them on their own, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get their hand on them.


    Furthermore, even if one nurtured ingredients according to the manual, since the probability of cultivating the wanted ingredients was extremely low, the players plowed the fields with the intentions of getting some hits.


    (Tl ¨C The players follow the Japanese saying ¨C Even a poor marksman will hit the target with enough shots)


    Eventually, the fact that the harvest rate goes up when Life Potion or the upper ranked ¡ºEther¡» is used, became known, and then, players who changed to Hero-cum-Farmer started scattering recovery items on the fields.


    Similarly, Kazuki was also one of those players.


    To test whether that could be applied even here, Kazuki obtained the pots, soil for the crops, the crop seeds and also the Life Potion approaching its expiration date, which was sleeping in the warehouse of the Stokes house, through Norman.


    But, when the crops were grown using only Life Potion, even though their growth was fast, they withered before bearing fruits. So, while using it with water, many trials were repeated, and finally, a suitable ratio of water and Life Potion was found.


    Kazuki tore off a few of the red groot and tossed it towards Zen.


    ¡¸O~to~to¡¹


    ¡¸Eat¡¹


    ¡¸Raw?¡¹


    Zen, who nimbly caught all of them, didn¡¯t even hide the unpleasant expression on his face, listening to Harold¡¯s orders.


    He understood those feelings. Among the vegetables Kazuki knew, the taste of red groot was closest to onions.


    Even though it could be eaten without sticking it in fire, fundamentally, it seemed to be a vegetable which was cooked by heating.


    ¡¸Curse your own thoughtless actions for willingly sticking your head into others¡¯ affairs¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Eei, W,well!¡¹


    Maybe giving up, without resisting anymore, Zen bit into the red groot.


    Shaku- A satisfying sound rang out.


    ¡¸Nn!?¡¹


    Zen, who had swallowed the red groot, raised an excited voice.


    ¡¸What is this! It is sweeter than normal and absurdly delicious!?¡¹


    It felt good to see such a reaction. That the Life Potion farming method would have such an effect, this exceeded even Kazuki¡¯s expectations.


    Even though it was a happy miscalculation, as expected, having only Zen as feedback was too less.


    ¡¸Take that to the kitchen and come back after making the cooks eat it. Their thoughts on the taste, the difference between the ordinary ones, whether it is worth putting it on the market, and other such information, ask them about it¡¹


    ¡¸Roger!¡¹


    Zen bowed with a snap. Since he was holding the red groot in his left hand, it didn¡¯t look appropriate.


    ¡¸The matters of where you obtained it or under whose orders you are moving¨C¡¹


    ¡¸Is a secret, isn¡¯t it? I understand, Harold-sama!¡¹


    Zen answered like that with a full-faced smile.


    For him, his assessment of the boy known as Harold had completely changed due to the previously executed plan.


    Until now, he had only thought of him as an extremely conceited, self-centered, dumb brat, but it seemed as though he was only pretending like that with some sort of aim. Harold¡¯s true nature was rather, the exact opposite of that.


    Kind, racking his brains for people with a lower social status than his, he had both emotional maturity and wisdom.


    After coming to know about that, he could only see Haorld¡¯s foul-mouthed nature as nothing but hypocrisy. In a sense, it could be said that the only way Harold could seem to be childish was by this.


    Like this, for entering the room and talking about this and that, other than spouting out abusive words, he didn¡¯t seem to be displeased.


    Considering Harold¡¯s age, he should be aware about things like the difference in social status. It would have been fine if the other party was a person who had a close relationship from childhood, but the first time Zen talked with him was just the other day.


    When a person like that showed disrespectful behavior, it was as though he didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    Behavior as though to show that he had no interest in keeping up a facade.


    For Zen, such a Harold Stokes was highly likeable.


    It was clear that again, he was trying to do something with this red groot. Surely, it was something which he, who had no knowledge, could never even think of.


    Zen was happy to help in whatever form it might be.

 Chapter 6

    ¡¸Then, I¡¯m off!¡¹


    And so, after receiving Harold¡¯s command, Zen rushed out of the room in high spirits. Since he didn¡¯t know why Zen had so much enthusiasm, the only thing he did was to tilt his head in puzzlement.


    It would be good if he doesn¡¯t mess up due to being too enthusiastic ¨C thinking that, he felt a tinge of anxiety.


    Well, if he trusted in Norman¡¯s judgement, nothing bad will happen ¨C convincing himself with that, as a change of pace, he decided to start his sword training, which was about to become a daily routine.


    This was the world of an RPG. Outside the range of humans¡¯ livelihood, normally, monsters were strutting about. To survive in this extremely dangerous world, it went without saying that a certain level of strength was required. Much less, when Kazuki needed to jump in and live within a vortex of violent battles as Harold Stokes.


    He wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible but that wasn¡¯t possible in accordance to the original game event.


    Therefore, in order to be prepared for emergencies, he started imitating swordsmanship.


    When he went to the backyard, holding the sword purchased by Zen in Lietze, after confirming that nobody was present in the surroundings, he started implementing the training menu that he himself had thought up.


    Grasping the hilt in both hands, he raised it overhead and brought it down in one swing. From that state, switching his grip to the left, he moved his right hand by 1 unit to the upper-right side. From there, making the right foot on which he had stepped forward as the axis, he rotated in clockwise direction, and using centrifugal force, he cut in a straight line from the left.


    This was the basic combination which Harold used in the game. This was of the type of serial barrage which appeared when the attack button of the controlled character was spammed thrice.


    Kazuki, who didn¡¯t even have experience in Kendo, couldn¡¯t judge whether or not this attack would really be effective in actual combat, but for now, he thought of making this as his base.


    At first, like the practice-swings in Kendo, he practised by stepping forward and cutting down from the overhead position, but imagining actual combat, he felt that the benefits of practising moves similar to the ones in the game was larger.


    When close to a month passed after starting a training like this, his body grew accustomed to the movements themselves. The sense to grasp that, wasn¡¯t Kazuki¡¯s, but was probably Harold¡¯s.


    Come to think of it, even though Harold was the lowest of bastards, traversing solo through a dungeon and clashing with the hero party, in battle, he was quite an outstanding character. If I keep training like this seriously, I might be able to obtain strength which isn¡¯t inferior to that.


    (If I thought of it like that, my tension rises up a little!)


    Even encountering an irrational situation, thinking in a manner like that, as expected, Kazuki was a fan of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡» through and through.


    Although he had possessed the most loathed person in the original work, when it became that he might be able to use the same skills as the ones inside the game, he couldn¡¯t suppress his heart from dancing.


    With determination and excitement as the source of encouragement, Kazuki silently continued swinging his sword. A small boy lightly brandishing an adult-sized sword ¨C if seen from an outsider¡¯s perspective, it was quite a bizarre scene.


    Originally, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to decently swing it, but Harold¡¯s high-spec body compensated for that. But even Kazuki didn¡¯t notice that fact.


    Somehow, the boy known as Harold appeared to be excellent.


    Thus, providing assistance in the cultivation of crops, sword training, and humoring his parents ¨C after these became his routine, about a month and a half passed by. Around the time when all the potted plants in the balcony grew lush and thick, at last, the preparations for the next move were completed.


    That day, the one whom Kazuki summoned to his room was a slender man, who wore glasses. With an age in the first-half of his thirties, maybe due to the sharp look in his eyes, he gave of an impression of being cold and unfeeling.


    The man¡¯s name was Jake. One of the people who managed the finances of the Stokes family. Even the usually unamiable, taciturn Jake was considerably perplexed by the situation he was in.


    There were totally 3 people in the room. The owner of the room, Harold, the veteran servant, Norman, and Zen.


    ¡¸Sit¡¹


    To him who had come to the room, the first thing Kazuki said after opening his mouth, was that.


    Norman, who was diagonally behind Harold, handed over a draft containing a few pages to Jake, who had quietly sat down on the chair.


    ¡¸Read that¡¹


    ¡¸Ok¡¹


    What on earth is this about ¨C Jake¡¯s bewilderment kept growing.


    However, after he opened the draft and started reading its contents, the look in his eyes changed.


    What was written down was the detailed financial situation of the Stokes house. It was filled with a headache inducing amount of numbers, but sadly, they were numbers which Jake had become used to seeing.


    ¡¸Are there any large mistakes in the entry?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­No, there aren¡¯t¡¹


    Let alone mistakes, this was a complete copy of the contents of the financial management report that Jake had compiled. He properly checked whether there were any defects or not in the documents he had prepared.


    Perhaps, was he called to enter at least 1 false charge into the contents of this? ¨C That sort of thought crossed his mind.


    ¡¸Right?¡¹


    But, contrary to his predictions, Harold sighed gravely. There was no appearance of wanting to rebuke Jake.


    If he had to say, then Harold¡¯s voice was as though he was fed up from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡¸From the past few years, the finances of the Stokes house has been in the red. The prime cause is the pointless extravagance due to my parents wanting to put on airs. The reserves from up until the previous generation and the heavy taxation is compensating for it but even that won¡¯t last long, and the burden on the populace only keeps increasing. Any objections to this opinion?¡¹


    ¡¸I have awareness that it is heading towards that direction¡¹


    Jake¡¯s emotional subtleties never easily surfaced, but inside, he was on the verge of panicking.


    He was astonished that a young boy had perfectly comprehended the contents of the financial management report, but more than anything, he wasn¡¯t able to grasp the intentions of the question at all.


    Harold himself, being the eldest son of the head, was criticising his parents, the current head. He didn¡¯t know what kind of behavior was right.


    Being at a loss, Jake looked at Norman. But he was only standing behind Harold with a calm expression and it didn¡¯t seem as though he would respond to Jake¡¯s glance.


    ¡¸Even though the situation isn¡¯t urgent, as it is, someday, both the Stokes house and the populace won¡¯t be able to maintain their livelihood. Well, for you bastards, it would be better if the Stokes house collapses¡¹


    ¡¸Please don¡¯t say things like that. If anybody heard it, they would misunderstand and think that you are rebelling¡¹


    For the time being, Jake takes the safe route.


    However, from Kazuki¡¯s point of view, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a misunderstanding. He hadn¡¯t thought of outrageous things like causing internal problems to steal the inheritance and he hadn¡¯t even thought of doing whatever it takes for the continued existence of the Stokes house and for becoming the next head.


    Frankly speaking, he wouldn¡¯t care even if it got crushed like in the original work.


    Together with the ending of the original work, if he faded out and safely became commoner A, it would be fine.


    Of course, the best solution would be for him to return back to his original world as fast as possible, but to do that, he hadn¡¯t even found a single clue and so, for now, he put it aside.


    ¡¸Hn. At any rate, the populace, particularly, if the agricultural district¡¯s proceeds aren¡¯t increased, it¡¯s very clear that in the near future, we¡¯ll go bankrupt¡¹


    Jake couldn¡¯t respond. This was because it was true that the agriculture in the Stokes territory had already started declining.


    Due to imposing a heavy tax rate, since management became strained, people who quit and people who left from the Stokes territory increased. This trend was remarkable with small farmhouses in particular.


    If this flow didn¡¯t stop, revenue from the agricultural district would drop considerably. When that happened, it wasn¡¯t known whether the current head would resolve to loosen the tax rates due to the disadvantage.


    Jake didn¡¯t believe that that man would take such measures. Conversely, he would probably increase the rates even more and pluck money from wherever it could be plucked.


    (Has Harold-sama comprehended that¡­¡­¡­?)


    No matter what, it wasn¡¯t a problem which a boy of 10 years old, would rack his brain¡¯s for. Normally, it would be difficult to even read the contents of the financial management report correctly.


    But, for the boy in front of him, it seemed as though something of that level wasn¡¯t even a wall. Jake immediately realized that.


    ¡¸That is why I called you. I¡¯ll leave the inspection of the agricultural district to you¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean¡¹


    ¡¸Zen¡¹


    ¡¸Hai Hai!¡¹


    Responding to Harold¡¯s call, Zen opened the window connected to the balcony, picked up a basket in which red groot were bunched up, and with a thud, placed it in front of Jake.


    Again, being unable to catch up to the situation, his eyes became dots.


    ¡¸Um, This is¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸Now, now, without saying anything here, relish in Harold-sama¡¯s handmade red groot¡¹


    ¡¸You are the one who¡¯s talking too much. Do you want to become fertilizer?¡¹


    ¡¸Sorry!¡¹


    ¡¸By Harold-sama¡­..?¡¹


    If he frankly expressed his thoughts, it would be ¡¸Why?¡¹.


    He didn¡¯t know why Harold was cultivating vegetables in his room and, he also didn¡¯t know why Harold was trying to make him eat it.


    That said, since it was taken out like this, he couldn¡¯t not try it, so timidly he bit into a red groot.


    ¡¸¡­¡­! S, sweet?¡¹


    ¡¸Right?¡¹


    ¡¸Why the hell are you proud¡­¡­..¡¹


    Watching Zen show no sign of respect to Harold, Jake¡¯s innards went cold, but without even rebuking him, Harold just held his temples as though he was amazed by Zen.


    ¡¸Anyways, the thing you ate just now was something I raised with my own method. Lend me your power to spread that method¡¹


    ¡¸Why me?¡¹


    ¡¸To implement this farming method, naturally, there will be some costs, and depending on the situation, exclusive equipment might be necessary. Since you have thorough knowledge of Stokes¡¯ finances and as an inspection official, since you also know the situation well, I judged that you would be suitable¡¹


    Certainly, calculating the necessary expenses if the required materials and their rough quantity were decided, and depending on the equipment, deciding whether installing them would be acceptable or not or making proposals to satisfy some conditions, all these could be done if it were Jake.


    Harold¡¯s point was logical.


    The problem was whether spreading the new farming method was implementable or not.


    Compared to the normal ones, it was remarkably easy to eat this red groot. It could be guessed that if this went out on the market, the demand would be great.


    But if the manufacturing cost was equal to or more than the market price, then there would be no meaning in doing it. There might also be farmhouses which might not be able to endure until the deficit, increased due to the initial expenses, changes over to net profit.


    It was a huge problem for implementation.


    ¡¸It seems like you can think¡¹


    Towards Jake, who remained silent even when asked for cooperation, rather than feeling hurt, Harold was in admiration of him.


    For Kazuki, rather than people who would agree for everything due to pressure from their superiors, he needed people who would think about things with their own head like this. Kazuki only knew about the parts which were depicted in the game, and people like Jake and Norman, who were likely to notice problems other than the ones he knew, would be dependable hereafter.


    ¡¸If it could improve the present condition, I would help as much as possible. But¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸You can¡¯t readily agree since you just heard the talk, right? If it were father, he would have angrily told you to not talk back or in the worst case, thrown you into the dungeon¡¹


    Listening to those words, Jake¡¯s body stiffened and thought ¨C As expected, after all, he is the son of that man.


    But for some reason, Norman and Zen smiled wryly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Well, that is the natural reaction. If it was readily consented for without even asking for detailed explanation, there would be another Zen and so, my anxiety would only increase¡¹


    ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹


    ¡¸It means that you should also use your head a bit more¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re awful¡­¡­.¡¹


    Ignoring the easily depressed Zen, Kazuki continues the conversation.


    From here, the real issue began.


    ¡¸Well then, as you wished, let me inform you. This will become the key¡¹


    While showing the bottle of Life Potion, he began explaining to Jake.


    Kazuki¡¯s plan was like this.


    The farming method of giving Life Potion to the crops, temporarily named as LP farming method.


    At present, of the 3 kinds of vegetables tested upon, it was confirmed that all of them had fast growth and additionally, their sweetness had increased.


    This wouldn¡¯t be tested in all the fields abruptly, but to start with, a portion, that too, by having some of the farmhouses do a joint trial run. The biggest reason was to disperse the financial risks if it failed.


    Additionally, this also had implications of rescuing farmhouses with a small operation scope where even a single mistake would be fatal, those who had a painful monetary situation, and those who couldn¡¯t spare farmland for the LP farming method.


    Even if the LP farming method went well, the growth of disparity between farmhouses which have some financial leeway and those that don¡¯t, must be held back as much as possible, and after bunching up a few of the farmhouses, it would be ideal if the Life Potions about to be discarded, among the ones stored in the Stokes house, would be enough to deal with the situation. If this was done, even the initial costs wouldn¡¯t be much.


    During this 1 month, Harold had repeated cultivating crops many times, and the greatest feature was that the growth rate of crops grown using the LP farming method was considerably fast.


    It was at the level of calling it bizarre. In the case of red groot, normally, it would take a little under 2 months for it to be harvested after its seeds were planted, but the ones given Life Potion could be harvested in 5 days to a week. In the game, if one planted the seeds and stayed overnight in an inn, they could harvest it the next day, but as expected, there wouldn¡¯t be such a growth rate over here.


    Anyway, with this rotation like speed, Kazuki estimated that even small fields would create profits.


    ¡¸Harvesting is possible in just 5 days!?¡¹


    Due to the shocking fact, even the usually calm Jake involuntarily raised his voice.


    Ground-breaking, it was a discovery that could be called revolutionary.


    ¡¸But, due to that speed, care should be taken to not overdo it¡¹


    ¡¸Why?¡¹


    ¡¸If cheap and high-quality goods appeared in large quantities, the market might crash. As a result, there are chances of farmhouses outside the Stokes territory getting crushed¡¹


    Even though the LP farming method was a little costlier than the traditional ones, due to the growth being fast, a large quantity could be produced in a short amount of time. If the production went on the right track, with price equal to the common ones, if production in large quantities became possible, even if trade took place with even cheaper prices, there would be profits.


    Using that to not provoke resentment ¨C that was Kazuki¡¯s true motive. More than anything, the thing that was important was protecting oneself.


    If the fact that the one who invented the LP farming method and spread it out was Harold, was exposed, there were possibilities of getting resented unjustly.


    But if his parents, who were attached to money came to know about it, they would monopolize the LP farming method. To avoid that, Kazuki thought that going small scale and detailed, and limiting the quantity of harvested crops would be a good way to start.


    And then, after it had gradually progressed, when there was some financial leeway, it would be possible to test the LP farming method on other crops too.


    At present, it was known that with a ratio of 1:1 of water to Life Potion for red groot and bell tubers and also, a ratio of 7:3 with water as 7 for bluna, it would be easy to grow them, and they would also taste good.


    When bluna was given 100% Life Potion, it was at a level where, if it was planted at morning, then it could be harvested at dusk. This was discarded because, when Zen took it to the kitchen, they told that it didn¡¯t taste good.


    In other words, depending on the ratio of Life Potion given to the crops, there would be differences in the growth speed as well as the taste. If matters like that were tested on common crops, then the revenue from the agricultural district would also become stable at a high level.


    This time¡¯s work could also be called as laying the groundwork to obtain that source of capital.


    ¡¸Normally, it would start out by assembling a team of experts, but¡­¡­.¡¹


    To do that, he would need to talk to his father. But an image of his parents, whose eyes were blinded by money, came into Kazuki¡¯s mind.


    He didn¡¯t want to birth discord among farmhouses and he also didn¡¯t want unnecessary resentment from other nobles. Even if it wasn¡¯t possible to hide it until the end, he wanted to reconstruct the financial conditions to the extent of improving the financial situation of farmhouses, until they were able to procure the required amount of Life Potions by themselves.


    No matter how much of a headache it was, to avoid the death flag, he had no choice but for it to become popular.


    Suddenly becoming aware of it, Jake, who was listening to the explanation, was staring open-mouthed. Even Norman had a similar expression, and Zen was half-asleep, unable to keep up with the conversation.


    Giving up on Zen, Kazuki wondered what was going on with the expressions of the remaining 2.


    ¡¸Do you bastards have a hobby of exposing such idiotic looking faces?¡¹


    ¡¸F, forgive me. It was just that I was astonished by the contents of the talks¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Though I had heard about it to some extent before, I am in admiration that you have given it so much thought¡¹


    (Admiring the idea of an amateur to such an extent, inversely this makes me uneasy¡­¡­¡­)


    Kazuki had no expert knowledge in economics or management.


    For now, this was the material for presenting only the general framework.


    From here on, it would be setting a limit and polishing out the finer details, but he was wondering whether the 2 reliable people were fine or not.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll tell this first. I don¡¯t need a yes-man. If you find any odd points, without exceptions, give proposals. Alright?¡¹


    Or else, it would be dangerous for Kazuki¡¯s heart due to the pressure.


    Those feelings went through to Norman and Jake in a different manner.


    (Discovering a ground-breaking cultivation method which could overturn history at that age and yet, having the intellect to come out with a realistic political plan. Besides, not being proud and being strict on oneself, and has an insatiable desire to improve oneself)


    (Not even looking at the easily obtainable money or honor, having strong feelings and deep affection to earnestly try to save the people)


    ¨CHarold is a person born with the caliber to stand above people.


    Intuition close to conviction.


    He was emitting the kind of charisma, where one would think of wanting to follow him.


    ¡¸Well then, the final confirmation. Jake, will you act as my hands and feet?¡¹


    To that question, the intent to shake his head horizontally didn¡¯t even remain.


    ¡¸I will use all the power that I possess for the sake of Harold-sama¡¹


    ¡¸If you want to be useful for me, work for the populace instead of working for me. They are the weak, who wouldn¡¯t even survive if something like that isn¡¯t done¡¹


    Arrogant until the end but always working for the weak.


    That way of living was prouder than anyone else¡¯s.

 Chapter 7

    ¡¸If you¡¯ve understood, begin immediately. Norman, consolidate all the things I¡¯ve explained just now into a document in order to convince the people. If there are any obscure points or parts that worry you, without omitting anything, ask me¡¹


    ¡¸Understood¡¹


    ¡¸Jake, divide adjacent farmhouses as uniformly as possible, based on their operation scale. I will specify the area of the field required for cultivating crops, so you don¡¯t need to consider it¡¹


    ¡¸Understood¡¹


    Since he had told them this much, then it seemed as though the rest would be taken care of by the 2 who seemed to be capable. For now, only  this much can be done ¨C thinking that, as he was leaning back on the chair, his eyes met with Zen, who was still in the room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­What?¡¹


    ¡¸What should I do, Harold-sama¡¹


    Zen asked, his eyes shining brightly.


    But sadly, he had no work until they headed towards the site.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t do anything. Or rather, go back to your own work¡¹


    In the first place, Kazuki hadn¡¯t called for Zen. Since he was hanging around in the room like always, Kazuki was just pushing him around.


    ¡¸I have a holiday today!¡¹


    ¡¸What the hell did you come here for?¡¹


    Kicking Zen, who was giving a thumbs-up, in the back, he drove him out of the room.


    In the room which was empty, he sighed deeply.


    With this, the first stage was completed. All that was left was to wait for Norman and Jake to complete their preparations.


    He didn¡¯t know how much time it would take, but for now, he could be at ease for about a week.


    However, just when had thought like that, a new problem came unexpectedly.


    That happened during dinner. Harold¡¯s father suddenly dropped a bomb on the dining table.


    ¡¸Harold, your marriage partner has been decided¡¹


    The reason why he didn¡¯t spurt out the fruit juice which was in his mouth was because Kazuki already knew that Harold had a fiancee.


    Even so, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise since he was spending all his time on the pile of problems which were in front of him, and he had forgotten about the existence of Harold¡¯s fiance.


    ¡¸Marriage partner? Who is it?¡¹


    Even while feeling the shamelessness inside, he asked back with a seemingly similar response.


    ¡¸The daughter of the Sumeragi family. Accurately speaking, it¡¯s only engagement, but with this, the Stokes family¡¯s lineage will become stronger¡¹


    ¡¸Oh, That¡¯s wonderful!¡¹


    His parents were chuckling in high spirits. Certainly, for these 2 who were for the pure-blood principle, it would be quite the good news.


    The Sumeragi house was one among the noble houses who had helped in the founding of this country, and from their organization, even now, their ties to the kingdom was deep. If they were connected by blood with such a house, then the prestige of the Stokes house, who supported the pure-blood principle, would rise.


    ¡¸And so, the other party is telling that, by all means, they want to meet you. We¡¯ll head towards the Sumeragi territory soon¡¹


    Absolute lies ¨C somehow, he stopped himself before he could tell that. But Kazuki, who had knowledge about the original work, knew that the Sumeragi side weren¡¯t enthusiastic about this engagement.


    Originally, there was an overwhelming difference in status between the Stokes house and the Sumeragi house. Even then, the reason why this engagement was being held was because of the original work¡¯s scenario.


    (Huh, Wait a sec? Perhaps, this phase is¡­¡­¡­.)


    By the time the information in his head came together, an ingenious idea was formed.


    Since talks about the engagement were already out, there were no mistakes that there was already some damage to the Sumeragi side. However, the damage should still be to the minimum since it was before the start of the original work, and if Kazuki interfered, the possibility of stopping the damage from expanding should be plenty. There would be some effects on the story so he wouldn¡¯t be too enthusiastic, but since it concerned human life, he decided that he couldn¡¯t go without sacrificing something.


    ¡¸When do you mean by soon?¡¹


    ¡¸In another 2 to 3 days¡¹


    (Haa¨C!)


    In that interval, he wouldn¡¯t be able to gather necessary items. Particularly, the items which could only be obtained as item drops from defeating monsters, were a problem.


    Well, different from the game world where items could be bought only in limited shops, since there was economic activity in this world, there was a possibility that the items might be circulated, and if he thought about it carefully, even if he collected the necessary items, he couldn¡¯t show their effect only in the Sumeragi territory.


    In that case, the best thing he could do was to write it in a letter beforehand, and send it to the Sumeragi family without his parents¡¯ knowledge.


    As soon as Kazuki finished eating, he withdrew into his room, and based on his memory, he started recalling the recipe for creating a certain powder.


    (Anise hisopp and fang of Gadun, Reel grass¡­¡­. And what else? If I¡¯m not mistaken, there was something that seemed like traditional Chinese medicine¡­¡­¡­)


    Compounding in ¡ºBrave Hearts¡» was not only for creating recovery items, but also for weapons and armor and sometimes, even machines, using a vast amount of combinations.


    Even for Kazuki, who had crammed nearly all of those into his head, it was a pain to recall the details.


    In the end, by the time he recalled the details of a total of 5 compounding items and wrote a letter to the Sumeragi house before he forgot, it was already dawn, and sunlight was entering through the window.


    As a result, holding the letter which was written satisfyingly, as planned before, 3 days after that dinner, Kazuki, who rode in a carriage for the first time in his life, headed towards the Sumeragi territory.


    The complete journey took 9 days. If they hadn¡¯t made camp, it would¡¯ve been shortened by a few days, but there was the high class Stokes family¡¯s current head.


    Due to something like ¨C There are things other than camping, it was inevitable that they stayed in the best inn in the town, every single day. But it was fortunate that they didn¡¯t run into strong monsters, since they didn¡¯t travel during the night when monsters were highly active.


    Kazuki didn¡¯t bother asking whether it was all right with his work, since the round-trip would take about 3 weeks.


    And so, with there being no problems, other than the time spent alone with his father being great, they arrived at the Sumeragi¡¯s mansion at the end of their journey.


    It¡¯s appearance was that of wooden architecture, which made one think that they were in the Japan of the olden days. Red light baskets were dangling from the eaves¡¯ edges, the sound of a bamboo fountain was ringing out from the yard and a vibrant tree with cherry blossoms was towering up. It was a place which was overflowing with Japanese-style taste.


    The setting was that the Sumeragi house was succeeding the flow from the east, and so not only the mansion, but even the townscape was pure Japanese-style.


    (TL ¨C The bamboo fountain in Japanese is shika odoshi or shishi odoshi which literally translates to deer scarer, and I assume that you¡¯ve all seen it in a lot of anime. )


    ¡¸Welcome. Master and Madam have been waiting, so please, this way¡¹


    A white-haired elderly man was lying in wait for them at the main entrance. From his attire and bearing, Kazuki felt that he was no ordinary servant.


    Under his guidance, they entered the mansion.


    ¡¸I somehow can¡¯t settle down due to removing footwear inside the house. Even these things called inner-footwear¡¹


    ¡¸Since this is the culture of the Sumeragi house, please show consideration¡¹


    Next to his complaining father, Kazuki lined up the boots he had taken off, in a practiced manner.


    After doing it, ¡¸Ah, This isn¡¯t like Harold¡¹- he noticed.


    However, since it seemed as though they didn¡¯t notice it, he felt relieved.


    After that, the elderly man finally stopped after walking through the open corridor wandering through about half the mansion.


    ¡¸Master, I have brought Hayden Stokes-sama and his son, Harold-sama¡¹


    ¡¸Please, come inside¡¹


    A sombre, yet calm voice rang out from the other side of the sliding door. The old man sat on his knees, and slid the door open using both his hands.


    It was a spacious Japanese-style room, with a size of about 20 tatami mats. 3 people were sitting next to each other at a wooden desk, which was placed at the center of the room.


    (TL ¨C sliding door is the traditional paper one -shoji


    1 tatami/ j¨­ = 1.653m2(17.79ft2), so 20 j¨­ = 33.06m2(355.8ft2))


    At the center was the current head of the Sumeragi house, Tasuku Sumeragi. To his right was his wife, Koyomi Sumeragi.


    They were a couple, to whom the words gentle and quiet was perfectly applicable, and they overflowed with kindness. However, at present, it looked as though their expressions were dark.


    And then, the issue was the presence of the expressionless girl towards Tasuku¡¯s left.


    Black hair extending towards her shoulders, a hairpin with a pink undertone, which went well with her hair, and wearing a light-green colored long-sleeved kimono, was the Sumeragi house¡¯s eldest daughter, Erika Sumeragi.


    (TL ¨C Long-sleeved kimono -Furisode)


    (The light in her eyes are disappearing, Oi. I can¡¯t sense any vigor¡­¡­..)


    With regards to her dressed up like that, it seemed as though she was a doll.


    She wasn¡¯t young enough to innocently be delighted for this engagement, nor was she mature enough to hide her feelings and simply smile on the outside. But still, it seemed as though this was the result after she somehow came to terms with this situation.


    But the real her was different. Erika, like her name implied, was a graceful girl who smiled like a flower.


    Because Kazuki knew that, his heart tightened. It was because of him that a 10 year old girl was making such a face.


    (TL ¨C Erica is a flower ¨C Erica Carnea)


    However, again, there was nobody other than Harold who could make her stop making such a face. It would be too pitiful for her to spend 8 years like this, until she met the protagonist.


    ¡¸This is the first time we are meeting, aren¡¯t we? I am the current head of the Sumeragi house, Tasuku Sumeragi¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..I am Harold Stokes. Nice to meet you¡¹


    After Kazuki exchanged greetings with Tasuku, he sat on the cushion that was laid down. Unexpectedly, it seemed as though this mouth could speak in polite language.


    The discussion started while he had discovered something new.


    ¡¸Thank you very much for taking the trouble to come here¡¹


    ¡¸What are you talking about. It is natural¡¹


    The heads of both the houses, no matter how they really were, started conversing calmly. It didn¡¯t seem as though, for example, due to engaged parties meeting face to face, a dangerous mood would set in which would develop into a situation where they would glare at each other.


    While feeling relieved, Kazuki examines the situation. Basically, while Tausku and Hayden were rambling on, providing what seemed like lip service to each other, occasionally Koyomi would smile elegantly, which didn¡¯t look as though it was forced at all.


    As it was an engagement that was decided by their parents due some political reason, Harold¡¯s and Erika¡¯s turn was almost non-existent. Since there was no room for them to intervene, it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡¸Well? Erika-chan. Harold is quite handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, very¡¹


    Casually, Hayden asked Erika, as a joke. The reply came back in a flash, in an extremely flat voice.


    ¡¸Sorry, Stokes-sama. It seems as though this girl is nervous¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Tasuku smoothed over it, but rather than calling it nervous, it was a tone which had almost no feelings put into. Well, it was harsh to ask a child of that age to deal with the situation maturely.


    Hayden, who received such a response, didn¡¯t seem to mind it. Even if Erika had clearly refused, he wouldn¡¯t have minded it.


    ¡¸Well, it is natural to bewildered if one¡¯s marriage partner were to be decided at this age. Even Harold is the same¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. Since I am meeting someone as cute as Erika-san for the first time, even I am feeling nervous¡¹


    Since more than half of it was the truth, it wasn¡¯t as though he was using flattery, but differing from Erika, due to his manner of speech which seemed to have ample composure, it could be heard as flattery.


    Even though his tone had changed, the similarity didn¡¯t disappear. It was as though the boy known as Harold had no relations to an attitude which was meek or modest.


    ¡¸Well dear, since they have especially come here, how about leaving Harold and Erika together so that they can talk unreservedly?¡¹


    ¡¸Oo, that would be good!¡¹


    Hayden jumps at Koyomi¡¯s suggestion.


    From here on, serious talks about the engagement would start. For Koyomi, it was unbearable to make her daughter, who actually hated this, listen to the talk. This was concern, which came from her parental affection for her daughter.


    ¡¸Right. Erika, show Harold-kun around for a little while. So that you would come back by around dinner time¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Alright. Well then, Harold-sama, this way please¡¹


    However, for Kazuki, this was a godsend*. There was no need for Kazuki himself to broach the subject to create a situation like this.


    (TL ¨C It is actually watari ni fune, which translates to a boat coming at a crossing, which is a Japanese proverb for help arriving at the correct time)


    ¡¸It is an honor to be escorted by Erika-san¡¹


    Standing up, he followed Erika and left the Japanese-style room.


    From here, it was a crucial moment for Kazuki.

 Chapter 8

    Exiting the Japanese-style room, Kazuki was lead by Erika to a garden, which was maintained very well.


    Erika, who had changed to a black lacquered geta, was walking in front, while making clanking sounds.


    She stopped under a large tree, which was more than 20m tall. In a view where cherry blossom petals were fluttering about like in an illusion, she turned towards Kazuki.


    ¡¸Greeting you again. I am Tasuku Sumeragi¡¯s daughter, Erika Sumeragi¡¹


    ¡¸Harold Stokes¡¹


    As soon as they finished giving their names, silence descended again. Harold¡¯s speech didn¡¯t express any kind of friendly atmosphere at all.


    (Or rather, when did this tone return¡­¡­¡­)


    Come to think of it, he recalled that even in the original work, Harold would always speak in a harsh tone with Erika. Perhaps, he could use polite language only in front of his superiors.


    ¡¸This tree is called ¡ºSakura¡» and it is a flower which represents our, Sumeragi house¡¯s, hometown. It wasn¡¯t existing in these lands, but it seems as though when the feudal lord of those times migrated here, he planted the sapling that he had brought with him. It is a story of about 500 years ago, but now, it has become the symbol of the Sumeragi house¡¹


    (TL ¨C Sakura here is in katakana)


    While Kazuki was being fed up at Harold¡¯s foulmouthed tone, all of a sudden he was told about the history of the Sumeragi¡¯s hometown.


    Since she was troubled by the silence, for the time being, Erika started explaining about the cherry blossom tree which was in front of her eyes. It was admirable that even though her mental state wasn¡¯t calm, her spirit to serve as a guide wasn¡¯t diminished.


    Honestly speaking, it was an unsuitable topic for children to speak about frankly, but for Kazuki who was familiar with cherry blossoms, it was a suitable material for him to bite onto.


    ¡¸It is different from the ¡ºSakura¡» I know of¡¹


    (Tl ¨C Sakura here is in kanji ¨C —@)


    The name of this tree wasn¡¯t clear in the game, but the shape of its petals and the way it was attached to the tree was different from the Somei Yoshino one could commonly see in Japan. Somehow, even the color was deeper.


    So, even a type like this exists? Even though he thought of it, it wasn¡¯t as though he would get an answer.


    ¡¸Do you know about Sakura?¡¹


    Although Erika was expressionless until now, her eyes wavered slightly at his reply.


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s probably something different with a similar appearance. Well, that kind of thing doesn¡¯t matter¡¹


    His mouth, which was in its best condition even today, bluntly cut down Erika¡¯s question.


    This was the result when he tried to just change the topic.


    Being treated coldly, Erika¡¯s expression turned grim. He didn¡¯t know if that expression was hate or vigilance.


    (Come to think of it, out of the people who appear, the only one that Erika loathes is me)


    The easiest way to represent Erika, was without a doubt, as ¡°Yamato Nadeshiko¡±.


    Even while being the daughter of a highly distinguished noble family, she had an attitude of not discriminating anybody, no matter who it was, and let alone allies, she would smile and be gentle even towards enemies, and she also had the tolerance to quietly support the protagonist. The amount of players who were softened down by her, who would always maintain a calm bearing, were uncountable.


    The one who made such a girl enraged to the point of slapping him, was none other than Harold. To make her do something like that, in a certain sense, it was an achievement.


    Although, there were some players who named Erika slapping Harold as ¡°Reward¡±, and they would replay that event to appreciate it.


    ¡¸In other words, does that mean you hold no interest towards the Sumeragi house?¡¹


    ¡¸Interpret it as you wish¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Is that so. After all, the only thing that you people want is the name of the Sumeragi, right?¡¹


    ¡¸You have nothing other than the name. Aren¡¯t you mistaking it for that? Other than name, it doesn¡¯t seem as though the Stokes house is inferior. Even though you people are called as prominent and prestigious nobles, it is pathetic that you can only sit and cry inside the house¡¹


    His mouth rambled on, even to the extent of astonishing himself.


    Thinking it would be convenient to be hated to some extent and spouting out a small amount of ill-mannered remarks, was a mistake.


    It went past being ill-mannered and could be called as abusive. It couldn¡¯t be denied that he had gone too far.


    ¡¸What do you know¡­¡­¡­.!¡¹


    Erika murmured while groaning. This was 8 years before the start of the game, and since she was still a child, it seemed as though her boiling point was quite low.


    Her face was hidden since she was looking downwards, but it was obvious that she was angry. It would be bad if he fanned the flames any more.


    Stopping it here at driving in the wedge for the bad impression, he held out the sealed letter to Erika.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­What might this be?¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up and accept it. And after we leave, hand it over to your father¡¹


    ¡¸I refuse¡¹


    This was what was called as no island to cling to. Completely reaping what you sow. Turning her face away, Erika started to leave.


    (TL ¨C No island to cling to is a Japanese proverb meaning being utterly helpless)


    ¡¸Ah, is that so. If you want to let the people in your territory, who are suffering, die, then do so¡¹


    To those words, she involuntarily stopped.


    Because, from the way Harold spoke, it seemed as though¨C


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..There is a way to save them?¡¹


    ¡¸It can¡¯t be said that there is. But it is worth trying out¡¹


    Erika looked at the letter.


    It looked as though she was hesitating, but Kazuki held the conviction that she would accept it if he told it like how he had.


    In any case, the girl was kind. If put in other words, she was softhearted. She couldn¡¯t abandon people who were suffering or those who were troubled.


    At any rate, it was to the extent of depicting her as being pained due to monsters being defeated, in the game.


    Then, what would happen if she was informed that there may be a way to save the people, who were on their deathbed.


    Even if it lacked credibility, and even if it was a suggestion from a person, who supported the pure-blood principle which ran contrary to her ideology, she couldn¡¯t simply ignore it without listening to it.


    A gust of wind blew by, and the cherry blossom petals fluttered as though wrapping around the 2 people. After staring at each other briefly in silence, the one who moved first was Erika.


    ¡¸It isn¡¯t as though I believe in your words, but¡­¡­..¡¹


    Even though she had a dissatisfied expression, she firmly received the letter. For Kazuki, that was more than enough.


    If it was her, she would give it to Tasuku, exactly as he had stated.


    ¡¸There is no need to believe without any reason. Decide based on the results¡¹


    Well then, it wasn¡¯t known whether Tasuku would believe in the nonsensical letter written by a 10 year old and try to implement it. But if it was a failure, then he would think about it when the time came. He would think of another idea again.


    Instead of sighing, Kazuki looked up and gazed at the cherry blossom tree and the blue sky covered in hazy clouds.


    ¡ó


    The carriage, which the Stokes parent and child had gotten onto, bathed in gentle sunlight, slowly became more and more distant. Watching that, in contrast to the calm climate, dark clouds were gathering in Erika¡¯s heart.


    One of the causes went without saying- Getting engaged to Harold.


    Erika firmly understood that she didn¡¯t have a low social status. She hadn¡¯t even thought of getting married according to her own will, and there was no way she had someone in her heart.


    But still, it wasn¡¯t as though she was mature enough to not hold any hope for her life and be content by sticking through with her selflessness with becoming a member of a house brazen enough to force an engagement by taking advantage of other people¡¯s weakness.


    Much less, when she had heard that the current head of the Stokes house was for the pure-blood ideology, and that he treated people who didn¡¯t have noble blood, similar to objects.


    That ideology was hard to accept no matter what, but for people like that, the blood of the Sumeragi house was extremely attractive.


    She was frustrated at how the people who were discriminated against, were made the victim. It was so hateful that her power couldn¡¯t be of any help to the Sumeragi house or the people of the territory, that it was hard to endure.


    But Erika, even though she was young, understood that by her going to the house following the pure-blood principle, a large amount of lives could be saved.


    Without knowing even a bit of Erika¡¯s distress, Harold spoke ill of the Sumeragi house. It was an act which couldn¡¯t possibly be forgiven.


    The letter received from such a person, was in Erika¡¯s hands. She just wanted to tear and throw it away according to her desire, but even though it was a verbal promise, she couldn¡¯t break it.


    Dishonoring the Sumeragi, and more than anything, compared to abandoning a chance of saving the people of the territory, who were suffering even now, she had enough spirit to swallow any amount of humiliation.


    ¡¸Forgive me, Erika¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Those words leaked out in a regretful tone from Tasuku, who was standing next to her watching the carriage leave. He couldn¡¯t honestly be delighted at making someone, who she didn¡¯t even want to be with, marry her.


    Even so, if he had to make a mortifying choice to protect the lives and livelihood of several tens of thousands of people, then it was his duty as the head of the house to do so.


    ¡¸Please don¡¯t mind it, Father. This is also for the Sumeragi and the people who live here¡¹


    There were no lies in those feelings.


    But right now, she wanted some time to compose her heart.


    ¡¸Father, this. Harold-sama asked me to give it to you after they left¡¹


    Taking out the letter, she held it out to Tasuku.


    ¡¸From Harold-kun?¡¹


    While thinking that he might have been instructed by his parents to greet them for the engagement, he received the letter. Even if it was so, even handing it via Erika, Harold had specified an odd timing for it to be given to him.


    ¡¸Then, I will return to my room¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, rest at ease¡¹


    Bowing towards Tasuku, who had a sympathetic smile, Erika left from the place with a quick pace.


    Tasuku and Koyomi were truly concerned in their hearts. The kindness from them was all the more painful.


    Looking at his daughter who was behaving in a firm manner, Tasuku condemned himself for making her bear such a heavy burden.


    Even more, he was thinking whether there were any other methods, which would end up not hurting her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.There¡¯s no use even if I think about it now¡¹


    Everything, this situation was all because of his powerlessness. And because of that, he had forced Erika and the people to carry a heavy burden.


    He didn¡¯t even feel like mocking himself.


    With a gloomy heart, he opened the letter from Harold.


    The starting of the letter had a seasonal greeting, which was unlike something written by a child. With that itself, Tasuku didn¡¯t have a bad impression of Harold.


    But as he went on reading the letter, the complacency to think about such things was blown away.


    Spontaneously, power started filling his hand which was holding the letter, and by the time he had finished reading it, the whole letter was deeply wrinkled.


    ¡¸Is anyone there!? Call Kiryuu!¡¹


    Tasuku¡¯s loud voice rang out throughout the whole mansion. Maybe being flustered by an unusual thing, the servants who were working in the mansion hurriedly searched for Kiryuu.


    Soon, the figure of the person who was called for, appeared while making noise due to walking in a hurry. It was the elderly man, who was waiting for Harold and his father, at the gate.


    ¡¸What is it, Master¡¹


    ¡¸We can¡¯t speak here. Come¡¹


    The place which Tasuku chose was the office, where nobody was present. There, he made Kiryuu read the letter from Harold.


    As soon as Kiryuu finished reading, Tasuku started talking.


    ¡¸That letter is from Harold-kun. What do you think?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Frankly speaking, I think this is suspicious¡¹


    ¡¸Agreed. But even if this is true or false, there is no benefit for the Stokes family¡¹


    ¡¸If so, then is it the work of a third party? At the very least, it is hard to think that it was written by the boy himself¡¹


    ¡¸At the most, he was just used as a go-between, is it¡¹


    That line of thinking was the most understandable answer. Because, the contents of the letter wasn¡¯t something that a mere 10 year old child could write.


    But in that case, the biggest question wasn¡¯t cleared.


    ¡¸The problem is, whose work it is. If it were some supporter of the Sumeragi, there would be no need to choose such a roundabout and unreliable method¡¹


    ¡¸Then, it¡¯s the work of someone who is against the Stokes house?¡¹


    ¡¸And that too, someone who is close enough to Harold-kun to make him accept their request, or someone who could manipulate him to any extent. To a degree of brainwashing him¡¹


    If that wasn¡¯t the case, there was no way that the letter would reach Tasuku, and even the condition written couldn¡¯t be fulfilled.


    The aim of the mastermind was either the fall of the Stokes house or something that came after it. To make conjectures about it, the information was too less at the present point of time.


    ¡¸It might be bad for the Sumeragi house if we try to pry into them, but¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸If we do that, compared to the things we might gain, the risks are too high. Offering a few words, right now, the Sumeragi are in a predicament. If we watch carefully, even without hurrying, it will take the form we desire¡¹


    It was as Kiryuu said. As long as a solution wasn¡¯t found, eventually the Sumeragi house would disappear without financial support.


    ¡¸In other words, if it is that the sender of this letter doesn¡¯t want for that to happen,¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸It is highly possible that the contents written down are true¡¹


    This wasn¡¯t a concrete solution.


    But if it was effective, the time required to explore for a solution would be produced. In that case, as written down in the letter, it would be possible to cancel the engagement and let Erika be free.


    ¡¸Kiryuu, gather the required materials at once. And after explaining the risks, employ those who still have hope¡¹


    There was no definitive proof that the contents of the letter were true. But it was the only light that could be seen in the fog.


    Even if he was dancing on someone¡¯s palm, Tasuku decided to gamble on this chance.

 Chapter 9

    Coming back to the Stokes mansion after about 3 weeks, there were no signs of any particular change. If there was a change, it was that Jake had started cultivating crops on his own using the LP farming method in his home garden. It seemed as though he was still dubious after only listening to it.


    However, looking at it being effective, Jake, who had discovered hope in the LP farming method to break-out of the difficult economic situation, energetically started putting his efforts towards its practical implementation.


    Since Norman was also skillfully moving under the surface, it still wasn¡¯t perceived by his parents. It could be said that until here, everything was going according to the plan.


    And then, on a certain day after about 10 days had passed after returning back from the Sumeragi territory, when the practical implementation of the LP farming method was imminent, Kazuki, who was performing his daily training, received a notification that a visitor had come for him.


    ¡¸A visitor for me?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s true¡¹


    Even if such a thing was told all of a sudden, Kazuki had no idea about who it might be. As expected, even he didn¡¯t know about the relationships Harold might have had in his childhood.


    ¡¸The visitor¡¯s name is?¡¹


    ¡¸It is Erika Sumeragi-sama¡¹


    Hearing the name Norman spoke of, Kazuki stopped swinging the sword.


    (Why has Erika come¡­¡­¡­)


    Please pardon me from any troubling situations during this strangely busy time right before the practical implementation of the LP farming method- this was Kazuki¡¯s mental state.


    In the first place, for what had she come. There was no way she would come to meet the one who had been so abusive during their first meeting.


    If he thought about it, it must be some kind of response concerning the letter. He couldn¡¯t understand as to why Erika was selected as the messenger.


    At any rate, even if he thought about it while holding the sword in the backyard, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make any sense of it.


    ¡¸Send her to the terrace¡¹


    Hayden wasn¡¯t here since he was at work, but his mother, Jessica, was at home. Even today, since she was holding an elegant noble-styled friendly meet in the party room, and though the probability of an encounter would be low if they went to the indoor guest room, since it concerned the letter, he chose a place where it would be difficult for there to be any hindrances.


    Truthfully, his room would be the optimal place, but for example, if all of a sudden he brought his fiancee into his room, it would give rise to unwanted misunderstandings, so he showed prudence. He knew that there was no way 10 year old children could cause any misunderstanding, but he took precautions just in case.


    For the time being, Kazuki washed his sweat with water, and after changing his clothes, he went towards the terrace.


    There, was the appearance of Erika enjoying the Black tea brewed by the waiter of the Stokes house.


    Different from the other day¡¯s Kimono, today¡¯s outfit was that of a Hakama that students wore. It was a scene where it was considerably imbalanced for her, who was wearing pure Japanese-style clothes, to be sitting on a Western wooden chair.


    ¡¸What did you come here for?¡¹


    While sitting down facing her, Harold asked in a really displeased voice.


    If it was regarding the letter, there was no way he could let someone hear it, so for now, he made the waiter fall back by waving his hand.


    ¡¸In this situation, normally shouldn¡¯t the first sentence be ¡°Sorry for making you wait¡± ?¡¹


    For Kazuki, it was his intention to tell something similar to that. It was just that the words and the nuance didn¡¯t reflect it at all.


    It might have leaked out that he considered it to be a pain to talk her.


    ¡¸Unlike you, I¡¯m not free. Be grateful that I actually showed up¡¹


    ¡¸Uh¡­¡­¡­.Certainly, it is my fault for visiting all of a sudden, but¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Erika was disheartened at being hit by sound reasoning.


    Even though his point was correct, since the other person was a child, he felt as though he was bullying her.


    ¡¸Fuh, well, fine. What is your business?¡¹


    Since his conscience was pricked, Kazuki quickly continued the conversation.


    Sensing Harold¡¯s mood, Erika put up a dignified atmosphere in an instant.


    ¡¸First of all, on behalf of the Sumeragi family, I want to thank you. On this occasion, thank you for saving many people¡¹


    Erika deeply lowered her head. Saved, which meant that after creating the compounding item that Kazuki had written in the letter, they had actually used it and it was effective.


    Tasuku had received the letter about 20 days ago. If he included the time lag, it meant that he had tested it as soon as Kazuki left.


    Tasuku had taken action quicker than he had anticipated.


    ¡¸To jump at a counterfeit like that, it seems as though even the Sumeragi are considerably cornered¡¹


    Towards Harold who was sneering, Erika¡¯s expression didn¡¯t break down.


    ¡¸It is as Harold-sama says. At present, the Sumeragi don¡¯t have any method¡¹


    ¡¸Then, I will sell that favor for a high price. But you are mistaken¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹


    ¡¸The thing I suggested to you bastards was just a makeshift solution. It doesn¡¯t solve anything fundamentally, and there might be side-effects¡¹


    In the game, it was just choosing ingredients and compounding them, but in reality, the proper quantity should be found by running many trials and many tests should be conducted to find the correct ratio. With all that, Kazuki didn¡¯t think that there would an effect so fast.


    Adding onto that, he had absolutely no knowledge of things which weren¡¯t depicted in the game like whether there would be side effects due to intake of large amounts or due to taking it for a long period of time, or the degree of side effects if they occured.


    Naturally, he had informed Tasuku about these things in the letter.


    The Sumeragi might have been cornered to the extent of testing it out, even though it had such huge risks.


    ¡¸In other words, Harold-sama¡¯s medicine won¡¯t cure them completely, is it?¡¹


    ¡¸If the degree of the symptoms is less, complete recovery might be possible, but for patients whose symptoms are severe, it is impossible. And I don¡¯t have any intention to care about them to such an extent¡¹


    Because, the ones who would solve that was Liner¡¯s protagonist crew, and it would also be the event which would cause Erika to join the protagonist party.


    It might seem to be cold, but Erika also understood.


    Even if they were engaged, after all, it was a political marriage. As long as the Stokes house did their duty by the least amount, that is, by providing goods and assisting in funding the Sumeragi, the Stokes house would be able to maintain their reputation.


    And yet, Harold expressly¨C


    (Made it¡­¡­¡­? The ¡°medicine¡±?)


    The question that passed through Erika¡¯s mind.


    That is, when had Harold created that medicine.


    It was impossible that it was done after the engagement to Erika had been decided. Even she knew that it was impossible for her to develop a medicine in just a few days, when she had no expert knowledge in that field.


    Then, since he only had the knowledge, it wasn¡¯t created by Harold? Previously, when Erika told-¡¸Harold-sama¡¯s medicine¡¹, he neither denied nor affirmed it.


    Harold, till the end, only took the stance of ¡°suggested a makeshift solution¡±.


    But still, it was hard to think that Harold would know about an effective method when, even all of the Sumeragi put together had not been able to find it.


    Even assuming that that was the case, if he had enough clinical knowledge to verify the effects even to a small extent, there would have been a considerable amount of materials or books remaining. It was also ridiculous that he had no idea about what the side-effects would be.


    (In that case, how in the world¡­¡­..?)


    ¡¸Is that all?¡¹


    The thing that interrupted Erika, who was deep in thought, was Harold¡¯s voice, where he didn¡¯t even try to conceal his annoyance.


    The mood that he really wanted to send her away was transmitted.


    ¡¸There¡¯s more. I have been entrusted with a letter from father to Harold-sama¡¹


    ¡¸Hand it over¡¹


    As expected, it seemed that Erika was selected as a messenger.


    Tasuku might have decided that just a written letter would lack in showing gratitude, and so he had thought of personally showing his gratitude.


    While sympathizing with Erika for a bit, thinking that she must have been unwilling to come here, Kazuki looked over the letter from Tasuku.


    The contents were as he had expected.


    The effects of the medicine, regarding the cases where there were side-effects, there were no great problems, but they would continue to carefully observe the transition, and words of gratitude towards Harold ¨C this was what was written in the letter.


    Well, at present, that was the extent to which they could report.


    Looking at the letter, if he conveyed his thoughts of watching the rest carefully to Tasuku, then there would be no need for him to interfere any longer.


    (Nn?)


    Casually thinking that there were only 2 sheets of paper, he noticed that there was 1 more sheet. It had a P.S. at the beginning.


    ¡ºP.S.


    As you know, since there is a strange situation going on now in the Sumeragi territory, I¡¯m extremely busy trying to find a solution.


    Since this is an incident with no precedents, we don¡¯t when an unforeseen situation may rise up.


    And so, though it pains me to ask any more from you, I have a request. I¡¯m truly sorry, but could you please take care of Erika in the Stokes house for a short while. I may be disqualified as the head of a house to interpose with my personal feelings, but as a father who is concerned about his only daughter¨C¡»


    Kazuki, who had read until that part, moved his eyes away from the letter. Thinking that he might have strained his eyes, after rubbing the inner corner of his eyes, he looked at the letter and read it again from the beginning.


    But even though he did that, there were no changes to the words asking for his assistance to keep Erika safe.


    He endured from holding his head with his hands and falling flatly on the table, but still, the voice that was squeezed out from him contained deep resentment.


    ¡¸What is the meaning of this¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸What is the matter?¡¹


    In silence, Kazuki put the sheet on which the P.S. was written, in front of Erika.


    After reading it, Erika spoke as though she was extremely surprised, in an indifferent tone.


    ¡¸Oh, this is troubling. Even though I am the fiancee, I would be troubling many people by living under the same roof¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Oi¡¹


    ¡¸But the carriage which brought me here has already left. There is no way other than being saved by Harold-sama¡¯s compassion¡¹


    ¡¸Oi Bastard¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, what is it?¡¹


    A grinning Erika. This was the first time she had shown a full-faced smile.


    ¡¸You have quite the guts¡¹


    ¡¸I am honored to receive your praise¡¹


    To Harold¡¯s sarcastic remark, Erika, with a refreshing face, too replied with a sarcastic remark. This matter wasn¡¯t only Tasuku¡¯s judgement, but it seems as though she also knew about it.


    That is to say, Erika was trying to stay here with some kind of goal.


    It wasn¡¯t simply because they were engaged. He had informed Tasuku of a method where Erika wouldn¡¯t have to marry into the Stokes house.


    Well, that was only if Tasuku believed in the contents of the letter, but he couldn¡¯t guess as to why there would be a need to send Erika over even if he didn¡¯t believe in the letter.


    Adding onto that, Kazuki was baffled at Erika¡¯s behavior.


    Certainly, in the game it was shown that she was playful and would play small pranks, but she didn¡¯t have the personality to reply back with spite, even if it was just in words.


    It would be fine if it was just because she still didn¡¯t have a mature mental state, but that gap was more than enough to perplex Kazuki.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t have any duty to accept such a one-sided proposal¡¹


    Even though all the requests from higher rank nobles were almost like orders, Kazuki rejected it without any hesitation.


    Considering Tasuku¡¯s personality and the Sumeragi¡¯s current condition, he judged that it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    If due to this, even if the relationship between the Sumeragi and the Stokes grew worse, that by itself would be the development Kazuki was hoping for.


    Eventually, on the occasion when the engagement was cancelled, it would be fine if it came as a boost.


    ¡¸You¡¯re cold, aren¡¯t you. Even though you have saved the people of another territory, you would treat your fiancee in such a blunt manner¡¹


    Erika made a sad expression, as though to show it off.


    This was exactly a ¡°made up¡± expression, and unlike the time when she was dejected, Kazuki¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t moved by the slightest.


    ¡¸That was estimated as selling a costly favor. But for this matter, the compensation for me is too less¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so. If you are saying that much, I can¡¯t keep requesting Harold-sama any more than this¡¹


    Erika, who stood up quickly, once again bowed deeply towards Harold.


    ¡¸Once again, I express my gratitude towards Harold-sama. For saving the people of the Sumeragi, really, thank you very much¡¹


    Her bow was polite ,to the extent of making him think that if they were sitting on tatami, she would have bowed while pressing 3 fingers of each hand on the floor. He felt as though he seen the true Erika, and also felt that she truly thought about the people. But just because of that, he wasn¡¯t the least bit willing to let her freeload.


    ¡¸I will collect this loan in grand proportions at a later time. While you have the time, increase the number of cards you can break out as much as possible¡¹


    ¡¸Much obliged to the degree of your consideration. Well then, excuse me¡¹


    Leaving those words behind, Erika left the Stokes mansion in an unfaltering stride.


    He felt suspicious at how awfully easily she withdrew. And come to think of it, how is she planning to go home without the carriage- he thought of that question only after some time had passed.


    He would come to know the answer to that question a few hours later, from Hayden¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 10

    While Kazuki was reading the report written by Jake at dusk, he was called by Hayden, who had come back to the mansion.


    Thinking -No way , and listening to the servant who had come to call Harold, he carried his legs towards Hayden¡¯s study.


    Looking at Hayden¡¯s face, who had been waiting there, the bad premonition changed into conviction. This was because Hayden, who normally had a stern expression most of the times, seemed to be in a good mood.


    He started talking as soon as Harold went inside the room.


    ¡¸Rejoice, Harold. I have good news¡¹¡¸¡¹


    ¡¸Good news?¡¹


    Although Kazuki knew what Hayden would tell, with an attitude as though he was listening to it for the first time, he asked.


    Though it was sad, he couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡¸A notification from Tasuku-dono reached today. For a short while, Erika-jou will be staying in the Stokes house¡¹


    As expected- thought Kazuki.


    For Hayden, it seemed as though Erika freeloading was already a decided fact. Even for the Sumeragi, from the start this must have been their true motive.


    But still, Kazuki tried to resist.


    ¡¸I¡¯m not enthusiastic, living together with that girl¡¹


    ¡¸No need to be shy. Because, the relationship between you and Erika-jou has officially been recognized by both families¡¹


    But Hayden misunderstood that he was feeling shy. Maybe because he was cheerful, there was no sign of him paying attention to Harold¡¯s words properly. Even though he tenaciously tried after that, without being able to overturn the desicion, eventually Kazuki unwillingly went to welcome Erika.


    The next day, Kazuki went towards the East entrance which connected the Stokes territory to the highway, to welcome Erika. It seemed that the plan was that they would arrive early in the morning, but since she had shown herself yesterday, probably they had lodged in a nearby inn.


    Kazuki, in a gloomy mood, was being rocked inside the carriage.


    (Rather, isn¡¯t the schedule too tight?)


    Even though the time it would take for a one-way trip should have been around 6 to 7 days even if they had hurried, since they had arrived the very next day, either they had no intention to listen to the reply or they knew that Hayden would accept. Well, it was probably the latter.


    Either way, the possibility of this being a development not present in the original work, was high. The origin of this was without a doubt, the letter written by Kazuki.


    In other words, you reap what you sow- while getting depressed, before he knew it they had arrived at the East entrance.


    When he got down from the carriage with heavy steps, which seemed though he had shackles around his legs, Erika and an unknown woman diagonally behind her, were standing there.


    ¡¸To be welcomed by Harold-sama personally, it is an honor¡¹


    ¡¸Ha, even though you don¡¯t mean it¡¹


    Even today, starting to destroy human relations, Harold-mouth.


    About 3 months had passed with him being together with this mouth, and Kazuki was getting to the point of being in admiration at the number of variations in sneering.


    While feeling his useless growth, Kazuki turned his gaze towards the woman behind Erika.


    Her age must have been in the later half of her tens to the mid-twenties. With a large white ribbon, her chestnut-colored hair was tied up in a bundle and reached until her waist, which left an impression.


    ¡¸Who is that?¡¹


    ¡¸Juno, my attendant. She will look after my daily necessities during the stay¡¹


    ¡¸I am Juno ¡«¡¹


    Stretching out the words, Juno bowed with sluggish movements. Coupled with a limp smile, she was a woman with a calm atmosphere.


    And Kazuki didn¡¯t know her. That is, she was a character who hadn¡¯t appeared in the original work.


    ¡¸I¡¯m warning you again, I don¡¯t have the time to look after you bastards. Staying here is your decision, but just don¡¯t get in my way¡¹


    Since he didn¡¯t know the other party¡¯s objective or Juno¡¯s identity, for now, he nailed that down.


    Visitors coming at the time when the practical implementation of the LP farming method was just about to begin, as much as possible, Kazuki wanted to eliminate uncertain factors.


    The 2 people accepted Harold¡¯s sharp words without getting perturbed.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll keep it in mind¡¹


    ¡¸Understood ¡«¡¹


    (If you have seriously understood it, can¡¯t you just go back¡­¡­¡­)


    Even if he complained about it, since Erika had also come here because she couldn¡¯t go against her house¡¯s circumstances, there were no methods by which he could turn them back.


    In that case, it would be prudent to thoroughly avoid them.


    However, there was no way that his wish would come true so easily.


    Kazuki, who had returned to the mansion with them, in silence the whole way, was attacked by ruthless words.


    ¡¸To show gratitude for the other day, show Erika-chan around the town tomorrow. Because, escorting a lady is also an ability required by a noble. You won¡¯t lose anything by starting to practice from now itself¡¹


    Needless to say, it was a suggestion from Hayden.


    That in itself was troublesome enough, but with Erika being Erika, answering with -¡¸Thank you for your consideration¡¹ as though showing good will and accepting it, Kazuki couldn¡¯t help but be at a loss for words.


    Moving around due to the incident related to Erika in this long day, Kazuki was tired.


    But it seemed as though when it passed through the filter called Harold, it changed into anger.


    ¡¸The face you¡¯re making is more scary than usual. If you¡¯re like that, won¡¯t your fiancee will become afraid of you?¡¹


    Coming inside the room, as soon as Zen saw Harold¡¯s face, he talked bluntly. It was amazing that he could talk without any hesitation to a noble making such a face.


    ¡¸That fiancee is the reason. Really, so annoying¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸What are you so dissatisfied about? Even though she is quite a cute girl¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so? I came to know about your tastes¡¹


    ¡¸You don¡¯t understand anything! It¡¯s a terrible misunderstanding, all right!? I prefer Juno-san more!¡¹


    Being falsely accused, Zen was frantically trying to deny it. As far as Kazuki was concerned, as long as Zen wasn¡¯t a Shotacon, he didn¡¯t care about what Zen¡¯s tastes were.


    And the reason why Zen knew about this topic was because, as soon as  Erika had arrived, Hayden had gathered all the people in the mansion, and in a grand manner, he had introduced them as Harold¡¯s fiancee and her attendant. Maybe he had wanted to make it an established fact, but for Kazuki, it was simply a public execution.


    Incidentally, 90% of the gazes which fell onto Erika, who was introduced as the fiancee, were filled with pity.


    And there, was the faithful representation of their evaluation of the Stokes family including Harold.


    ¡¸Gyaa gyaa ¨C Stop clamoring and go call Norman and Jake. I need to adjust the plans for tomorrow onwards¡¹


    ¡¸Really, I like a grown woman, all right!?¡¹


    Zen left Harold¡¯s room, denying until the end, and while he was searching all around the mansion, Erika and Juno were also racking their brains.


    The cause was none other than Harold.


    ¡¸I had heard about it, but he seems to be quite a naughty kid ¡«¡¹


    Looking at it from Juno¡¯s age, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think about him as being somewhat impudent, but still settling it with only ¡°naughty¡± was the extent of Juno¡¯s tolerance.


    However, the main problem wasn¡¯t Harold¡¯s obnoxious behavior.


    ¡¸Father told that Harold-sama is either connected to or is possibly being used by the hidden person, but¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸From his personality, you can¡¯t think of him listening to someone obediently ¡«¡¹


    Then, the possibility that Harold had become a puppet before he realized it, became higher. Making him submissive would be a considerably difficult task.


    Conversely, if that behavior was acting and he was supporting the hidden person, Tasuku had suspected that by yesterday¡¯s stage, there would have been contact with this side by some method. To make it easy, they had contacted Harold when the head had been absent, at a timing when it would be hard for any interferences, fully knowing that it was rude, provocating as though to flaunt.


    But the result was a miss. This made the situation even more complex.


    Tasuku thought that if Harold was a puppet or even if he was moving by his own will, his objective was to either damage the Stokes or to help the Sumeragi. Therefore, proposing for an alliance to join their hands together or warning them to not get in the way, whatever it was, he had wanted some kind of action from the other side.


    But the other party was still silent, even now.


    Since the other party¡¯s objective wasn¡¯t clear yet, even the Sumeragi couldn¡¯t just simply sit and twiddle their thumbs. It could also turn out to be bad to simply be under the impression that they were allies and then undergo a painful experience.


    For that reason, Tasuku sent Juno to investigate it.


    Erika freeloading was a smoke screen for the sake of Juno being able to infiltrate naturally, in other words, nothing more than a decoy. Erika also knew about this. The objective this time and her own role, Erika understood them perfectly.


    There was only 1 thing that was unknown to her. That was, the despicable possibility that Harold, without the slightest relation to his own will, was being brainwashed.


    If that was the truth¨C


    ¡¸This might perhaps require quite some effort ¡«¡¹


    With a sigh not audible to Erika, Juno took out a dark device from inside her sleeve, and rang it out with a ¡®Kashan¡¯.

 Chapter 11

    As though to sweep away the atmosphere which was a little heavy, Juno changed the topic.


    ¡¸By the way Erika-sama, what do you plan to do for the date tomorrow ¡«?¡¹


    ¡¸Naturally, I¡¯ll go. Since it is the perfect chance to get into contact with Harold-sama¡¹


    Erika showed her spirit by clenching both her fists with a ¡¸Mun!¡¹ near her torso. When Harold told them not to approach him as soon as they met, she was flustered as to what she had to do, but a chance came her way due to Hayden¡¯s statement. Although Erika didn¡¯t feel good to get on with Hayden¡¯s proposal, she couldn¡¯t let it get away.


    ¡¸Then, it is a must for you to dress up ¡«. And in that case, how about wearing Western-style clothes which you rarely wear ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s no reason to be so enthusiastic about it¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    Juno was cheering her on since this was a date, but the partner was that Harold. It was hard to think that the situation would turn out to be that romantic.


    Practically, it would just be to the level of lightly going around the inner district. More than a date, it would be more fitting to call it an inspection.


    ¡¸That won¡¯t do ¡«. A maiden should be charming no matter what the time ¡«¡¹


    Like an elder sister, Juno was advocating about how a maiden should be, but rather those words should have come from Erika.


    Even though it couldn¡¯t be helped during work, spending even the day off in cooking wear, Erika couldn¡¯t help but think how a young maiden could dress like that. In Erika¡¯s memories, there wasn¡¯t a single time where Juno wasn¡¯t wearing cooking wear.


    If she wanted to remonstrate her about how maiden should be, the persuasiveness was almost non-existent.


    (TL ¨C Cooking wear ¨C kapp¨­gi , you know, she¡¯s wearing it on the cover)


    ¡¸How about you yourself dressing fashionably once in a while? Even though you¡¯re beautiful, it¡¯s such a waste¡¹


    ¡¸Fu Fu Fu ¡«, that is a strategy ¡«. At the critical moment, with the appeal of me being different from normal, I¡¯ll catch the other party¡¯s heart ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Then, even I¡¯ll keep it in reserve until the critical moment¡¹


    ¡¸Eeeh ¡«, it¡¯s your first date, alright ¡«? If it goes well, you might be able to make Harold-sama fall for you , alright ¡«?¡¹


    ¡¸He shouldn¡¯t be a person who would bend down to another by something of that level¡¹


    No matter what, Erika couldn¡¯t imagine a Harold who would be soft on a girl. But it was easy to imagine him hurling abusive words at her without any mercy, even if she went all dressed up.


    ¡¸Yesterday, I found such a cute one piece dress ¡«. Wear it, Erika-sama ¡«!¡¹


    ¡¸When did you buy such a thing¡­¡­..¡¹


    Juno took out a one piece dress with frills from inside the luggage, and asked Erika. That appeal went past wanting to maintain a maiden¡¯s dignity or ensnaring Harold, and it was just her personal wish to see Erika wear the dress.


    ¡¸Juno, we haven¡¯t come here to play around. Even you should know that, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Mmmm, it¡¯s a pity ¡«¡¹


    Deciding that there was no more room for negotiations, Juno returned the dress to the luggage.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a serious exchange. Juno did it intentionally to break the mood, so as to reduce Erika¡¯s nervousness.


    And because she had guessed that, even Erika didn¡¯t show too strong an interest in it, but there was no way she could keep on being relaxed.


    ¡¸Then, let us return to the real issue ¡«. I¡¯ll tell you about the points you need to keep in mind when in contact with Harold-sama ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Right, please¡¹


    Under a single roof, the two¡¯s motives intersect. Probing around for each other¡¯s true intentions, the lock on the gun was removed.


    ¡ó


    Kazuki was forcefully asked to play the role of a guide for Erika, but to accomplish this mission, he had a huge flaw. It was that he hardly knew anything about the town, where he needed to act as the guide.


    In the first place, the Stokes territory was only described in a part of some conversation and in an event scene, and since in the actual game it wasn¡¯t even inscribed on the map, if Norman hadn¡¯t given him the map he wouldn¡¯t have been able to grasp the accurate position of it.


    And since Kazuki had been spending all his time on avoiding the flag for the past 3 months, the number of times he had gone out to the town could be counted on the fingers of a single hand. That too, his travel had only been stopping by the temple, and he had never gone even once for shopping or sightseeing.


    Rather, it was at the level where he himself wanted to be guided around.


    However, Kazuki decided to treat it as a chance.


    Kazuki didn¡¯t know anything about the town, but it wasn¡¯t known whether Harold knew anything about it or not. If there were any places Harold frequented, and if it became that he didn¡¯t know about them, it would be suspicious.


    But this time, he had the excuse of being restricted to ¡°Showing Erika around the town¡±. It wouldn¡¯t be unnatural for him to ask about the town, if he took the stance of wanting to know about places suitable to guide someone to rather than for his own enjoyment. Thinking that his hypothesis might be correct, Kazuki successfully procured information from the people in the mansion, indirectly.


    (Well, it¡¯s not like I can make use of it though¡­¡­¡­..)


    From the start, he had no intention to guide Erika properly since he didn¡¯t want to raise her affection points. It was just about how he would be able to firmly secure the chance of obtaining information which might become useful in the future.


    Even so, this situation was a little off of his anticipation.


    ¡¸Uh, um Harold-sama¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Erika awkwardly called out to Kazuki (Harold).


    She was genuinely confused.


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.No, it¡¯s nothing¡¹


    To Harold¡¯s reply, which seemed as though he was fed up, Erika kept quiet without another word. The insides of the carriage was dominated by an awkward atmosphere.


    The cause of it was outside the carriage, due to the residents of the town.


    She noticed the abnormality when they first got down from the carriage.


    No, the atmosphere had probably changed as soon as they had entered the town.


    The thing that was there was silence, quiet enough to hurt their ears.


    If Kazuki had to pick a situation similar to this from his memories, it came close to the moment when he had frozen up in junior high school, when the guidance counsellor, who was the gym teacher and who was feared by all the students, had found items banned by school regulations spread out in the classroom after school.


    And in the gym teacher in this case was Harold.


    As soon as Harold¡¯s figure appeared, people stopped moving, and when he walked, as though to avoid him, the crowd split. The faces of shopkeepers who were called out became pale due to fear, and the looks of the residents who were examining the situation from afar, were filled with clear hostility.


    Anyway, the town wrapped up in a bizarre silence was uncomfortable. That attitude started completely scraping away Kazuki¡¯s mental state.


    (Neglecting the rumor that I killed Clara became a disadvantage¡­¡­¡­.)


    Regarding that, even Kazuki had thought of doing something. But ensuring the safety of Clara and Colette, and also wanting to avoid the problematic situation of discord rising up with his parents, he couldn¡¯t think of any measures which would be effective.


    The result was this.


    Looking at how much Harold, and also the Stokes house was loathed in front of her own eyes, Erika was also left speechless.


    Since they didn¡¯t know about Erika, it could be said that their reaction was obvious since she was together with Kazuki (Harold). Well, since it would soon be officially announced that Erika was Harold¡¯s fianc¨¦e, their looks would change to be like the ones from the servants, filled with pity.


    That said, if they strolled around the city any more than this, he felt that he would lose more than what he would gain. Mainly, the mental portion.


    They had gone around the town for about a little more than an hour, and Kazuki was almost at his limits.


    ¡¸This is enough already. We¡¯re going back¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Alright¡¹


    Looking to be somewhat in low spirits, Erika nods. Her face expressed a weariness which wasn¡¯t small.


    The cause was that she was continuously exposed to the looks containing hostility from the townfolk.


    Receiving affection from her parents, and also receiving affection and respect from the people near her and the people of the Sumeragi territory, it was the first time in her life that she experienced being showered with feelings of disgust and hate.


    She didn¡¯t even think that it would be such a powerful feeling.


    Therefore, she didn¡¯t even have the will to resist Harold¡¯s words. She chose to head back as she was told.


    There were no conversations between the 2 as they went back towards the Stokes¡¯ mansion.


    ¡¸You came back fast ¡«¡¹


    Juno called out to Erika, who had returned very fast.


    But she didn¡¯t inquire about it.


    Because, Juno had been observing the whole time from a different location.


    And so, she grasped the general circumstances.


    ¡¸I had heard that the support for the Stokes house from the populace was low, but I didn¡¯t think that it was to such an extent¡¹


    In a tired voice, Erika spilled that out.


    Speaking honestly, although it was little, she felt that she was in danger.


    ¡¸Certainly, that type of hate isn¡¯t normal ¡«. Well, as far as the talks are concerned, it is obvious ¡«¡¹


    The talks Juno had heard from the servants and the rumors flowing around in the district were pretty awful. Especially, almost all the profits of the populace was being extorted as tax, and the amount of people who were being made to forcefully work until they could just maintain their livelihood weren¡¯t less.


    They were even robbed of their energy to cause a revolt, and conversely compared to the nobles with the same level of territory and economic power, the Stokes had huge investments in their military. And due to that, the lives of the populace were becoming even more severe. With this, even if they were to cause a rebellion, it was apparent that they would be dying in vain.


    ¡¸By the looks of it, it seems as though investigating the internal affairs went well¡¹


    ¡¸That is, obviously ¡«¡¹


    If the people of the mansion were asked about a single thing, 10 or 20 topics would come back. They seemed to be hated to quite an extent.


    But, included within those, was information which couldn¡¯t be ignored no matter what.


    ¡¸It¡¯s just that, there¡¯s some worrying information ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Information which is worrying, is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes ¡«¡¹


    That was something where she couldn¡¯t help but doubt her own ears, and without even thinking she had asked ¨C ¡¸Isn¡¯t it some kind of mistake ¡«?¡¹. But she had gotten enough evidence for her to believe it.


    She had some scruples about telling it to Erika, but by doing so, she couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of exposing her to danger, so Juno opened her mouth.


    ¡¸Actually, it seems recently, Harold-sama burnt a servant and their family to death, using magic ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸¨CEh?¡¹


    Without being able to process the words conveyed by Juno, Erika leaked out her breath in a daze.


    ¡¸It seems that the people who were killed were a woman named Clara, who was a servant of the mansion, and her daughter, Colette-chan ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸W, wait, Juno! Is that the truth? Isn¡¯t it just a rumor¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸There is a possibility of that, but when different people were asked separately, almost identical testimonies were obtained ¡«. It doesn¡¯t seem to be totally unfounded gossip ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Such a¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Harold¡¯s mouth was bad, and even his attitude was oppressive. Erika herself felt that he looked down on others, held prejudice against them and avoided them himself.


    And yet, Harold showed them the hope to save the people of the Sumeragi territory.


    Even if he had had his own intentions in doing so, that fact wouldn¡¯t shake.


    That was why, deep down, Erika had thought that Harold was different from his parents.


    To the extent that Juno¡¯s words brought about not a small amount of shock. Both of Erika¡¯s hands which were covering her mouth, started trembling.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll continue investigating secretly, but refrain from being with Harold-sama alone from now on ¡«. Since we don¡¯t know what might happen ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Okay, I¡¯ll be careful¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s alright Erika-sama ¡«. I¡¯m here ¡«¡¹


    As though comforting a baby, in a gentle voice, Juno cheered Erika up. As though persuading that as long as she was there, Erika would be absolutely safe.


    But still, Erika¡¯s quivering didn¡¯t stop for a while.

 Chapter 12

    ¡¸How is the cultivation going?¡¹


    ¡¸I have confirmed that the cultivation is progressing smoothly at all the 6 locations. The harvest amount is also roughly as assumed¡¹


    ¡¸Then, I want to expand it as soon as possible, but¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸Regretfully, if we enlarge the scope of it any more than this, we won¡¯t have enough manpower¡¹


    ¡¸And if it isn¡¯t inspected, farmhouses which selfishly start their own cultivation due to being dazzled by the profits will also appear¡¹


    It had been 2 weeks since the start of trial run for the implementation of  LP farming, and Kazuki, while confirming the results with Norman and Jake, was discussing about the prospects from here on out with them.


    The place was obviously Harold¡¯s room. Recently, he was seldom alone in the room. Anyone out of Norman, Jake and Zen being in the room became numerous.


    ¡¸I can¡¯t do anything about the deficiency in manpower. Isn¡¯t there anybody else in this mansion we can use?¡¹


    ¡¸It is difficult in the present condition. If we ask Elias or Saxon to cooperate, it will just be a temporary measure¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Norman raised up the names of the 2 soldiers who helped in the plan to rescue Clara.


    But asking them to go to the agricultural district for inspection on top of their original work, it wasn¡¯t very realistic. As Norman himself had stated, it would just become a temporary measure.


    ¡¸Tsk, then how about I hire people from the outside¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸From the outside, is it?¡¹


    ¡¸For example, if I ask my father that I want personal aides¡­¡­¡­¡­No, that¡¯ll be no good. If it¡¯s some guy recommended by father, moving around will become even more harder¡¹


    Jake stopped Kazuki (Harold), who seemed to be immersed while murmuring to himself.


    ¡¸Harold-sama, first I want to continue the report¡¹


    ¡¸Nn? Ah, the matter about the soil¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. Regarding the soil of the testing field, no huge changes were observed¡¹


    In short, the testing field was the field present in Jake¡¯s house. He had been cultivating nothing but the 3 types of vegetable there.


    The thing he had wanted to confirm was whether problems related to the soil would arise when they did this over a long period of time or when they used a large amount of LP. If due to this, the soil withered away and if it couldn¡¯t be used a field for farming anymore, they would need to suspend the use of LP immediately.


    ¡¸Including this time¡¯s, how many rotations has it been?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll be red groot 7 times, bell tubers 6 times and bluna 11 times. I even had the cooks sample them regularly, but there were no differences in the taste¡¹


    ¡¸The notice isn¡¯t bad, but the number of trials is too less. Continue the cultivation testing and observe the progression. And then¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    Like this, it became regular for Kazuki to keep them company once in few days and working hard to grasp the current circumstances. Although he did have the sense of fulfillment he hadn¡¯t experienced in his student days, even now his future was full of troubles.


    And since he was using his head in a completely different way from how he used it during classes in high school or university, maybe as a recoil, his body started demanding to go rowdy.


    And so, after finishing the discussion, holding the sword, Kazuki carried his legs towards the completely familiar opening in the forest expanding behind the mansion, which they had used for the plan to rescue Clara.


    It was the only place where he could swing the sword with all of his strength.


    As soon as Kazuki arrived, he lightly loosened his body and immediately commenced his normal routine.


    The 3 hit combo of slashing downwards diagonally from above, cutting upwards, slicing while rotating.


    But the sharpness of the swing and the speed of the sword had reached to a level which couldn¡¯t be compared to when he had just started training. As though it would slice apart the air itself, a swordplay which would overwhelm those who saw it.


    But Kazuki¡¯s (Harold¡¯s) sword technique didn¡¯t stop only at that.


    Closing his eyes, he calmed his breath and sharpened his nerves.


    It became silent and as though to break it, Kazuki started moving.


    Within a second, he had unleashed the 3 hit combo, similar to the onebefore.The difference was in the next part.


    The blade which was swung out due to the rotating slash was clad in ¨CLightning.


    ¡¸¡ºRaijin(Thunder God)¡»¡¹


    As though in concurrence with that word, the instant the blade stabbed the ground, a bright electric current was fired.


    With Kazuki at the center, 8 streaks of electricity attacked the surroundings. One gouged the ground out, one scorched a rock, one broke a tree trunk.


    The reach of the streak was about 3 meters.  Kazuki fired an attack which could strike in all the directions, as though it could ignore a numerical disadvantage. But he muttered as though he was dissatisfied.


    ¡¸It won¡¯t even be useful at this level¡¹


    The attack Kazuki had fired off a moment ago was called ¡ºRaijin¡»,  one of the elementary level skills in ¡ºBrave Hearts¡».


    It looked to be quite flashy, and when it had succeeded for the first time, Kazuki himself had been frightened, but in the game it was just a weak skill which consumed 5 MP (Magic Points). It could be guessed that since the protagonist would learn it at level 1, it would be no good.


    Then the reason why he was dissatisfied was because, mysteriously a feeling that he could ¡°do much better¡± sprouted out inside him. That feeling wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong since the number of lightning streaks were 4 at the beginning.


    Fundamentally, it was possible for Harold to use magic of all attributes, but among them, lightning symbolized him. And since that Harold¡¯s body was shouting ¡°This still isn¡¯t my best¡±, as though to answer that appeal, Kazuki was single-mindedly swinging his sword to perfect the ideal Raijin that had crossed his mind.


    That was why he hadn¡¯t noticed. That the him right now was ascending to heights which couldn¡¯t possibly be reached by a 10 year old child.


    That how extremely abnormal it was.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed how he would look from another person¡¯s view.


    (This is.., I have seen something serious, haven¡¯t I ¡«?)


    As though nothing had changed inside, Juno had a calm expression, but unusually, there was a drop of sweat flowing down her cheek.


    After reaching a certain point in investigating the Stokes house, when she had set out to seriously investigate Harold, on the first day itself she encountered a scene which made her doubt her own eyes.


    After meeting him, I¡¯ve done nothing but doubt my five senses- she leaked out a faint but wry smile.


    But she couldn¡¯t just keep on smiling. No matter how she thought about it, Harold wasn¡¯t normal.


    He was easily swinging an iron sword whose length was as tall as himself, and that sword speed also wouldn¡¯t lose out to that of an experienced swordsman¡¯s. Adding onto that, he could also handle swordsmanship which used magic.


    That itself wouldn¡¯t become a definitive basis to prove anything, but Juno held the absolute belief that he had a big secret.


    The problem was whether that secret had the risk of causing harm to the Sumeragi family and Erika.


    According to the plan prepared beforehand, she had thought of contacting him head on, but she felt that it would be better to rework her plan to include some means of feeling around just in case. Thinking that, the instant she turned on her heels, planning to leave without making any sound, that happened.


    Behind Juno who had her back towards Harold, ¡®Gan¡¯- with a heavy shocking sound, the air shook.


    (¨C!?)


    To the abrupt situation, Juno reflexively ducked her body.


    The identity of the sound was Harold¡¯s sword. Right now, it had left its owner¡¯s hand and was stabbed deeply into the tree, behind which Juno had hidden her body.


    It was a surprise attack which had aimed for the gap in the instant she had switched her consciousness. If the tree hadn¡¯t been there, without a doubt, it would have pierced through her.


    To that fact, Juno went pale. Even so, the reason she hadn¡¯t given out any voice was because of the results of the training and experience she had undergone.


    But due the surprise being too much, she had magnificently stamped down the thicket, which was a fatal error.


    ¡¸Who is it? Don¡¯t keep sneakily hiding and show yourself¡¹


    Harold¡¯s sharp voice rang out.


    Juno thought of planning to make a getaway as it was, but thinking that there was no way she could fool him, who had accurately seen through her covert action, she gave up and appeared in front of Harold.


    Thereupon, Harold¡¯s eyes widened by a small amount, and then, his expression changed minutely.


    (That just now was relief¡­¡­¡­was it ¡«?)


    To read that change was the power of Juno¡¯s unique observing eye.


    But she didn¡¯t know what it meant.


    Compared to that, Kazuki was completely flustered.


    Since he had been extremely concentrated on practising Raijin, the sword had slipped out of his right hand and flown towards an unexpected direction, and had stopped after stabbing a tree which was more than 10 meters away.


    He was surprised because there was some kind of presence there.


    Thinking that maybe it had slammed into a person and injured them, panicking greatly, he called out. On the verge of running off in the direction of the thicket, Juno appeared from the shadow of the tree.


    From the looks of it, since she didn¡¯t appear to be injured, Kazuki was relieved. He had almost become a murderer.


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry Harold-sama ¡«, it was unintentional ¡«¡¹


    While Kazuki was worried about wrenching out words of apology even with Harold¡¯s mouth, for some reason Juno lowered her head.


    It seemed as though she was apologizing for peeking at Kazuki¡¯s (Harold¡¯s) training. For Kazuki, that didn¡¯t matter at all.


    ¡¸Hanging around in the shadows, insolent. If you don¡¯t learn of your position, you¡¯ll be injured severely¡¹


    If you¡¯re going to watch, stay in a position where I can see you. Since if I don¡¯t know where you are, I might injure you- not even a bit of Kazuki¡¯s concerns were transmitted.


    Rather, this was what Juno heard.


    (He¡¯s giving a warning huh ¡«¡­¡­¡­)


    Easily grasping her presence, without even offering any room to resist, without taking any action and suppressing her, it was brilliantly done. He wasn¡¯t someone who she could take on as an opponent, when there was an existence like Erika near her, who needed to be protected.


    He must have also warned her like this since he understood that.


    ¡ª That there wouldn¡¯t be a next time if she went further than this


    It wasn¡¯t that she had the intention to relax because Harold was a child. She also wasn¡¯t optimistic.


    But still, he had easily surpassed her. As though he had seen through everything from the beginning.


    It was her complete defeat. Was she really aware that she had fought Harold? He had shown her the difference in ability to even make her feel that question.


    He not only had physical power, but was also resourceful.


    ¡¸Fuh, Well fine. By the way, what is the sheltered girl doing?¡¹


    (TL ¨C He calls her hakoirimusume ¨C literally daughter in a box, which basically means that she has been sheltered her whole life and is very naive)


    Harold suddenly asked that to Juno, who wasn¡¯t replying.


    At the abrupt change in the topic, even while being confused, Juno answered the question.


    ¡¸Erika-sama¡¯s body still isn¡¯t in a very good condition ¡«. She might be a bit bewildered by the unfamiliar environment ¡«¡¹


    (Just for her physical condition being poor, 2 weeks is too long. There shouldn¡¯t have been a setting of her having a weak condition though¡­¡­¡­.)


    After coming back from going around the town, Erika had told that she wasn¡¯t feeling well, and from then on she had confined herself in the room for nearly the whole time and hadn¡¯t appeared. Thanks to that, he was fully devoted to the trial implementation of LP farming, but since it was so long, his concern gradually increased.


    Maybe it¡¯s some kind of flag- his crisis perception rang alarm bells. Well, it was already too late though.


    ¡¸Perhaps, she is homesick. Why don¡¯t you go back quickly?¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re very cold, aren¡¯t you ¡«? Even though it¡¯s temporary, since she is your fiancee, wouldn¡¯t it be fine to be a little gentler ¡«?¡¹


    If he could do that, he wouldn¡¯t be so troubled. Harold¡¯s mouth was just like cursed equipment.


    ¡¸Worthless. As you¡¯ve said, the relationship between us is temporary. I have no intentions of being bound by such things¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean ¡«?¡¹


    (Ah, crap. I might have talked a bit too much)


    He still couldn¡¯t make it known that he had plans to cancel the engagement in future.


    The only person who knew about this was Tasuku, who had read the letter. And although it was Kazuki who had written it, even he didn¡¯t think that Tasuku would completely believe in it.


    That was why, at this stage, if somebody came to know that Harold Stokes himself had the intention of cancelling the engagement, the risks would be too high.


    At the present stage, he didn¡¯t even have any prospects to prepare the plan.


    ¡¸There is no need for me to explain it to you¡¹


    Without even being able to gloss over it decently, spitting out the words of a sore loser, Kazuki went back to the mansion as though running away from Juno.


    Although he felt Juno¡¯s gaze falling around the back of his head, Kazuki kept ignoring her.


    Author¡¯s Note-


    I think that this kind of development is the classical way of misunderstandings.


    Too easy? I don¡¯t hear anything.


    Various thoughts and opinions were there, but to be frank, since Juno is a character who appeared only because I wanted to do this in the opening, there¡¯s not much of a deep setting for having her hold the unknown device.


    And later, she might not come out normally other than for the role of combat instructor.


    And that too, the plan is for her to simply play a connecting role.


    Next, I¡¯ll properly write with Erika playing the main part.


    Have to make her evaluation of Harold fall even more!

 Chapter 13

    Due to Juno¡¯s interruption, Kazuki had finished his training faster than planned and since it had come to this, he had spare time.


    Recently, whenever he had even a little bit of free time, he was putting effort in sword training. He should have started it because he was driven by the necessity when looking at the future, but he had become addicted to the process of acquiring skills by copying the movements in the game.


    Maybe due to its adverse effects, other than swinging the sword he didn¡¯t have any other means of wasting time. He found this body hateful since he couldn¡¯t lightly head out to the town.


    Since it was like that, he made up his mind to quietly do some reading once in a while, and picking up a few of the books which were kept in the bookshelf, he started flipping through the books.


    Among the large number of books similar to children¡¯s books, the one that caught Kazuki¡¯s eyes was a book related to magic.


    Although, the contents weren¡¯t technical. The origin of a magic and its progress, a person who had mastered and represented it and also anecdotes related to it- it was a book where all these were written in detail.


    The ones which were taken up were grand moves, where each and every one of them were classified as advanced level magic inside the game. While being convinced that it was something like sure-kill techniques popular with children, he continued reading it.


    Inside it, he found a name which he had seen before.


    Vincent Von Westerfort.


    In the original work, he was a heroic figure who at a young age, served as the captain of the chivalric order of the Saint King. He naturally excelled in sword skills, but he also excelled in magic enough to be introduced on par with historical figures like this.


    (TL- Changed knight order to chivalric order of the Saint King)


    If he had to be expressed in few words, then it was ¡°ultra firepower¡±.


    Making use of his abnormally high defense where one wouldn¡¯t think he got it just from the armor he wore, he would break through from the front, and having the highest attacking power among all the characters in the story, to speak of it, suppressing the enemy with pure force was his combat style.


    And sadly, in the final stages of the story, Vincent was an enemy character who fights with the protagonist party. Although he wasn¡¯t the last boss, his strength was authentic and when the party composition had a weak vanguard or when the healing of the person who played the role of the shield was late, the amount of times they were instantly killed wasn¡¯t less.


    And unlike Harold, he had gained a high popularity from the players. Thinking over the reason for Vincent standing in front of the party¡¯s way and his feelings, ¡¸Even this guy was suffering huh¡¹- almost all the players sympathized with him.


    Even Kazuki didn¡¯t hate Vincent.


    But maybe it was because he had possessed Harold now. Kazuki suddenly imagined a Harold vs. Vincent battle which was impossible in the original work, and he started turning his mind thinking what Harold could do to win.


    One had the story¡¯s highest firepower, the other was the story¡¯s fastest.


    If he clashed directly from the front, it would be disadvantageous for Harold. If he directly received Vincent¡¯s attacks, he wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    But just by depending on moving around, if it was Harold who had excellent attack speed and variations, Kazuki thought that he could contend with Vincent.


    During the days when it was released, at those times the concept of depth or 3D movement hadn¡¯t been used like how it was now and the combat system of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡» only had 2D movement like in fighting games. And with that, one not only had to control the main character, but also had to give detailed orders to the party members and importance was placed on how high the combo count one could earn was.


    Including Kazuki, if it were the experts, it was possible for them to stably connect 80 combos.


    But that was naturally because it would be done by a party composed of 4 people. Even though the abilities of the enemy character would be set to a high value since it would be a single enemy, Kazuki could easily connect more than 30 combos in hero fights. Especially, once he had launched the enemy into air, as long as the combo wasn¡¯t interrupted by the other party members, he would make the enemy into a sandbag until the enemy¡¯s life ran out.


    That is, for Harold to win against Vincent, he had to keep avoiding attacks somehow or the other, and it would be fine as long as he absolutely didn¡¯t drop the combo once he got it in and kept on slicing him up endlessly. Well, if he could do that, no matter who the opponent was, to start with, he would never lose. In other words, if he couldn¡¯t do that much, winning against Vincent in a 1-on-1 would be difficult.


    Then, how would it be if that character was the opponent- Kazuki started thinking of battles with Harold vs. an impossible someone one after the other. Picturing imaginary battle cards and looking for logical moves to win, this was a way of enjoying it only because he was a deep fan.


    Like this, once in a while his thoughts derailed and he ate dinner in the middle, and by the time he finished the book which was about 100 pages, it was already late in the night.


    Closing the book with a snap, he lightly sighed. It was quite a worthwhile read.


    When he confirmed the time, the date was already changing.


    When I wake up tomorrow, I¡¯ll search for a book on swordsmanship next. He thought that just before lying down on the bed.


    And then, Kazuki finally realized.


    (Ah, I came back leaving the sword as it is in the forest¡­¡­..)


    After hastily running away, since he was absorbed in reading as soon as he came back, he had forgotten about it until now.


    Juno might have payed some attention and retrieved it, but since she didn¡¯t visit after that, the sword might still remain stabbed to the tree even now.


    Kazuki came to an understanding that it was obvious that a normal woman who was an attendant would be reluctant to carry a dangerous object like a real sword, which was completely off the mark.


    Actually, she couldn¡¯t simply walk around the Stokes mansion holding a weapon, but she also couldn¡¯t inform the people in the mansion about the whereabouts of the sword since she didn¡¯t want to be needlessly suspected about why she was at that kind of place, and so she just left it as it was.


    He examined the situation outside from the window. As though to erase the light from a multitude of stars in the night sky, peeking from the breaks in the clouds, the moon was shining brilliantly.


    The yard, which was illuminated by the moon which was 2 times bigger than the one Kazuki knew of, was bright enough for there to be no problems in walking even without any lights.


    Might as well go since I remembered about it- Kazuki raised his back.


    That was a real sword, and truthfully it was a lethal weapon. From his senses as a Japanese person, he couldn¡¯t calm down if a large lethal weapon was left outdoors and neglected. Much less when that sword¡¯s owner was Kazuki (Harold), and if by chance a problem occurred, he didn¡¯t want to be held accountable for it.


    He passed through the mansion, which had fallen silent since almost all the people were asleep, without making any noise.


    He passed through the empty hall, and pushing open the front door which gave off a feeling of dignity, he stepped outside.


    Since it was brighter than expected, he was relieved as he thought that it would be fine even inside the forest. Even though the beings which could be called as monsters didn¡¯t exist here, considerable amount of courage was necessary to wander around a pitch-black forest.


    It would be better to get it over with before the moon was obscured by the clouds.


    In a slightly fast pace, he went around the mansion and towards the rear. He approached the flower bed in the southwest, which was in the opposite direction of the cellar. The flower bed was expansive enough for it to be expressed as a field of flowers. Flowers of various colors were swaying due to a gentle wind.


    Kazuki stopped his legs at the appearance of Erika motionlessly gazing at that scene. The first question that came to his mind was ¨C ¡¸Huh, are you alright?¡¹. Even  if she had completely recovered by resting for 2 weeks, the air at night would be bad for the body.


    This was just genuine concern. An adult being concerned about a child, this was a very obvious and sensible reaction.


    That was why he had no hesitation in taking action by calling out to her in the abusive tone as always, wanting to send her back to her room. Without realizing that it would become 1 of the reasons for the collapse of the original story and his own plans.


    If time was turned back to this moment with him retaining his memories from the future, Kazuki would absolutely not call out to Erika. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to call out to her.


    But there was no way such a convenient thing would happen, and it would be a few years from now that Kazuki, looking back at the past, would keenly feel that this might have been the greatest turning point in his life.


    But it wasn¡¯t now.


    ¡¸What are you doing, at a time like this?¡¹


    At that voice, Erika¡¯s thin shoulders trembled. Timidly turning around, Erika winced as she confirmed Harold¡¯s figure.


    To the reaction which she hadn¡¯t made until now, he had a slight sense of discomfort, but without minding much about it, Kazuki closed the distance between them with unfaltering steps.


    ¡¸I heard that you were staying in bed since you weren¡¯t feeling well. And yet, seeing you standing here in the night air, I can¡¯t help but think that you¡¯re an idiot who doesn¡¯t think¡¹


    ¡± To go that far, even for me¡­.¡± was what Kazuki thought.


    From here, he didn¡¯t continue with a -¡¸I, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m worried about you, alright!?¡¹, but as expected, Harold was scum who didn¡¯t have even a little bit of naive nature like a tsundere. He had a despicable nature, but that was how he was.


    Even Kazuki didn¡¯t want Harold to change into a mass produced tsundere.


    Even just by imagining it, his hairs stood on end.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t just keep standing there, return to your room. As for me, I¡¯ll feel relieved if you just go back home like that itself¡¹


    Even though the words which didn¡¯t seem to be very concerned were hurled at her, Erika was still looking downwards without any signs of movement.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Oi, don¡¯t simply keep quiet. Speak something¡¹


    Towards Harold¡¯s mouth which was starting to get irritated, Kazuki felt as though it was someone else¡¯s problem. It could also be called as resignation.


    Erika was still keeping quiet, but fundamentally, she was a very understanding child. Deciding that if he continued speaking any more than this, he would just be hurting the girl who wasn¡¯t offering any resistance, Kazuki finished the talk.


    It was probably just that she was very young compared to in the game, and she couldn¡¯t be frank in front of a person who held prejudice. She would probably understand what Kazuki was trying to say after Harold leaves and she becomes a bit calm.


    ¡¸Fuh, Well fine. Even if your condition grows worse, I don¡¯t care¡¹


    Then why did Kazuki (Harold) go past her after speaking words which would make one want to ask why he even talked to her.


    But unexpectedly, Erika stopped him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Please wait¡¹


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    ¡¸I have something that I want to ask about¡¹


    Her voice sounded very uneasy, but as though she had resolved herself, she was staring at Harold.


    Thinking whether there was any question which made her stop him so spiritedly, Kazuki inwardly tilted his neck.


    His doubt was cleared away by the next words she spoke.


    ¡¸There is a rumor that you burnt a servant to death. Is that true?¡¹


    (Ah, it¡¯s about that, huh)


    Kazuki calmly accepted Erika¡¯s question. He wasn¡¯t flustered or agitated.


    This was because 2 week ago when he had guided Erika, at that time itself he had felt that it would shortly be exposed. Since Kazuki and his parents didn¡¯t feel like hiding it. Rather, there were no signs of it not getting exposed.


    And from the start, the answer regarding that was already decided.


    ¡¸No, you¡¯re wrong¡¹


    ¡¸Then¡­¡­..!¡¹


    When Harold clearly denied it, Erika stepped forward with an expression as though she was glad.


    The girl, who seemed as though she had discovered a strand of hope, was pushed down to the bottom of hell by Kazuki (Harold).


    ¡¸I killed the servant and her daughter, the 2 of them. Well, no matter how many people are killed, it doesn¡¯t make a difference unless they are people who would be talked about in military stories¡¹


    A complete change from joy, as though she had heard something couldn¡¯t believe¡­¡­¡­..no, as though she had heard something didn¡¯t want to believe, Erika¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡¸Why¡­¡­.? For what reason was such a thing¡­¡­..¡¹


    Sadness, rage, despair.


    Somehow pushing down the various feelings that were boiling up inside, Erika tried to probe into Harold¡¯s true motives.


    But the words which came back from him were only those which completely mangled her heart.


    ¡¸No particular reason. If I had to tell, it¡¯s because she got on my nerves¡¹


    Harold coolly told that he killed her because he was a bit displeased with her.


    Erika didn¡¯t understand even in the slightest how he could easily take lives for just a reason like that. As a human, that was a ¡°shouldn¡¯t be able to understand¡± line of thinking.


    ¡¸Those 2 were nothing more than livestock. Depending on my mood, I can let them live or kill them as I please, right?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Enough already¡¹


    ¡¸So that the daughter wouldn¡¯t be left all alone in the world, I showed mercy and killed them together. Rather, she might be thankful¡¹


    ¡¸Stop it, please¡­¡­¡­!¡¹


    ¡¸After all, they were inferior species. From the moment they were born, something like freedom¨C¡¹


    Pan- a sound rang out.


    The cause was Erika¡¯s palm and Harold¡¯s cheek.


    To the statement that discriminated against people who didn¡¯t have the blood of nobles, as ¡ºInferior species¡», Erika¡¯s patience crossed its limits.


    Her hand, which was swung out, was shaking in anger and her eyes, which were shedding tears, were filled with disdain. Glaring at Harold, Erika, for the first time in her life, spoke abusive words.


    ¡¸You are the worst!¡¹


    ¡¸So what?¡¹


    As though he wasn¡¯t enduring at all, he was even wearing the smile that he always wore that made everyone out to be a fool.


    Killing a person, being abused as the worst, as far as he was concerned, all these things didn¡¯t matter at all.


    Erika realized. That it was impossible to win an argument with this person.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..I have nothing else left to speak with you¡¹


    ¡¸Ha, that is some delightful news¡¹


    ¡¸Excuse me¡¹


    While he was looking at Erika¡¯s back as she was growing distant, his left cheek which was slapped started tingling with pain.


    Although Kazuki had his reasons for pushing her away, even so, directly getting hit with hostility was a painful thing.


    (By no means can you think of it as a ¡°reward¡±)


    I¡¯m sorry for one part of the crazy fans, but no matter how you think about it, you must be insane to enjoy this- Kazuki sighed as though he was amazed.


    Well, it would be of no help even if he got depressed. It was better than getting slapped by an 18 year old Erika- he forcefully started thinking positively. Since a slap from Erika, who would grow up and experience adventures, wouldn¡¯t simply contain only this much strength.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t waver. If you don¡¯t get used to this degree, persevering in the future won¡¯t be possible¡¹


    The mumbling to cheer himself up was carried somewhere by the wind.


    Author ¨C


    With this, Erika¡¯s valuation of Harold is at the bottom

 Chapter 14

    After that, although Kazuki quietly retrieved the sword and went back to his room, maybe since he was feeling uneasy in his heart, he couldn¡¯t sleep.


    After turning and tossing over the bed for quite a while, he finally got sleepy when there wasn¡¯t much time left for sunrise. Squinting and looking at the sky which was growing lighter, Kazuki thought- a little bit more, and fell into the deep abyss of sleep.


    It seemed as though the abyss was very deep, and so by the time Kazuki opened his eyes, it was already past noon.


    He got up as though dragging up a heavy body. There was a possibility that yesterday¡¯s damage was still remaining.


    (Not to the body though)


    He patted the cheek slapped by Erika. Physically, there was no pain remaining.


    The pain was remaining inside the body, in his conscience.


    Even though a night had passed, his heart was pained by the guilt of making a very young girl cry.


    That said, even if his mouth tore, there was no way he could have said ¡¸I didn¡¯t kill them¡¹. That was not only to protect himself, but also for Erika.


    ¡¸Fuh, worthless¡¹


    Murmuring ¡°Can¡¯t be helped¡± mixed with a sigh- even this whining wasn¡¯t allowed by Harold¡¯s mouth. If this was Harold¡¯s root, Kazuki was in admiration of his mental toughness.


    It was also possible that he was simply egotistic.


    As soon as he stood up, his stomach which had missed breakfast and dinner indicated his hunger, but to clear his mind which was dull since he had just woken up, he decide to take a shower.


    By the way, there was no bath in the Stokes mansion. Because the culture of bathing itself hadn¡¯t taken root.


    It would soon be 4 months since he had possessed Harold. During that, the only time he had taken a bath was only when they had stayed the night at the Sumeragi¡¯s mansion.


    That too, the large public bath which seemed like Japanese cypress baths was installed outdoors and rather than calling it a bath, it was luxurious enough to be called as a hot-spring. He swore in his heart that if he got the chance to once again step into it, he would confirm whether it was a hot-spring or not.


    While craving for wanting to enter a bath, Kazuki who had showered stepped towards the dining hall to sate his hunger.


    On the way, he met Juno who was walking from the opposite side in a corridor.


    She stopped and bowed towards him, but there was no need for Kazuki to expressly talk to Juno who was just an attendant.


    But as Erika¡¯s crying face flashed in his mind, by the time Kazuki realized it, he was already asking Juno about Erika¡¯s condition.


    ¡¸How¡¯s the condition of the girl with the weak constitution?¡¹


    Before he knew it, in Harold¡¯s view, Erika had undergone a class change from sheltered girl to girl with weak constitution.


    This was him being worried about her so it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡¸That is, today her condition has gotten worse ¡«. As Harold-sama had told, it might be good to consider going back to the Sumeragi territory so that she gets better ¡«¡¹


    Even though what Harold had called Erika was too much, without changing her expression, Juno let it go. Saved by her magnanimity, and thinking when she would get angry already, Kazuki, who was scared, secretly wiped away his cold sweat.


    Returning back because of falling ill at the place they were staying at seemed like a waste of time, but since he was running around due to the situation of Erika staying being outside his expectations, for Kazuki he felt that if they returned speedily, it would be a relief. For a reason different from the one for his parents, he didn¡¯t want them to know about Clara¡¯s case.


    ¡¸By the way, does Harold-sama know about the cause of Erika-sama falling ill ¡«?¡¹


    ¡¸As if. I¡¯m not a doctor¡¹


    That was a lie.


    He didn¡¯t know about the past 2 weeks, but there was no doubt that her condition deteriorating by another level today was due the agitation last night.


    Adding to that, it was unknown to Kazuki, but the reason for her falling ill was because of receiving shock after hearing the rumor that Harold had killed Clara and her daughter. In other words, from 1 to 10, Kazuki was the cause.


    But if Kazuki knew about that, his conscience might have taken even more damage. Kazuki wasn¡¯t a failure of a person who had a personality of being happy by giving a hard time to a girl who was only 10 years old.


    With an abnormal situation breaking out in her own territory, her family was running about thinking of how to deal with it even while being exhausted, and yet since there were no results, many of the commoners were suffering, and then as though to grip onto that weakness an engagement was suddenly decided. And the fiancee was a person who didn¡¯t even consider people as humans and would easily kill them, the worst kind of scum beyond help. When this was the case, the amount of stress Erika had was quite large.


    Considering the environment she left behind and the current state of her mind, it would be cheap getting slapped any number of times was what Kazuki could declare.


    In exchange, he wanted to request for her affection points for him to fall to the lowest level.


    ¡¸That¡¯s a pity ¡«. Since you could create that medicine, I was sure that you were quite knowledgeable in illnesses ¡«¡¹


    Juno indirectly tried to probe. She was very anxious since she still hadn¡¯t grasped the origin of that medicine.


    Kazuki, completely not realizing her intentions, thinking- ¡¸I was thought of like that?¡¹, was surprised at how he was assessed.


    ¡¸If you¡¯re worried, ask your family doctor to examine her. Even if you stay here, it¡¯ll simply be needlessly prolonged¡¹


    It wouldn¡¯t be odd for a family as large as the Sumeragi to have 1 or 2 exclusive doctors. If they were anxious of keeping her in their own territory, it could be settled if they just sent her to a secondary residence or a holiday villa with the doctor tagging along.


    Without doing that, since they were hanging on like this, even Kazuki had already perceived that they had some kind of objective. But it was still unknown as to what they were aiming for.


    Juno¡¯s objective, roughly divided, was to investigate Stokes house¡¯s internal affairs and Harold¡¯s background. The former wasn¡¯t tough, or rather, since the Stokes family was hated, the servants easily opened their mouths, and just by playing the role of the listener to their complaints, she was able to obtain the information that she wanted.


    But for the latter, the guard around Harold was abnormally high.


    Firstly, since the said person himself was cautious and given that his ability to sense the presence of people was high, she wasn¡¯t able to decently approach him. It was to level of seeing through Juno¡¯s presence and giving a warning on the very first day of her observation (First Action).


    Due to this, Juno couldn¡¯t help but change her target.


    For that, though she attempted to get in touch with the 3 servants who repeatedly gathered around him, all of them continued to evade her. There was a single instance where Zen, who seemed to be the easiest to take advantage of, let his mouth slip, but still, so far she hadn¡¯t been able to get hold of a likely trail.


    Even including that he was being careful to not make her feel that something was out of place by just engaging in everyday idle chatter, Juno felt that he was made conscious of thoroughly controlling the amount of information he could give out. The current status was that she was at a loss about how to continue when she wasn¡¯t clear whether it was because of loyalty or being threatened or something similar.


    (From the report given by the scout division, it seems as though he has been frequenting the agricultural sector ¡«¡­¡­¡­)


    Although she was exchanging information with the scouts who had infiltrated the Stokes house, what he was doing going there was still not known. Establishing a minority community by gathering individual farmhouses and then having them infiltrate would be difficult.


    If they had to do it, it would require a span of few years to arrange for it, and in this case they didn¡¯t have that much time for preparations. It could also be said that due to being too hasty, the orders given by Tasuku to have the scouts concentrate in the inner district where the population was high was a mistake.


    After that, finishing the conversation after exchanging a few words, Kazuki resumed advancing. The places where one could have food in the mansion were at the dining room used by the Stokes family, the reception hall where they would dine together with the guests, and the general cafeteria exclusive to the servants.


    Kazuki headed towards the dining room.


    Without even knocking, he rudely opened the door. Since the time had already passed 14:00, his parents couldn¡¯t be seen and the maid-clothes wearing girl who always served the meals, was in the middle of changing the tablecloth.


    The girl was surprised by Harold suddenly appearing, and then became flustered.


    (She isn¡¯t able to move due to the fear and confusion)


    Fundamentally, the people who knew Harold¡¯s face, no matter whether they were men or women, young or old, all of them would be afraid, so he was already used to this kind of reaction. Let alone receiving a shock, he even had the room for observation.


    While thinking over it, he sat down in a place where he wouldn¡¯t get in her way.


    ¡¸After finishing that, inform the kitchen to prepare a light meal. And also, call Norman here. Don¡¯t tarry¡¹


    ¡¸Ye, yes!¡¹


    Receiving the order, after quickly changing the cloth, the girl left the dining room with flurried steps. The flapping sounds in the hallway got distant.


    After that, without even 10 minutes passing by, she came back carrying the meal. Maybe due to being in the middle of some work, by the time Norman arrived, Kazuki had almost finished eating.


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for being late¡¹


    ¡¸Sit down and wait¡¹


    Tossing the remaining piece of bread into his mouth, barely chewing it, he washed it down with the soup. It was bad manners, but since the only people present were Norman and the maid, he paid it no mind.


    Having the maid clear the dishes, Norman spoke when the 2 of them were alone.


    ¡¸You woke up late today. Maybe the fatigue is piling up?¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s no problem. I just had some trouble falling asleep¡¹


    ¡¸Then, it¡¯s fine¡¹


    ¡¸Well, because of that, I had some time to rack my brain¡¹


    Kazuki (Harold) raised the corners of his mouth. Looking at that expression, Norman understood.


    ¡¸Is it regarding the shortage of personnel?¡¹


    ¡¸Right. We talked about bringing in people from the outside and having them co-operate, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Is there a plan we could use?¡¹


    ¡¸I called you here to confirm whether it wold work or not¡¹


    Without going with the classical way of counting sheep, although he thought that he might get sleepy if he started thinking about the solution for something troublesome, against his expectations, without feeling sleepy even for a bit, until dawn he was totally submerged in a sea of speculation.


    Though it was worth it since he had thought of something, after all, it was just some shallow thinking of an amateur. Whether it was possible to implement it or not, he wouldn¡¯t know the answer until he asked for Norman and Jake¡¯s judgement.


    ¡¸So, regarding the people co-operating from outside, is it possible to form a contract with merchants based on the rights of LP farming method after showing how beneficial it is?¡¹


    Even Kazuki who wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable in trade was convinced that harvesting the vegetables of LP farming like this in a cycle, and also the technique itself would yield profits. The cost would be somewhat a bit more than the conventional methods, but the efficiency would increase remarkably.


    Due to the difference in the taste, they could aim for that differentiation and it might also be possible to create a new market.


    Selling the technique of LP farming to the merchants who would further sell it to farmhouses. The farmhouses would then pay a contract fee to the merchants for utilizing the LP farming method, which would then be divided between the merchants and Harold- was the form of Kazuki¡¯s idea.


    But at this stage, there was a need to intentionally hold down the volume of harvests, and so that the farmhouses don¡¯t oppose against that, if the scope of the company wasn¡¯t large enough to send people to inspect regularly, it would be difficult.


    Norman, while admiring Kazuki¡¯s (Harold¡¯s) plan, enquired about the part which bothered him.


    ¡¸So, do you any leads regarding a company?¡¹


    ¡¸No. Including that, I wanted to hear Jake¡¯s and your opinion¡¹


    ¡¸With no intermediary, if we suddenly approach a company with the proposal, they wouldn¡¯t accept it. If it is an administration by an individual merchant, as expected the manpower wouldn¡¯t be enough¡­¡­¡¹


    If it was an intermediary, Harold¡¯s parents knew many of them. However, for the proposal to be properly conveyed, they must make the existence of LP farming known, and Kazuki thought that it was still premature for that.


    ¡¸So, this means that we still haven¡¯t found a way to implement it at the present state¡¹


    ¡¸Unfortunately. But I think that allying with a merchant is a good plan¡¹


    ¡¸Then, we¡¯ll concentrate the talks towards that direction. Convey the plan to Jake too¡¹


    ¡¸Understood. The problem is how to find a merchant who can be trusted¡¹


    After that, the 2 people talked about this and that, but the discussion didn¡¯t progress any further.


    ¡ó


    While making rattling sounds, the carriage following the path between the crop fields passed through the gates of the mansion. Exchanging light chatter with the soldiers who were standing guard at the gates, the coachman who came in was Zen, with a carefree smile plastered on his face.


    Zen, who had finished shopping for some items, unloaded the luggage and after returning the cart to its assigned position, he went towards Harold¡¯s room. If Kazuki (Harold) had seen that, ¡¸Just like a mongrel dependent on its owner¡¹- he would¡¯ve made a fool out of him by telling that.


    But the person himself, who seemed as though he wouldn¡¯t even mind that poisonous tongue, walked with a pace as though he had gotten used to it, until he came in front of the door and though he knocked on it, strictly ordered to do so by the owner of the room recently, to check whether he was present inside, there was no answer.


    ¡¸Harold-sama? Are you there?¡¹


    If it were a normal servant, they would have left with this, but Zen, who was peerless in acting overly-familiar with Harold, opened the door and peeked inside.


    Even though he knew it, it was empty as expected.


    Thinking of coming back later since if he wasn¡¯t here at this time, it meant that he was practising swordsmanship, he caught sight of a small figure standing in the hallway.


    From looking at the small figure which seemed to be dispirited, without being able to bear it, Zen strained himself to speak out in a cheerful voice.


    ¡¸Hello, Erika-sama¡¹


    Turning around with sluggish movements, as though noticing Zen¡¯s existence only due to that voice, Erika widened her eyes by a little.


    ¡¸Good day. You are¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, I am called Zen. What happened to Juno-san?¡¹


    Seeing Erika alone which was unusual, he asked that question. No way, maybe she got into an argument and is dispirited- he guessed wildly, but it was completely off the mark.


    ¡¸She is going towards the town for some personal business¡¹


    If told without concealing, she had left to exchange information with the aforementioned scout division. Since she had just left for today, she wouldn¡¯t be back for another 1 ¡« 2 hours.


    Though, she couldn¡¯t tell that.


    ¡¸So it was like that. And so, why are you here¡­¡­¡­ maybe, do you have some business with Harold-sama?¡¹


    Since she was near the room, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for Zen to think like that. But the instant Harold¡¯s name came up, Erika¡¯s expression clouded up even more.


    Right now, he was the person she wanted to meet the least.


    But Erika suddenly realized that the person standing in front of her held no hostility towards Harold.


    Maybe he didn¡¯t know about that rumor. When she thought like that, Erika reflexively asked Zen about it.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t you know?¡¹


    ¡¸Err¡­., regarding what?¡¹


    ¡¸That Harold-sama killed a servant by using magic¡¹


    ¡¸Re, regarding that, how should I say it¡­¡­..¡¹


    This time, it was Zen¡¯s turn to be shaken.


    Seeing that reaction, Erika was convinced that he knew about Harold¡¯s brutality. And simultaneously, a question bubbled up.


    Even after knowing knowing it, how could he still deal with Harold. She thought that he was just putting up a front, but from the hesitation in his words, it seemed as though he didn¡¯t feel any fear or hate towards Harold, but a kind of frustration of wanting to support him but not being able to was oozing out.


    ¡¸Aah¡­¡­¡­..although I have heard that kind of plausible rumor being spread about in public, it can¡¯t be confirmed whether it is really true or not and since its authenticity isn¡¯t definite, I¡¯m hesitant to ask Harold-sama¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Harold-sama confirmed that that rumor was true. In the first place, since the one who was killed was a person working here, even you should know that it is the truth, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Uhh¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It was as Erika had told. Zen had dug his own grave with his incoherent explanation and was at a loss for words.


    Frankly speaking, Zen wasn¡¯t eloquent enough to turn around the situation by creating a smokescreen and confusing her.


    Norman had chosen him because he was good-natured, that is to say, because he was a person who could understand Harold¡¯s real feelings and become an ally.


    But it wasn¡¯t as though his good-natured character would only manifest in front of Harold. Erika right now was depressed enough to stimulate his softhearted nature.


    ¡¸And yet, why do you¡­¡­..No, by doing what could one follow Harold-sama like you do?¡¹


    Those words which were spoken out in a grave voice seemed as though it was a supplication while also being a question.


    No matter what his nature was, for the sake of the Sumeragi family, Erika had to marry Harold. Her will which couldn¡¯t pardon him was an obstacle.


    Although she understood it, wavering between her responsibility and emotions, Erika didn¡¯t know how to convince herself.


    From the time she was aware of her standing, she had given up on things like love and marriage. Knowing that the person she was going to be engaged to belonged to a house which supported the pure-blood principle, and that they were oppressing their populace, she was filled with rage.


    But still, Harold gave hope to the Sumeragi who were suffering.


    But in the end, even he didn¡¯t think of people who didn¡¯t have noble blood, as people.


    If it could be said that she got her hopes and then despaired at her own convenience, then that was it. She had no words to return.


    But the reality that the thread of hope extended in the complete darkness was just an illusion, was more than enough to push down Erika to the bottom of despair.


    Even while being crushed in the gap between duty and emotions, and yet trying to earnestly grope around for the exit, Erika¡¯s appearance was too heartless.


    But Zen knew. That the despair she was drowning in was an illusion that was intentionally created.


    Surely, the world that was waiting for her was very kind.


    Because there was no way that he, who was being hated and scorned, and had even resolved to shoulder the sin of being called a ¡°murderer¡± to save 2 lives, would just abandon Erika like this.


    And it could also be thought of like this.


    For the sake of her family and the people, the girl who was trying to kill her own emotions was also, like Harold, a person who had strength and kindness.


    Even while being young and carrying a heavy burden, Harold and Erika were trying to stick true to their own wills. It was way of living which was very clumsy and where they would always run into walls.


    These 2 who were very similar shouldn¡¯t just pass one another, instead they should face each other and expose the real themselves (feelings). The other party was the one and only person they could do that with.


    ¡¸Erika-sama, can you come with me?¡¹


    That was why, even though the unreliable adult (himself) had poor ability, if he could support them, then even if he incurred Harold¡¯s displeasure or even if he was abandoned, he wouldn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡¸Just a little bit, please give me your time. There is a matter that I want you to listen to¡¹


    Author ¨C


    For the time being, the plan is to have the misunderstanding regarding Harold completely solved next time.

 Chapter 15

    Erika was awed by his look of strong determination. She didn¡¯t know what Zen¡¯s real intentions were when he spoke out those words.


    Without any basis and just by her intuition, Erika felt that if she refused his offer, then sooner or later, she would deeply regret it. She was spurred on by an uneasiness similar to a compelling feeling.


    ¡¸Understood. Which way should we proceed in?¡¹


    ¡¸This way¡¹


    To lead her to that place, Zen turned on his heels and with firm footsteps, he stopped in front of a certain room.


    Zen chose it as a fitting place for talking about the truth. That was¨C


    ¡¸Here!¡¹


    Harold¡¯s room.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Eh?¡¹


    At the development which was outside her expectations, she involuntarily leaked out a stupid voice. Erika was so confused that she didn¡¯t even have the composure to be embarrassed about it.


    From the flow of the talk, she thought that he would reveal some kind of circumstances regarding the murder of the servant that Harold was hiding, that is to say, Harold¡¯s secret.


    What did it mean by doing that it in the room of the person who had wanted to expressly hide it. Maybe, she had fatally misunderstood something in her conversation with Zen.


    But where in the world, what kind of misunderstanding was it?- Erika¡¯s mind was in complete chaos.


    ¡¸Now now, go on¡¹


    ¡¸Eh? Ah, hey¡­¡­..¡¹


    While she wasn¡¯t on guard due to her confusion, Zen pushed Erika¡¯s small back and stepped inside the room. He didn¡¯t hesitate at all since he had already confirmed that Harold wasn¡¯t present.


    Zen looked around the room restlessly, and when his eyes fell on the closet, he opened it and pushed Erika, who couldn¡¯t keep up with the situation, inside it.


    ¡¸Sorry! Please wait here for some time!¡¹


    Closing the closet, Zen tried to run out of the room.


    ¡¸Eeh¡­¡­¡­..?¡¹


    Once again, a voice which couldn¡¯t be though of as her¡¯s leaked out from Erika. She was a guest of the owner, and that too when she was a person who had the position of the fiancee, locking her up in this kind of place had already surpassed the level of being disrespectful. If it were some other person, they would even go as far as killing him.


    Fortunately, Erika wouldn¡¯t choose to express her anger in such a severe manner, but still normally thinking, she couldn¡¯t not offer some complaints about this kind of treatment. But this wasn¡¯t the time for that. Before anything else, she must give the highest priority to getting out of this room.


    From Erika¡¯s viewpoint, although it was completely against her will, she was still an intruder. If this was exposed, she didn¡¯t know what Harold would spout out.


    Thinking of following after Zen, the moment she put her hand on the closet door, cruelly, a ¡®gacha¡¯ sound reached Erika¡¯s ears.


    ¡¸Owaa!¡¹


    Subsequently, Zen¡¯s surprised shout reached her. With a timing when he was just about to open the door, since the owner of the room returned, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for him to be surprised.


    Hearing his shout, Harold frowned.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t give out an annoying voice. Or rather, what are you doing in my room?¡¹


    ¡¸Uh, umm ¡«¡­¡­¡­.. Actually, I needed to inform you about something, Harold-sama, but even though I knocked on the door, since there was no reply I peeked inside the room¡¹


    ¡¸If there¡¯s no answer, leave obediently. How much of an idiot are you¡¹


    Erika peeped through the gap between the blinds furnished inside the closet and observed the situation. She had completely lost the chance to escape.


    If she came out here and explained, she could still make some excuse. But what would happen to Zen?


    Harold was a person who would kill someone just because he didn¡¯t like them. Even though it could be said that Zen reaped what he sowed, she wanted to avoid getting him killed.


    But it wasn¡¯t known whether Harold would listen to Erika¡¯s pleas to spare his life. Judging from his behavior, she thought that the possibility was low.


    (What should I do¡­¡­..?)


    While Erika was trying to make a decision, the situation was rapidly growing worse.


    ¡¸So, about the thing I wanted to tell!¡¹


    Zen forcefully returned back to the topic. To that, sighing as though he was exasperated, Harold sat down on the sofa.


    And against Erika¡¯s expectations, Harold urged Zen to continue speaking.


    ¡¸What is it? Keep it short¡¹


    ¡¸Ee, it¡¯s extremely difficult to say this, but that rumor has spread quite far¡­¡­.¡¹


    Zen was being ambiguous with his words by calling it that rumor, but to the people present, it was obvious as to what it was.


    ¡¸Just now, when I had gone to buy goods from the town, in the shop where I stopped by, the shopkeeper and the customers altogether were persistently questioning me¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    Harold crossed his arms and with his eyes closed, he just kept listening to Zen.


    Even Erika, who was inside the closet, didn¡¯t understand what he wanted to say, so she  listened closely.


    ¡¸Although it hasn¡¯t been revealed, and precisely because of that, Harold-sama¡¯s reputation will fall to the ground, and I feel that it¡¯ll be bad is we don¡¯t take any measures¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸And here I was thinking of what you might say, worthless. Hasn¡¯t such a thing already fallen down and completely smeared with mud¡¹


    ¡¸But¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸But, What? Do you want to announce that ¡°Clara and Colette have run away to the Brosch village and are still living¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸No way! Even if I die, I won¡¯t speak of that truth¡¹


    (¨CEh?)


    Listening to their exchange, Erika¡¯s mind became completely white.


    What did Harold say? The servant and her daughter, Clara and Colette are still alive?


    What did Zen say? That is the truth?


    The shock she received exceeded last night¡¯s acknowledgement of the murder. Erika, whose thoughts and body were frozen over, could do nothing but listen to the 2 of them talking.


    ¡¸Then don¡¯t think of meaningless things. If by chance my parents find out that they are still alive, I¡¯ll be under suspicion. To thoroughly eliminate that possibility, it¡¯s already a determined matter¡¹


    ¡¸Although I know that, at least how about telling Erika-sama the truth? Due to believing in that rumor, it seems as though she¡¯s very depressed¡¹


    ¡¸Absolutely not¡¹


    A clear refusal.


    If the temperature of his voice could be measured, without a doubt, it would be below freezing point. Zen and Erika¡¯s muscles froze in an instant.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Why?¡¹


    Zen couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Why did Harold reject Erika to that extent. That was because, for Harold, in this world of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», in a way he thought that the one he must be the most cautious about was Erika.


    The main feature of the character called Erika was kindness. But before that ¡°the way of living¡± was included.


    In the original work, Harold thought that he was a special existence and he was lump of consciousness that believed himself to be the chosen one by thinking that no matter what was done to other people, it would be allowed. That was why he could unconcernedly kill a servant, discriminate and oppress the powerless populace, and could even make a town into a complete sea of fire as a sacrifice for the monsters just so that he could continue to live.


    He had all these atrocious deeds piled up, and yet Erika, even while hating Harold, without giving up, continued to suffer by staying as his fiancee.


    The reason for that was because she was felt a sense of obligation since the Stokes family had provided financial aid. Normally thinking about it, due to the connection with the Stokes, their family would get scorned at and there was even the danger of the Stokes pulling their legs, but as expected, that was just to enliven Erika¡¯s event, for the convenience of the game¡¯s scenario.


    And so, there was a fear that the kindness due to the setting would stick through with the idiocy and bare its fangs against Harold from here on.


    Firstly, as the main premise, Harold¡¯s objective was to survive without dying. The things he thought that were necessary for this was avoiding death flags and clearing the original work¡¯s scenario.


    There was no need to explain the former. Then the reason for the latter was, if for example, in the case the last boss wasn¡¯t defeated, then almost all the people of the continent including Harold would die.


    Although it wasn¡¯t confirmed, by guessing from the information inside the game, that possibility was exceedingly high. At any rate, if the rampage of the last boss isn¡¯t stopped, then the only continent in the world would sink- was how it went.


    In other words, even if he avoided the death flags, if the last boss wasn¡¯t defeated because of deviating too much from the original work, there would be no meaning in it.


    There was a need for the protagonists to clear the scenario by any means possible, and inside the protagonist party, Erika held an important position of being the healer. With her presence or absence, the quest¡¯s difficulty level would change. Since their survival rate would be greatly influenced, even for Harold¡¯s sake, it was absolutely necessary for Erika to become friends with the protagonist and if that didn¡¯t happen it would be troubling.


    Moreover, he had a faint hope that if the scenario was cleared like the original work, he might be able to return to his original world. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t think of anything other than that with regards to returning back to the original world.


    Returning back to the topic, what would happen if Erika, who couldn¡¯t abandon Harold until the last moment, learnt common sense and general conscience, and on top of that saw Harold extending a hand to the Sumeragi when they were in a predicament.


    It was a hypothesis he didn¡¯t want to imagine. She might actively push for the engagement. Well, that would still be fine.


    But if because of that, she didn¡¯t join with the protagonist, what would happen. That was the situation that Harold was afraid of.


    That was why, other than not walking the evil path for avoiding death flags, Harold judged that the the risks would be lower if he got hated by Erika thoroughly in everything other than that part. It would even be fine to declare- Let her affection points eat shit.


    How easy it would be if he could explain it like that, but the drawback would be that they would suspect the condition of his head. He decided to just make up some appropriate reason and stop Zen¡¯s questioning.


    Breaking the long silence, Harold started talking.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­She was crying¡¹


    ¡¸Eh?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t know if it was because of the truth that I killed a person, or if it was for the mother and daughter who were killed. But no matter for what, her heart was pained for some stranger and she shed tears. She¡¯s nothing but an idiot¡¹


    He recalled last night¡¯s memories. Illuminated by the moonlight, there was single line of tear firmly traced on Erika¡¯s cheek.


    Though she was caring to the extent which couldn¡¯t be helped, that was certainly Erika¡¯s virtue.


    ¡¸And simultaneously, she is too kind. That too, a kindness which only sympathizes with the other person, a weak person¡¯s kindness. If such a person tries to walk with me, she¡¯ll bear an innumerable amount of wounds¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s why, you¡¯re purposely distancing yourself from her? Thinking for Erika-sama¡¯s sake¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t spout nonsense. Why would I need to think for her sake. I¡¯m just saying that cancelling the marriage to a troublesome girl, who cries for each and every little thing, is what even I wish for¡¹


    Harold¡¯s words pierced Erika¡¯s heart very deeply. It was very sharp, but it was a completely different pain compared to last night¡¯s.


    Pangs of conscience, self-hate, regret.


    Negative emotions came out successively and tried to swallow Erika. The wave of emotions and Harold¡¯s words didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡¸Such¡­¡­¡­.Eh, Harold-sama has no intention of marrying Erika-sama?¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll have any¡¹


    ¡¸Then why did talks of engagement¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸To put it simply so that even your brain can understand, this is an engagement bought by money¡¹


    The Stokes family, who wanted their lineage, took advantage of the Sumeragi, whose revenue was in a considerably unfavorable condition since the proceeds from forestry, which was the linchpin of their economy, became low because of the unnatural outbreak of miasma in the forest.


    Since the unnatural outbreak of miasma was a calamity which had no precedents in the whole continent, it wasn¡¯t known whether the Sumeragi would be able to recover, and also repay the money they had borrowed. Among the royalty and other nobles who were hesitating whether or not to provide large-scale financial aid due to these various reasons, the engagement was the result of the Stokes family going to sell a favor without even thinking about the consequences.


    After coming to know the motives and circumstances of both the families, Zen noticed a certain thing.


    ¡¸Then, for the Sumeragi, won¡¯t cancelling the engagement be fatal?¡¹


    Certainly, as Zen said, if the Sumeragi lost the financial aid by Harold unilaterally cancelling the engagement, then in the near future, the Sumeragi territory wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain itself. Well, even if Harold threw a tantrum, there was no way that his parents who were obsessed with lineage would allow to cancel the engagement.


    But Harold had no intentions of trifling with that.


    ¡¸I¡¯ve already made a move. The medicine and LP farming are for the sake of that¡¹


    In the regions where pollution due to the miasma was weak, by using that medicine they would be able to lumber wood like always. Until the protagonist disperses the accumulated miasma, it would gradually extend its range, but putting it in another way, it shouldn¡¯t extend more than it had done in the game.


    Even in the letter to Tasuku, he had dug up the game¡¯s map from his memories and had informed him about the expected maximum range of pollution. If they could predict the maximum range of damage beforehand, even the Sumeragi could pull back their defense line.


    Adding onto that, he also had the intention of offering the know-how of LP farming. Although, since the outlook still hadn¡¯t been good, in the letter he had stopped by writing some dubious statement like- ¡¸I¡¯m even considering offering some knowledge about industrial techniques¡¹.


    Receiving the explanation which left out the parts of the information about the game, Zen expressed as though he was dumbfounded.


    ¡¸You have even thought about such things¡­¡­.¡¹


    This was the first time he had heard about the medicine and the letter, and knowing that there was such an intention hidden behind LP farming, Zen could do nothing other than be wonder-struck. How far into the future was this boy gazing at.


    And Zen wasn¡¯t the only one to be surprised. Even Erika, who was holding her breath, was shocked by Harold¡¯s foresight and depth of thinking.


    Harold had sensed the danger towards the Sumeragi in advance. That too, before the talks of engagement had come out, immediately after the outbreak of miasma. If thought of it like that, then she could understand how he was able to gather the information about the ingredients required to make the medicine even without a few days passing by after the engagement was decided.


    In other words, this meant that Harold had tried all possible means for the sake of saving the Sumeragi who should have been completely unrelated to him. Although he was insisting that he had done it for selling a favor, if the money, time and effort spent until the medicine was created, was put on scales, then the merit of saving the Sumeragi would be too less. All the more when considering Harold, who seemed to be for the pure blood principle from the way he talked.


    Thinking about that dedication and his thoughts, Erika¡¯s vision blurred.


    Honestly, even Harold had made this decision only after thinking over it for a long time.


    It was clear that if Erika knew he was giving them this much support, then her sense of obligation would be much more than that in the original work. Then the reason why he took actions which weren¡¯t in the game was because he wanted a patron.


    In the place where the Stokes couple¡¯s eyes could reach, he wouldn¡¯t be able to move freely and he would also be unable to have his way with gathering people who could act for him.


    And there, he thought of making contact with the Sumeragi with the cover of a fiance. He had thought that he could trust Tasuku, since he knew Tasuku¡¯s personality from the game. He had compassion, was understanding and also had personal connections, and if Kazuki could gain his cooperation, it would become easy to support the protagonists from the shadows.


    By offering the medicine, industrial cooling down could be delayed, LP farming could bolster the economy and if the protagonist took care of the miasma accumulation event, even forestry could be restored. If that happened, even without the financial aid of the Stokes, the problem of managing their territory would disappear, and if Erika¡¯s engagement was cancelled, they wouldn¡¯t receive a serious blow. Moreover, regarding the cancellation, Harold himself had informed in that letter that it would be fine to do it.


    (Exactly like a ¡°debt¡± parade on the scale of Kazoe Yakuman*. Although that salesmanship feeling of pressure isn¡¯t half-assed, as long as I don¡¯t have any unreasonable requests, Tasuku should cooperate in most of the things)


    (TL ¨C *A term in R¨©chi(Japanese) Mahjong about which I have no idea of. I think it means the person who has that gets a high amount of points, maybe. You can look it up . If anybody has a thorough understanding of it, please explain in the comments)


    That wasn¡¯t confidence but conviction.


    However, he had a single concern. That concern which might be classified as an ¡°unreasonable request¡± was connected to Zen who was in front of him, so he unintentionally warned him.


    ¡¸Right, after that think about your future also¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean by that?¡¹


    Harold who had adjusted his voice so that it couldn¡¯t be heard from outside, reduced it even more. It was to the level that Erika, hidden in the closet, was barely able to catch it.


    ¡¸I¡¯ve told it before, but in the near future, there is a danger that the Stokes family will fall. If you don¡¯t want to become jobless, it¡¯ll be prudent for you to be prepared just in case¡¹


    ¡¸But aren¡¯t you spreading LP farming to prevent that?¡¹


    ¡¸If nothing is done about the current taxation and wasting of money, it¡¯ll just be to the degree of an extension. Even I¡¯ll think of something, but it might not succeed. I have no intention of helping you bastards, so do something by yourself¡¹


    Even the always happy-go-lucky Zen lost his composure at this.


    Harold who was talking about it as though it was natural, was the one who was weird.


    ¡¸If that happens, what will happen to the people of the Stokes territory?¡¹


    ¡¸Who knows. But if it is Tasuku Sumeragi, he won¡¯t do anything bad to them¡¹


    He spoke in a slovenly manner. But a name which Erika couldn¡¯t let slide rose up.


    (Why is father¡¯s name being used here¡­¡­¡­.?)


    ¡¸Err¡­¡­¡­What do you mean?¡¹


    ¡¸In the letter, I have appealed to the Sumeragi side to not deal with the populace unjustly when the Stokes family falls. Really, I can¡¯t help but laugh at their weakness since they wouldn¡¯t survive if something like this isn¡¯t done¡¹


    Even if he told appeal, it didn¡¯t mean that he asked for the Sumeragi to provide for them. If it were the Sumeragi who were close to the royalty, the people could expect some influence and support from them.


    It could also be said that since Kazuki didn¡¯t know whether Tasuku would accept this ¡°request¡±, he sold an excessive amount of favors.


    (Most probably, it¡¯ll become the territory of another noble, and I pray that a person more decent than the one now comes)


    Although, by that time, he wouldn¡¯t be there in this land. He was completely ready to throw away everything to the successor.


    ¡¸Anyways, that¡¯s how it is. If you break the ban by telling it to others, you won¡¯t simply get away with it¡¹


    ¡¸I, I understand. I haven¡¯t told it to anybody, alright¡­¡­.?¡¹


    Pierced by the sharp glint in Harold¡¯s, Zen¡¯s voice quavered. That there was another reason for his voice quavering, and Zen¡¯s roundabout way of telling- ¡¸I haven¡¯t told anyone¡¹, Kazuki didn¡¯t notice it at this time. Well, even if he noticed the existence of his nemesis (Erika) hidden in the closet, it was already too late.


    Author ¨C


    Kazuki, Harold, Kazuki (Harold) ¨C since many complaints have come out that 3 representations is confusing, I have chosen to use only Harold.


    It¡¯s painful for Zen to be called incompetent.


    It¡¯s my fault though.

 Chapter 16

    ¡¸Is that all? If you¡¯re done, get out immediately¡¹


    ¡¸Though I really want to do that ¡«¡­¡­¡­¡­Ah, Harold-sama, what will you do now?¡¹


    ¡¸What is it, all of a sudden. There¡¯s no need to tell you¡¹


    ¡¸Well, I was thinking whether or not you will practice swordsmanship today¡¹


    Looking at Zen¡¯s suspicious behavior, where his eyes was moving around restlessly, inwardly, Harold tilted his neck.


    Certainly, while he was chatting with Zen, since the food in his stomach had also been digested, he had thought of going to the usual place to practice his technique, but that should have had no relation to Zen.


    ¡¸What about it?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ve kept it a secret until now, but actually I¡¯m interested in swordsmanship! That¡¯s why, I was thinking of maybe going to see Harold-sama wielding the sword¡¹


    He unintentionally wanted to retort- Then, change your main job to a soldier. It was just that Harold¡¯s physical abilities were high and he was just an amateur, it would be impertinent to call it self-taught style with his level of skill.


    A while ago, since he was doubtful of his skill, Harold had requested the soldiers to spar with him, but maybe due to being afraid of injuring him, all of them stuck to only defending and none of them even tried to attack him properly.


    It was obvious if he thought about their standing, but for Harold, not having a personal practicing partner was a problem.


    He thought about maybe asking his parents, but it was those 2, who were partial towards Harold, that would arrange for an instructor. He was doubtful whether he could learn the swordsmanship used in real battles, which was what he wanted.


    Thinking that he would think about that part little by little, he deemed that it was alright since he had found a practice partner for today.


    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll show it to you, from a special seat¡¹


    ¡¸Umm, Harold-sama? Why are you holding 2 swords? Though I¡¯m interested, it doesn¡¯t mean that I have experience, alright? Suddenly asking to become an opponent is a bit¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t talk back¡¹


    ¡¸P, please, give me a break!¡¹


    As he was dragged away by his nape, Zen¡¯s shouts were fading away. Soon, when she couldn¡¯t hear any voice or footsteps, Erika got out of Harold¡¯s room when it became silent.


    Luckily, she hadn¡¯t been spotted by anybody, but even when she had returned back to the room given to her, she couldn¡¯t sort out her emotions which were completely mixed up.


    She was pondering over the words which Harold himself had spoken out.


    The servant whom she had thought was killed, was still alive.


    And while guiding them, to give the highest priority towards their safety, he had suffered dishonor.


    He had also wanted to purposely get himself hated by his fiancee, Erika.


    And yet, he wanted to do something to save Erika and the Sumeragi.


    Naturally, she didn¡¯t believe that all of this was the truth. She was also aware that Harold and Zen might have prepared that exchange beforehand.


    But still, at the same time, there were parts which were convincing. Especially, his attitude which seemed to fan Erika¡¯s hostility towards himself, and his behavior which showed hints that he had started working on the medicine from a few years back.


    What was true and what was false, how to approach Harold- Erika could no longer find out the answers for these. Even her own feelings about what she wanted to do were obscure.


    It felt as though she were wandering around inside a thick fog without any aim. The one who roused her consciousness was Juno, who had come back after completing her errands.


    ¡¸Erika-sama, are you there ¡«?¡¹


    Following a light knock, her usually slow voice was heard from the other side of the door.


    With that, Erika¡¯s heart calmed down by a bit.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Yes, it¡¯s fine to come in¡¹


    ¡¸Excuse me ¡«¡¹


    She was wearing the same cooking outfit as always. That outfit which didn¡¯t change no matter what the time, now felt as though it was very reassuring.


    Juno easily sensed these subtle changes in Erika¡¯s heart.


    ¡¸Did something happen while I was away ¡«?¡¹


    Although it was in the form of a question, Juno was convinced that something had happened to Erika. And she intuitively discerned that it had something to do with Harold.


    At Juno¡¯s sharpness, Erika¡¯s body stiffened up.


    She hesitated whether or not to tell about everything she had heard to Juno without holding anything back.


    If the contents of what Harold had talked about were true, so as to not make light of Harold¡¯s consideration, she should keep silent. Since Harold had gone as far as to get dishonored to protect the servant and her daughter¡¯s safety.


    But as a person from the Sumeragi, there was a need to judge the authenticity regarding this no matter what. Even for the sake of making sure what kind of person Harold was.


    ¡¸¨CJuno, please listen¡¹


    After worrying over it, Erika decided to tell Juno. Of course, not the whole story.


    Only the minimum information about how Zen had pushed her inside Harold¡¯s room, and then had talked about how the 2 people who were rumored to be dead were still alive.


    Although she had omitted quite a lot of it, the subject were more than enough to make Juno raise her eyebrows.


    ¡¸That¡¯s why, I want it to be investigated whether Clara and Colette are really alive or not¡¹


    ¡¸Understood ¡«. I¡¯ll immediately make the arrangements ¡«¡¹


    Although Juno had just returned from the town, she once again went back. Since Juno herself couldn¡¯t move very far from the mansion, she had to request the scouts to go and investigate in the Brosch village.


    And even as she was going to the town, Juno was continued to think. Listening to Erika, Juno had felt a big sense of discomfort.


    (Would a thing like Harold-sama not noticing a third party hiding in the room even happen ¡«?)


    Harold was powerful enough to easily sense the presence of Juno, whose livelihood was spying. Was it even possible that such a person would overlook Erika, who didn¡¯t even have the ability to kill her presence.


    The answer that Juno deduced was a no.


    The possibility that Harold had intentionally leaked this information to Erika, that is, to the Sumeragi side, was quite high. Why he had leaked the information, which was concealed from the people around him, to the Sumeragi, even she was unable to grasp his real motives for doing this.


    If that were the case, then right now, she was moving as Harold would want her to. When she thought like that, Juno was bitterly regretting it.


    (At that age, he makes one feel bottomless dread ¡«. If he were to grow up, what kind of ingenious scheme would he come up with ¡«)


    She didn¡¯t know whether to anticipate or fear that future figure. If he became an ally, there wouldn¡¯t be many people who would be as reliable as him.


    Not only was he resourceful, at that age, he had even learnt the sword. Even the word prodigy would be thought of as too lukewarm.


    But if in case they became enemies, undoubtedly, he would be a formidable one. To the extent that if he were to be killed while he was young, they could reduce their future losses remarkably.


    He could become a big enough threat for them to think like that.


    Regarding Harold¡¯s behavior, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Juno had given such a judgement.


    It couldn¡¯t be called unchildish. Putting adults to shame- even that wasn¡¯t enough.


    It it was only to that level, there was no way he could lightly toy around with Juno and move around without Tasuku seeing through his true motives .


    Even if that wasn¡¯t what Harold himself had aimed for, it could be said that it was inevitable that the other party would perceive it as such.


    And Harold¡¯s biggest mistake was manipulating the degree of affection and due to being too desperate to adhere to the original work, he had neglected his own assessment from the surroundings. Even though he himself understood that his behavior deviated from children within his age group, but to be mindful of it and acting prudently just because of that, he had no leeway with either time or mind or manpower.


    In a way, it was a very probable situation.


    But if here, he had become properly aware of how he was assessed and what it meant to be thought of like that, he could have avoided stepping into predicaments due to being unprepared. If he had thought of wanting to avoid this kind of development, he could have.


    And also, it was fatal for him to not investigate Erika and Juno¡¯s aim even though he felt that their very abrupt long-term stay was inexplicable.


    If an explanation was needed, then this was due to the negligence Harold brought upon himself, exactly because he knew that in the original work, Erika hated injustice and going around the truth. He had never thought even in the least bit that she or her attendant would act like spies.


    If he had paid close attention to Erika and Juno¡¯s movements, if he were to become aware that the information about Clara and her daughter being alive had  gotten out, at the very least, the possibility of the situation falling into this state would have been low.


    As a result of magnificently ignoring all these various factors, Harold would foolishly choose the move of heading to the Sumeragi territory once again out of his own will.


    The start of it was when close to 3 weeks had passed from when Erika had come to learn of Clara¡¯s survival, that is, when about a month had passed since Erika had started staying in the Stokes mansion. It was a command given out by Harold¡¯s father, Hayden.


    ¡¸I should go to the Sumeragi house?¡¹


    Like the other day, after Hayden had asked Harold to come to his study, the subject he talked in a serious manner was about how he wanted Harold to escort Erika, who wasn¡¯t feeling well, back to the Sumeragi, and how this time, he wanted Harold to stay over at their place to deepen their relations.


    The former was just a front while he was aiming for the latter. Hayden thought her bad health was just to the level of her being homesick.


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Because I can¡¯t go this time. But it¡¯s necessary for the sake of showing good faith¡¹


    (Good faith, is it? Most likely, he just wants to appeal to the surroundings that the relationship between me and Erika is favorable by making me accompany her¡­¡­..)


    It had already been officially announced in the Stokes territory that Erika was Harold¡¯s fiancee. Due to that, sure enough, the emotions of the people towards Erika shifted to pity.


    He couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at how his popularity in his own house was non-existent. He had no confidence to change it to a positive assessment.


    ¡¸Understood. Then it should be fine to make preparations for the departure as soon as possible¡¹


    ¡¸Hahaha, to think that you would be so worried. It seems as though unknowingly, you have become surprisingly intimate¡¹


    Obviously, that wasn¡¯t the case. In the first place, since Erika had secluded herself inside the room for the whole time, he had no chance to get close to her, but it seemed as though Hayden interpreted it to something which was convenient for him.


    Although he wanted to remark sarcastically about how naive his thinking was, since there was no way that this annoying mouth which feigned obedience in front of his parents would ever allow it, Harold, with Hayden laughing in a good mood in his peripheral vision, treated this visit to the Sumeragi house as a chance. Shall I wager on a match here- he was eager about it inwardly.


    Although he was impatient inside, that was a very rash decision. It might also be that he became conceited because he had found a clue to solve the situation even when there was still a pile of problems.


    That is to say, it was like stepping on the greatest landmine. He should have been more calmer before taking action.


    Even such basics had been forgotten by Harold at this time. He still didn¡¯t know that due to his actions he would invite a new death flag.

 Chapter 17

    And so, when it was hurriedly decided that he would visit the Sumeragi, on that same night, Harold explained fairly well about the policy they would follow from then on to Norman and the others, and made the preparations required for a long term stay.


    After that, he left the Stokes mansion a few days later, and a week from then, he arrived at the Sumeragi territory where the cherry-blossoms were in full bloom.


    The cherry-blossoms Harold knew of couldn¡¯t be in the state of full bloom for a whole month, but it seemed as though that wasn¡¯t the case in this world. It must be that ¡°Cherry-blossoms¡± and ¡°Cherry-blossoms¡± were just similar but not the same.1


    While thinking about that, Harold was sitting in seiza2 on the cushion laid on the room of tatami mats, and was gazing at the pink flowers swaying in the wind.


    It had been about 30 minutes. While putting into practice the method which he had learned in his previous world of sitting in seiza so as not to let his legs become numb, Harold was waiting for Tasuku to finish his official tasks, while sipping on some green tea3 once in a while.


    ¡¸Harold-kun, how about another cup of tea?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Make it a bit more stronger this time. The aroma is thin and above all, it¡¯s tepid¡¹


    With the desk in between, sitting diagonally opposite from Harold, Tasuku¡¯s wife, Koyomi, as though she was a maid, waited until Harold¡¯s teacup was empty and extended her hand towards an iron kettle being heated up in a small hearth of about 40 cm2 beside the table.


    Contrary to how completely grateful he was inside, Harold¡¯s mouth which didn¡¯t know any fear, gave an order. Well, it was true that although the tea was good, it was lukewarm and on top of that in contrast to the sweetness of the traditional snacks4 to go with the tea, the diluted tea felt a bit unsatisfactory.


    Nevertheless, there was no need to spit out such words.


    ¡¸Ara, then this time, I¡¯ll make the tea a bit more stronger and hotter¡¹


    ¡¸Do that¡¹


    It seemed as though polite speech was activated not in front of his elders but only in front of his parents. But even towards Harold¡¯s haughty attitude, Koyomi¡¯s gentle smile didn¡¯t break down, and with experienced movements, she poured hot water from the iron kettle into a small teapot and steeped the tea.


    Though this digressed, Harold didn¡¯t know that for good quality, that is, to steep high grade green tea5, it would be the best to use somewhat hot water with a temperature of 70 degrees.


    Inside the room, where the aroma of tea leaves was wafting around, Harold was sipping on green tea while gazing at the cherry-blossoms. The only sounds that entered his ears were the whispers of grass being swayed by the wind and the ¡®kakon¡¯ sound made by the bamboo of the bamboo fountain hitting the rock in a periodic manner.


    It was a refined moment as though Japan¡¯s aesthetic sense of quiet simplicity and subdued refinement6 was crammed into it.


    (Aah, I¡¯m being healed¡­¡­¡­..)


    For Harold who was a Japanese person inside, this was a reception of the highest grade. It was also large that, to Harold who had always been working either his mind or body since the moment he had come to this world, this was the first time a healing tranquility had appeared.


    Moved by this moment which could also be called as a time of supreme bliss- It wouldn¡¯t be bad to just live in the Sumeragi house- with this tempting thought, he raised his neck.


    Koyomi was gazing at Harold, who had closed his eyes and was breathing slowly, with a smile, but also with some interest. The thing which pulled her interest was the conduct with which Harold had entered the room.


    As far as Koyomi knew, the only place in this country which knew about the culture of seiza was the Sumeragi territory.


    From his previous visit, she had understood that Harold was acquainted with the culture of the Sumeragi to some extent.


    But removing shoes and changing into inner-footwear at the entrance, sitting in seiza for a long period, eating food using chopsticks- Even if one knew beforehand about all these customs and cultural practices unique to the Sumeragi, it was a different matter of whether or not they would be able to actually conduct themselves like that.


    Normally, even if one knew about it, there would be some point where they would hesitate, but Harold, without any difficulty, that too as though it were habitual, did these things naturally. As expected, that he would have his own preferred taste and even temperature of green tea, was outside her expectations.


    It wasn¡¯t that he knew about the Sumeragi¡¯s culture. He had experienced it.


    (But where?)


    It was hard to think that he had experienced it in the Stokes mansion. The head, Hayden, was almost completely ignorant about these things.


    If there was a person who was from the Sumeragi near Harold, she didn¡¯t know what it meant for only Harold to be taught manners and not Hayden.


    Anyway, he was boy who had many inexplicable points about him.


    Maybe due to that, Koyomi unconsciously started observing Harold¡¯s actions.


    As a result, the room was completely silent. Well, since neither of them found it painful, there was no need to worry. They spent another 10 minutes peacefully like this, and then, the tapping sounds of someone walking in the hallway started getting closer.


    ¡¸Sorry for making you wait. Work was prolonged, you see¡¹


    From the other side of the sliding door which was left open, Tasuku showed himself. Maybe due to feeling sorry for making Harold wait, there was an awkward smile on his face.


    ¡¸Like always, it seems as though you don¡¯t know what to do¡¹


    ¡¸Even though it appears like that, it has become considerably better. It¡¯s thanks to the resistance drug created by Harold-kun. I¡¯m truly grateful. Thank you¡¹


    No sooner had Tasuku sat on the cushion than he lowered his head. Koyomi also followed him.


    Harold was taken aback at the abrupt event.


    ¡¸Raise your head. It¡¯s unsightly. I didn¡¯t do it to be thanked by you bastards¡¹


    ¡¸I can¡¯t afford to do that. I don¡¯t know what you were thinking for making a move, but still, it¡¯s an unshakeable truth that the situation changed for the better thanks to you¡¹


    That¡¯s why, there is no way that I can¡¯t not show my gratitude as the head of the Sumeragi house- so as to not make that known to Harold, Tasuku stared into Harold¡¯s eyes with a bright expression.


    Unable to bear it, Harold moved his line of sight.


    ¡¸Fuh, worthless. To have no choice but to lower your head to a child like me, be ashamed at your own incompetence¡¹


    ¡¸I have no words to return. Well, as far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯m happy to have met a youth like you whose future will be full of expectations¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so. Then wag your tail and cooperate with me¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.That is the reason you requested to speak to me? Aren¡¯t you being a bit too hasty by abruptly jumping straight to the main point without any introduction?¡¹


    ¡¸I have no intention to engage in gauging each other¡¯s hand. Read this first¡¹


    Carefully produced by Norman and Jake, it was the latest version of the document which consolidated the effects and application of LP farming that were proven at the present point of time. He placed it on the desk.


    Urged by Harold¡¯s gaze which asked him to ¡°read¡±, Tasuku took it in his hands.


    And as he kept turning the pages, the seriousness in Tasuku¡¯s face continued to increase. That reaction was as Harold had expected.


    Or rather, if it wasn¡¯t like that, he would be troubled. First of all, it was necessary that Tasuku understood the extraordinary worth of LP farming.


    That was the premise upon which the negotiations this time would be held.


    Tasuku, who was reading the document thoroughly as though he was eating it, after reading the last page, sighed lightly and closed the document.


    ¡¸How to say it¡­¡­¡­.The contents are crazy¡¹


    ¡¸Right? But it¡¯s the truth¡¹


    ¡¸So, it¡¯s within your expectations that I would be doubtful?¡¹


    ¡¸Doubtful? How about frankly telling me ¡°I don¡¯t believe it ¡°?¡¹


    Daring. That one word was more than enough to describe Harold who was snickering with the corners of his mouth raised.


    Looking at it from another way, it meant that he had that much confidence. If, for example, this were a bluff, then he was quite an actor.


    However, he had past results. With regards to the miasma which broke out in the forests inside the Sumeragi territory, he had offered the method to produce the resistance drug free of charge.


    Due to that, the hope to reconstruct the management of the Sumeragi territory became visible when they had been cornered.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.To just assert and finish it like that is your dreadfulness. Because, even with the content being this preposterous, you make me think of wanting to listen to your talk¡¹


    ¡¸Even if it¡¯s the truth or lies, the listening part is free¡¹


    ¡¸Certainly. But just by showing this document to me, it¡¯s a huge harvest for me though¡¹


    ¡¸If you want such a thing, I¡¯ll give it to you. After all, it¡¯s just a copy¡¹


    Looking at Harold just cutting and throwing it away as though it didn¡¯t matter at all, although it was inside, Tasuku was shaken for the first time.


    In this document which informed about an original crop cultivation method called LP farming, the details as well as the volume of information was huge and had been consolidated in a very good manner. The process itself was easy and the risks were low. It would be easy to implement it.


    If he discontinued the negotiation here with -¡¸As expected, I don¡¯t believe it¡¹, he could obtain the possibility of earning profits without any losses to the Sumeragi.


    Even though it was like that, Harold had given him the initiative to lead the negotiations. This meant that Harold thought of LP farming itself as nothing more than an opening act for the real issue.


    (Since I realized this possibility, I can no longer pull back, huh)


    To be exact, the risk would increase if he pulled back. Having the Sumeragi test whether LP farming had any defect might be the situation he was aiming for.


    Or, even if there were no tangible damage, he might negotiate with some other place and there was the danger that they might suffer at a later date.


    To prevent that, as expected, he had to listen to the main topic Harold would talk about here and try to read his true motives as much as possible.


    If even this thought process was induced, then it isn¡¯t to the extent of him being just formidable- lamented Tasuku.


    From the report delivered from Juno, Tasuku was informed that Harold wasn¡¯t someone¡¯s puppet, and the possibility of him acting due to his own will was high. After confronting him like this and exchanging words, he was convinced that it was the truth.


    It was impossible to manipulate a person to such an advanced degree by influencing their thoughts or brainwashing them.


    ¡¸Then, let me take up your offer¡¹


    ¡¸Do that. Or rather, if it isn¡¯t like that the negotiation can¡¯t continue¡¹


    ¡¸Fumu, what does that mean?¡¹


    ¡¸Assuming that everything written in that document is true, what do you think?¡¹


    To Harold¡¯s question, Tasuku answered a beat later.


    ¡¸It¡¯s a ground-breaking invention. After implementing it and increasing the harvest, if no particular problems occur, to start with, a production system can be prepared in this territory. And after a certain degree of predominance is secured, I would let it spread around the whole country¡¹


    ¡¸You won¡¯t monopolize it?¡¹


    ¡¸If a limited amount of people monopolize resources, it would trigger disputes in the future. Because I think that even I haven¡¯t become dumb enough to fall so low as to be surrounded by enemies due to jumping at the profits in the near future¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Fine then, you pass¡¹


    From Harold who was familiar with Tasuku¡¯s personality, it was the ideal answer. Holding down the impulse of wanting to retort ¡¸Who the hell do you think you are¡¹ to himself, he continued the negotiations.


    ¡¸Even I roughly share your opinion. It is fine to profit from LP farming, but being seen as an enemy from the surrounding masses is irritating. And so, I came to make a proposal¡¹


    ¡¸By all means, I¡¯d like to hear it¡¹


    As both their lines of sight intersected, instantly the atmosphere of the room became strained.


    And once again, Harold pasted that fearless, bird of prey like smile on his face.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll have you become the joint developer of LP farming¡¹


    TL ¨C


    1. 1st cherry-blossom(sakura) is in kanji(—@) and the 2nd one is in katakana(¥µ¥¯¥é).


    2. seiza is the traditional way of sitting in japan- kneeling with the tops of the feet flat on the floor and sitting on the soles. Can I use seizaing from now on?


    3. ryokucha- The most common tea in Japan is ryokucha.


    4. wagashi- Traditional Japanese confections served with tea.


    5. gyokuro- Literally ¡°jade dew¡± is a type of shaded green tea(ryokucha) in Japan.


    6.wabisabi-  represents Japanese aesthetics and a Japanese world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

 Chapter 18

    That proposal took Tasuku completely by surprise. There was no need to even talk about the reason.


    Since Tasuku had no part in the development of LP farming at all.


    ¡¸What do you mean? I haven¡¯t been involved in the development at all though¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Only until now. But from here on out, for spreading out LP farming we¡¯ll use the Sumeragi¡¯s name¡¹


    From his words, Tasuku remembered something. Within Juno¡¯s report, there was information that ¡°his behavior in front of his parents is different¡±.


    He had thought of it as just the difference between his behavior in front of his relatives and others, but a single possibility went across his mind.


    It was that Harold might be hiding his own ability from his parents. If they had known about his capability, they would have tried to show his appeal much more when they had first come to decide on the engagement.


    Adding onto that, Harold himself had hinted at the fall of the Stokes house in the letter. That meant¡­¡­¡­


    ¡¸Harold-kun doesn¡¯t think of it as a good plan for your parents to know about LP farming?¡¹


    ¡¸As expected, I well understand my parents¡¯ personality¡¹


    If they knew about LP farming, in all probability it would advance towards the development that Tasuku feared. Harold was convinced of it.


    That was why, he had come here like this to ask for the Sumeragi¡¯s cooperation.


    ¡¸Moreover, I don¡¯t have enough pawns. If I increase the trial farmhouses any more than this, I won¡¯t be able to monitor them¡¹


    ¡¸I see¡¹


    He understood what Harold was trying to say here.


    He wanted to enlarge this operation without letting his parents become aware of it. For that sake, there were limits if he continued as it was.


    Since it was such a ground-breaking method, there was a need to control its management completely so as to prevent any information leaks. And to do so, since the human resources he could gather wasn¡¯t enough he had brought this proposal to the Sumeragi.


    ¡¸But why to my side? If there were this much profits, I think that anybody would jump at it¡¹


    ¡¸It was just that with the conditions I wanted fulfilled, you were the easiest one to cooperate with¡¹


    This was a bluff. If Tasuku shook his head horizontally, Harold would be in a predicament since he had no other intermediaries.


    But since he understood Tasuku¡¯s personality and knew about his weakpoint, he would use his a certain thing as leverage.


    ¡¸If you refuse, I just need to reach out to the 2nd or the 3rd candidate. Well, that won¡¯t be necessary though¡¹


    ¡¸You think that I would absolutely accept this proposal?¡¹


    ¡¸Right, you have no choice but to do that¡¹


    Absolute confidence no matter what. What was it that made him think like that. Tasuku didn¡¯t think he would just come here with a strong stance without any basis. Rather, he seemed as though he would use logic to cut off the opponent¡¯s path of retreat beforehand.


    (Wait, block the path of retreat? No way¡­¡­..!)


    An unpleasant bead of sweat rolled down Tasuku¡¯s cheek.


    Due to a sudden flash of insight, he connected together the scattered pieces and formed an answer. As soon as he reached that answer, chills to the extent of freezing his spine ran through Tasuku.


    ¡¸You realized?¡¹


    That voice which carried an ominous sharpness as though it were the scythe of the Death God, struck Tasuku¡¯s ears.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Were you anticipating this situation from the beginning?¡¹


    ¡¸So what? Would it change your answer?¡¹


    Tasuku closed his eyes. Like Harold said, his answer wouldn¡¯t change.


    In any case, since Erika had been put on the scales, he could do nothing other than agree.


    ¡¸So, this was what ¡ºOffering industrial techniques¡» informed in the letter meant, huh¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Tasuku dropped his shoulders and muttered. The reason was Erika¡¯s engagement annulment.


    His daughter had accepted a restrained future out of responsibility, and they weren¡¯t her true feelings. Harold himself had suggested in the letter that he didn¡¯t mind even if it was annulled.


    The conditions to accept it were- to compound the the resistance drug and to improve the condition of infected patients by using it, to quarantine the estimated maximum pollution area of the miasma, and also to restore their economic power by implementing the offered industrial techniques.


    At that time, he had thought of it as just some nonsense or coercion of a 3rd party.


    But if it became that all the contents of that letter were written by this boy, then the situation would be different. Not as a head of the family, but as a father, those terms were extremely attractive.


    That there were no disadvantageous parts in Harold¡¯s proposal also backed his decision.


    He might have intentionally written the letter in a manner which didn¡¯t suit his age, like an adult. By doing so Harold had insinuated that there was a mastermind, and since Tasuku had entertained that suspicion, he hadn¡¯t even reached the possibility that Harold himself might have written the letter. Even though he had received the report from Juno.


    In other words, from the time Tasuku had received that letter, he had done nothing more than move around on Harold¡¯s palm. To bring out this situation, from how long had he been acting.


    In front of the preparations which seemed as though Harold had predicted the future, he was in utter shock.


    ¡¸Certainly, it¡¯s attractive enough to jump at it spontaneously¡­¡­¡­.But what is the reason for you to care about the Sumeragi to such an extent?¡¹


    If he had just wanted to increase his intimacy with the Sumeragi, then the things he had already offered were more than enough. And moreover, there was no way he would want to annul the engagement which was the firmest connection.


    Without being able to read Harold¡¯s intentions, Tasuku¡¯s confusion only intensified.


    But that was natural. Harold was only moving for the sake of thoroughly evading his death flags which would fall in the future, and from the people who didn¡¯t know about this, reading his intentions was almost impossible.


    Even if he were to explain, there was no way Tasuku would understand, and he also didn¡¯t have any intention of explaining.


    ¡¸Even if I tell it to you, it¡¯s not like you would¡­¡­¡­.No, it¡¯s something that nobody other than me could understand¡¹


    That tone seemed like self-depreciation. Looking at Harold, who was fearless until now, taking that kind of attitude, Tasuku was at a loss for words.


    As though waiting for that unguarded moment, Harold pressed for an answer.


    ¡¸So, what will you do? If you say that you can¡¯t trust me, then this negotiation is over¡¹


    Certainly, if asked whether Harold was trustworthy, he still wouldn¡¯t be able agree.


    But it wasn¡¯t definite that his goal would harm the Sumeragi, and if Tasuku were to accept this proposal, the Sumeragi house, their populace and even Erika¡¯s future could be saved.


    If said in other words, Harold was going so far to do this. Even this matter, if Tasuku was made to forcibly accept it, it would be almost impossible for him to raise an objection.


    Even though Harold was in a position that was overwhelmingly advantageous for him, to the end he just brought the discussion over in the form of a proposal.


    Although it looked like Tasuku had no choice to refuse, that was wrong. If he closed his eyes off thinking of Erika¡¯s engagement as a sacrifice, refusing would be possible. If that happened, the connection between the Stokes house and the Sumeragi house would become unshakeable, and even without LP farming they could just receive financial aid from the Stokes as agreed upon before.


    Or rather, with this proposal Harold was the one who had to take a risk. And that too, normally thinking it was a risk he didn¡¯t need to take.


    It was easily imaginable that he had invested a considerable amount of time and money on developing the resistance drug. Even though he had done that much, with there being the danger of the situation coming to nothing, he had left the decision to Tasuku in the end.


    (It¡¯s not easy to do this¡­¡­¡­..)


    He honestly thought that. Was made to think like that.


    If he thought about it carefully, Harold was moving so that there weren¡¯t any losses to the Sumeragi.


    Normally, if one was brought such a convenient proposal, nobody would easily accept. They would doubt the other party, investigate for suspicious points, and if their doubt wasn¡¯t cleared, they would refuse. Even Harold¡¯s proposal was like that.


    That decision as a result would link to the possibility of simply letting go of the profit which they could have obtained.


    But Harold had expressly prepared a rationalization like ¡°Erika¡¯s engagement could be annulled¡±. So that it would be easy for Tasuku to accept the proposal. Although it seemed that it was thought of as being over interpreted as good will, nothing else could explain why Harold hadn¡¯t broken down the appearances of a discussion to the extent of bearing unnecessary risks.


    (Even though it could be that he is using this train of thought, in that case, opposing wouldn¡¯t help. No matter what, it¡¯s my complete defeat)


    Tasuku slowly exhaled the large breath he had taken in. He raised his head which was bent downwards, and gazed firmly at Harold¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¸I accept this time¡¯s proposal¡¹


    That was Tasuku¡¯s answer.


    ¡¸Although it was predetermined, well I¡¯ll praise you for your prompt decision. In a few days, prepare some of the people who work under you and the fields owned by the Sumeragi. To start with, I¡¯ll drive into them the know how of LP farming¡¹


    ¡¸Will only that much be fine?¡¹


    ¡¸After that, according to my estimation in a few years a large scale company will be necessary. One which keeps information confidential and which can be trusted. I¡¯ll leave that judgement to you¡¹


    ¡¸I see. After solidifying the foundation, we¡¯ll co-operate with the company and increase the number of fields which can be managed and later on, sell the technique through the company, right?¡¹


    ¡¸It seems like you have a better head than my pawns¡¹


    Though he was condescending, inwardly Harold was astonished at how good Tasuku¡¯s conjecture was. Since he had obtained a very reliable colleague, Harold was completely satisfied. Even if he wanted to sell the technique, he wanted to borrow the Sumeragi¡¯s name to hide it from his parents- he was sure that Tasuku would read this intention of his even without telling him.


    ¡¸Anything else that is required?¡¹


    ¡¸And¡­¡­..¡¹


    When he was about to say it, Harold closed his mouth. He hesitated thinking whether it would be right to say it at this timing.


    Sensing that, Tasuku extended a hand in complete good will.


    ¡¸If there is something, I want you to request without holding back. If Harold-kun wants it, as much as possible I¡¯ll try to help you¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Then prepare for a strong fellow. While I¡¯m staying here I¡¯ll accumulate one-on-one combat experience as much as possible¡¹


    To survive in this world, inter-personal combat strength was absolutely necessary. To obtain that which couldn¡¯t be obtained in the Stokes¡¯ mansion, Harold resolved himself and took a step forward.

 Chapter 19

    The evening of the day on which Harold and Tasuku confirmed their cooperative relationship.


    The veil of darkness had descended and within the darkness where moonlight didn¡¯t reach the ground due to heavy clouds, as though to run away from that darkness there was a single room within which a bright light was burning.


    In that room, starting with Tasuku in the chief seat, his wife Koyomi and daughter Erika, personal attendant Kiryuu, and with the cooking outfit, on which there was not the least bit of dirt, as her trademark, Juno, were all silently sitting.


    As though to loosen the tension, the head of the mansion, Tasuku, started talking.


    ¡¸Well then, It seems like you have some report. Juno?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. There¡¯s something that I have to inform Master and also Erika-sama about¡¹


    Although she spoke in a calm voice, it wasn¡¯t in her usual slow manner of speaking.


    ¡¸Even Erika?¡¹


    ¡¸Indeed. Since I was moving under the orders of Erika-sama¡¹


    With those words, all gazes other than Juno¡¯s gathered on Erika. Receiving that, she lowered her head deeply.


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for mobilizing them on my own, Father. But there was something that I absolutely needed to confirm so I ended up borrowing Juno¡¯s strength¡¹


    ¡¸Something you absolutely needed to confirm, means something regarding Harold-kun?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. Father, are you aware of the rumor that Harold-sama killed a servant and her daughter?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, a report that some rumors like that were floating around the streets of the Stokes territory did come¡¹


    Even the scouts, who had disguised themselves as traders and travelers to infiltrate into the Stokes territory, had heard about the matter of how the mother and daughter were killed. Maybe because, since before there was hatred towards the Stokes family among the populace it was quite widespread.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.The possibility that it was untrue came up¡¹


    ¡¸False? In other words, the 2 who were killed in the rumors are still alive?¡¹


    ¡¸To ascertain the truth, I had Juno and the others cooperate with me¡¹


    And now, Juno was here to report the results of the investigation.


    This time, everybody¡¯s eyes were on Juno. All of them were waiting for her next words.


    Towards that, Juno didn¡¯t try to put on any airs and started talking.


    ¡¸Regarding this time¡¯s affair, the rumors being circulated are wrong. The servant Clara and her daughter Colette who should have been killed are still alive¡¹


    To that report, Tasuku narrowed his eyes and Erika bent her head down and strongly clenched her fists, which were on top of her knees. She was attacked by feelings of guilt.


    While looking at her as though she was worried about her, Juno continued her report.


    ¡¸Currently, the 2 of them are living in a small village called Brosch village which is under the jurisdiction of Viscount Ballack. Although it was quite difficult, I was able to obtain testimony from the person herself¡¹


    ¡¸What do you mean by difficult?¡¹


    ¡¸Since they hadn¡¯t changed their names, it was easy to find them from asking the villagers, but she stubbornly refused to talk about what had happened during that time¡¹


    Receiving that report from her colleagues who had gone there before her, Juno headed towards the village herself. When she personally tried talking to Clara, it wasn¡¯t to the extent of turning her away at the door, but it seemed as though Clara had no intention to talk about the real situation.


    But it also wasn¡¯t as though Juno could simply back away with ¡¸Then it can¡¯t be helped ¡«¡¹. And while exchanging words with Clara, she realized about a certain thing.


    It was that Clara felt a huge amount of gratitude towards Harold.


    While insisting that he had personally killed the 2 of them, Harold had covered up their survival, and even while knowing that there were rumors of him killing them, he gave no signs of wanting to stop these rumors. Adding onto that, it was unknown as to why the person who was supposed to be killed was feeling a sense of gratitude towards Harold.


    When she thought until there, Juno formed a certain hypothesis. In the case that the hypothesis was true, she had a good idea to shake Clara.


    And simultaneously, it was something that would trample all over Harold and Clara¡¯s feelings.


    But even if that happened, Juno didn¡¯t have the choice to hold her tongue. Stifling the bitter feelings, she continued on.


    ¡ºHarold-sama is taking on the dishonor as a murderer and is continuing while affirming it. Due to that, the populace are being hostile towards him, and although it isn¡¯t being shown on the surface, Harold-sama was becoming extremely haggard.


    I don¡¯t have any intention to expose the hidden truth under broad daylight. But if you talk about the truth, Harold-sama would be able to gain a sympathizer behind the scenes. Please provide some assistance by thinking of it as helping him¡»


    Those imploring words which were exaggerated here and there were instantly effective. When Clara heard Juno¡¯s words, her face became ghastly pale and she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes filled with tears and after a few minutes of agonizing silence passed, she finally told Juno everything that had happened on that day clearly.


    And she regretted. That she could do nothing other than talk due to being compelled.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.What did she say?¡¹


    ¡¸It seems that it all began about 5 months ago, when Clara almost injured Harold-sama by mistake¡¹


    From there, Juno conveyed everything that she had heard from Clara accurately without any excess or deficiency to everybody in the room.


    With that as the impetus, Harold¡¯s parents had gotten enraged and had almost killed her.


    Harold had lied to them by telling them that he would experiment with magic on her and had then locked her up in the dungeon.


    And while buying some time, he had devised a plan to save Clara.


    So that the daughter wouldn¡¯t be left all alone, he had put them together.


    He had prepared for a large amount of money, a carriage and household goods and provided it to them free of charge.


    He had been taking on the dishonor even until now was most probably to ensure their safety.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..She talked about it while in tears¡¹


    Listening to Juno¡¯s report, all of them were at a loss for words.


    Behind that arrogant attitude, Harold was very strong and kind, and at the same time it was because he knew about the suffering that he had done this.


    And Clara who knew about that, even though it was for the sake of saving him, must have felt pain as though her body was being cut since she had talked about the truth ignoring his feelings.


    Erika stood up abruptly and extended her hand towards the sliding door. Tasuku stopped her by asking her.


    ¡¸Erika, where do you plan to go?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.No matter what, I have to apologize to Harold-sama. Without knowing anything, without even trying to know, I cursed at him just based on my emotions, and moreover I even raised my hand. Although it¡¯s something that can¡¯t possibly be pardoned, but still at least¡­¡­..¡¹


    It wouldn¡¯t do if she didn¡¯t apologize in all sincerity.


    But those thoughts were obstructed by Tasuku.


    ¡¸That isn¡¯t acceptable¡¹


    ¡¸Why?¡¹


    ¡¸He¡¯s doing this much, putting everything on the line, to protect them. Now that we¡¯ve come to know about it, the behavior we should choose isn¡¯t sharing the secret but to scrupulously adhere to the secret. If he comes to know that there has been information leakage to the other party, when we still can¡¯t completely trust each other, we¡¯re talking about Harold-kun, he¡¯ll become cautious of more leakage and become even more solitary than he is now¡¹


    If that happened, there was a danger of Harold who had been fighting alone so far being driven into even more solitude. Though it seemed that Harold would do something even then, even so it was thorny path.


    Under that thick mask, he might have been hurt an innumerable amount of times, and at times he might have also cried.


    ¡¸It is obvious that Erika wants to apologize. But is that really coming due to being aware that you have wronged him? Can you declare that you just don¡¯t want forgiveness for the cruel treatment?¡¹


    ¡¸!¡¹


    That was why Tasuku stopped her. Even if he had to say some unreasonable and harsh words to his own daughter.


    Erika also understood what Tasuku was trying to say. In her head at least, she understood it. But her heart, her emotions couldn¡¯t be put in order by reason.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Then what should I do? What do you want me to do when I can¡¯t even correct my mistake, when I can¡¯t even apologize!?¡¹


    Erika¡¯s figure which was screaming like that suited a little child¡¯s, where she was acting her age. Towards Erika, who was normally more mature than required, but who was showing this childish behavior now, although he was aware that it was extremely inappropriate, Tasuku smiled pleasantly.


    Standing up quietly, Tasuku went towards Erika, and gently stroked Erika¡¯s head which was around the height of his abdomen.


    ¡¸Become a person who can support Harold-kun. He is exceptional, but he is too excellent. Sometimes that strength will isolate him¡¹


    Exchanging words with Harold, Tasuku instinctively perceived a certain thing. Most probably, Harold was looking at the world with a different point of view from his, or rather from a normal human¡¯s.


    If that wasn¡¯t the case, the words ¡°It¡¯s something that nobody other than me can understand¡± wouldn¡¯t have come out.


    When he said that in a somewhat lamenting manner, he must have understood his own future that Tasuku had been worried about. But fortunately or unfortunately, Harold also had the strength to endure that solitude.


    If it were him, no matter how precipitous the path, he would continue to walk on. Tasuku felt that strong will from Harold.


    ¡¸If you are thinking of wanting to repent for your actions, don¡¯t beg for forgiveness, but whatever he¡¯s trying to accomplish, watch over, support, get closer to him and try to become a person who truly understands him¡¹


    ¡¸Getting closer to Harold-sama, becoming a person who can truly understand him¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸That would be something very difficult to do. Because of how exceptional Harold-kun is, although he might want colleagues, he might not need friends. Can Erika accompany him, who can perform many things alone, and trust his arbitrary judgement?¡¹


    Above all, it was obvious that Harold himself was trying to push Erika away. Tasuku didn¡¯t think that he would take such an attitude without any reason.


    He might have such a reason to do that towards Erika.


    That is, no matter how much Erika tried to devote herself to him, there might not be anything rewarding. And that again would be walking on a harsh path.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹


    And Erika wasn¡¯t immature enough to assert with a ¡¸Yes!¡¹ like a child with naive thinking. This was because, how much her own actions were self-centered, and how different it was from the ideal form that Tasuku talked about, she understood it so well that it was painful.


    Bending over and matching his eyes with Erika, who was gnawing at her lips as though she was mortified, Tasuku admonished her in a kind voice overflowing with affection.


    ¡¸There¡¯s no need for you to give an answer immediately. It¡¯s fine for you to decide what you want to do by learning from his figure. Well, I do think that you have to apologize that you went too far for raising your hand against him¡¹


    He sent Erika, who appeared to be dispirited, back to her room after she uttered a ¡¸Yes¡­¡­..¡¹ in a tiny voice. He decide that even if he said anything more today, she wouldn¡¯t be able to organize her emotions.


    After Erika left the room with Juno following her, Tasuku smiled wryly.


    ¡¸When the engagement was decided, she was considerably depressed, but this time too it¡¯s the same¡¹


    ¡¸But the reason is completely opposite though¡¹


    Compared to him, Koyomi chuckled in a voice like tinkling bells.


    Just 2 months before, although Erika was behaving firmly, towards an engagement with a person she didn¡¯t wish for, inwardly she was feeling dispirited.


    But now, she felt regret at hurting the said person, and even had thoughts of wanting to be recognized by him. Although, it seemed as though she herself still wasn¡¯t aware of that feeling.


    ¡¸Children continue to mature like this¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸What are you saying so seriously? Shouldn¡¯t this be the first time you have personally experienced our child¡¯s growth¡¹


    ¡¸It is especially so if it¡¯s the feelings concerning your own daughter. By the way, Kiryuu, what was Itsuki¡¯s reply?¡¹


    ¡¸It seems that he¡¯ll be back by tomorrow morning¡¹


    Towards Kiryuu¡¯s words, who had refrained from speaking and was silent for a long time, Tasuku again smiled wryly.


    ¡¸Well it¡¯s about him. I knew he would say that¡¹


    ¡¸Since that child loves Erika. Even if it¡¯s training, wouldn¡¯t it be too much to make Harold-kun fight against him?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯ll probably be fine. From Juno¡¯s report, it seems like Harold-kun is quite skilled. It shouldn¡¯t become one-sided¡¹


    Nonetheless, even Tasuku didn¡¯t think that Itsuki would lose. Anyway, those 2 clashing will be quite amusing- that sudden impulse which had a touch of youth flashed across his face.


    ¡¸You¡¯re making a bad face, dear¡¹


    ¡¸Unthinkable. It¡¯s just that my heart is dancing looking at children who have a bright future¡¹


    ¡¸Master is also still youthful, is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Ha ha, no mistake¡¹


    ¡¸Haa, no matter how old, boys will be boys¡¹


    Koyomi felt exasperated and sighed at Tasuku and Kiryuu nodding and grinning.


    Harold, who wasn¡¯t even aware that the adults were talking about these things, was satisfied that things went well even though there were some unexpected situations, and savoring the feeling of the futon which he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time, he went to sleep.


    And then, the next morning.


    With a cold expression, Harold, who didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood even in the slightest, had breakfast together with Tasuku, Koyomi and Erika. And this happened after they had finished breakfast.


    ¡¸That¡¯s right, Harold-kun. About yesterday¡¯s matter, I¡¯ve prepared a fitting opponent for you¡¹


    While drinking green tea after the meal, Tasuku said so. At those words, Harold frowned.


    ¡¸You act quite quickly even though I mentioned it just yesterday¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s just that by some chance a strong person was nearby. As soon I asked about the bout, he immediately acknowledged¡¹


    ¡¸Who the hell is it?¡¹


    ¡¸That is an enjoyment that will have to wait until you meet him. He just came back this morning, but how about sparring right away?¡¹


    ¡¸Naturally. You¡¯ve prepared the place, right?¡¹


    Without being able to suppress his impatience, Harold stuck on. Looking at that appearance, Tasuku deepened his smile.


    ¡¸Obviously. We¡¯ll travel in the carriage so can you make your preparations?¡¹


    No sooner had Tasuku finished speaking, than Harold left his seat and returned back to his room. Japanese clothing1 ¡ª because it would be hard to fight in clothes like yukata2 given in Japanese inns3, he went to change.


    ¡¸Even yesterday, but Harold-kun is fine with sitting in seiza¡¹


    ¡¸Even without listening to the servant¡¯s explanation, he wore Japanese clothing. The way to use chopsticks and wearing garments too, it seems that his knowledge regarding the Sumeragi culture is quite deep¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Come to think of it, he knew about the cherry-blossoms too¡¹


    The Sumeragi family gazed at Harold¡¯s empty seat in wonder. A few minutes later, Harold¡¯s figure with his usual outfit was present in the carriage. The ones who were riding with him were Tasuku and Kiryuu, and for some reason Erika too.


    Erika who was sitting next to Harold seemed to feeling extremely awkward. Harold also understood that feeling well.


    There was no mistake that she hated this. Most probably, Tasuku had some kind of plan.


    Reasoning it out like that, Harold didn¡¯t unnecessarily open his mouth and continued to be rocked by the carriage.


    After a while, the place they arrived at was a huge arena4. The first thing that came into his sight after he got down from the carriage was a 10 meter entrance. It gave off an imposing air, and when he entered into the grounds after passing through the entrance, in the huge space there were various facilities lined up, and from here and there he could hear shouts and ¡®don¡¯ sounds as though hitting the floor even without straining his ears.


    Among these, the one Harold was led to was a dojo which had an especially stately atmosphere and it had 2 storeys.


    Similar to its appearance, they climbed up the wooden stairs attached outside and entered the dojo through the front door established in the 2nd floor.


    With light from the sun flowing through the grid patterned windows, that floor didn¡¯t feel gloomy and was like a rest area. In one corner, many adults were laying out the tatami mats which were placed horizontally and taking up some space.


    The instant Tasuku and Erika entered the rest area which was clamoring and overflowing with energy, it became silent and in the next moment, everybody lowered their heads and took a posture of bowing.


    ¡¸Sorry for visiting all of a sudden. I¡¯ll be borrowing the lower dojo for a bit. Has Itsuki come?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. I saw him this morning¡¹


    Tasuku talked to the people inside the dojo in a familiar manner, and the adults who were addressed also answered as though they idolized him. Their relationship of trust was apparent.


    While looking at that scene, with Kiryuu in the lead, Harold and the others followed after him and descended to the 1st floor.


    There was a kendo5 hall present on that floor. There were 2 match courts, and the ceiling wasn¡¯t present.


    There were spectator seats present on the 2nd floor, and maybe due to Tasuku visiting or something, the number of people who were peeking on the situation on the 1st floor started becoming more and more.


    But for Harold, those spectators were trivial. His eyes were already glued to a certain point.


    There was single boy swinging his shinai6 in the middle of the kendo hall.  He was older than Harold, maybe around 12 or 13 years old, and he was silently repeating practice swings. With that itself, he had the power to draw one¡¯s gaze.


    ¡¸Itsuki¡¹


    When Tasuku called out his name, the boy stopped his practice swings and turned towards them.


    He had black hair and eyes like a pure Japanese person. He was about 10 cm taller than Harold, and with his refreshing and handsome features, he could live as an idol even in Harold¡¯s original world.


    The stunning pretty boy7 Itsuki, said this as soon as he opened his mouth.


    ¡¸Ooo, Erika! In the short amount of time I haven¡¯t seen you, you¡¯ve become even more beautiful!¡¹


    Ignoring Tasuku, he rushed to Erika in a straight line, and gripping her hands, he earnestly started praising her. Erika turned eyes which seemed as though she was embarrassed, towards Itsuki.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Oi, don¡¯t tell me, this guy is my opponent?¡¹


    ¡¸Although I know what you want to say, his strength is real. Relax¡¹


    ¡¸I was sure that I told you to ¡°arrange for a strong guy¡±. No matter how you look at it, he¡¯s just a kid¡¹


    ¡¸Even you¡¯re one, right?¡¹


    Nothing except Erika in his sight- although that was how Itsuki appeared to be, it seemed as though he had properly spared some of his consciousness towards Harold too. Completely different from the one towards Erika, with a somewhat dark smile, he turned towards Harold.


    ¡¸First, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Itsuki Sumeragi, Erika¡¯s elder brother¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Harold Stokes¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s it? That¡¯s not it, right? Aren¡¯t you omitting the most important part¡¹


    With a plop, Itsuki placed his hand on Harold¡¯s left shoulder.


    ¡¸You¡¯re Erika¡¯s fiance, right? My! Prideworthy!! Sister¡¯s!!!¡¹


    While feeling his shoulder being gripped tightly by Itsuki¡¯s right hand, Harold realized.


    That this guy, without a doubt had a heavy sister complex.


    Author ¨C


    I couldn¡¯t include the fight.


    Sorry.


    TL ¨C


    1. Wasou ¨C Traditional Japanese clothes like kimono and yukata.


    2. Yukata ¨C Japanese garment worn by both men and women, although there are some differences. It¡¯s like a casual summer kimono.


    3. Ryokan ¨C It is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period.


    4. Budokan ¨C It is a training facility that houses a number of arts sharing a similar culture origin or perspective.


    5. Kendo ¨C a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed bamboo swords, originally developed as a safe form of sword training for samurai.


    6. Shinai ¨C a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword.


    7. Bishounen ¨C Japanese term literally meaning ¡°beautiful youth (boy)¡± and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation.

 Chapter 20

    Come to think of it, Erika had an older brother- although it was too late, Harold remembered. If he had to give a reason as to why he had forgotten about him so much, it was because not only had Itsuki not appeared even in an episode not related to the main storyline, even his name wasn¡¯t made clear in the game.


    But if he thought about it calmly, if Erika were the only child, with her getting married off into another family, the Sumeragi house would most likely become extinct. With such a situation, there was no way they would easily agree to an engagement, so to not realize about the existence of an older brother was Harold¡¯s blunder.


    Well, that in itself wasn¡¯t a huge problem. But Itsuki being the older brother having such a heavy sister complex was completely inconceivable.


    Having Itsuki, who had a dark smile on his face, laughing with a ¡®Fufufufu¡¯ as the opponent would be extremely bothersome.


    ¡¸I¡¯ve heard about it. Well then, come fight with me¡¹


    Those eyes closely resembled a ones of a carnivorous beast eyeing its prey. He was completely receiving unjustified resentment, and Harold also didn¡¯t want to take him on looking at his behavior, but still Harold convinced himself that it was for the sake of gaining precious real battle experience.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t touch me acting all familiar, you small fry¡¹


    He had wanted to just normally request ¡¸My shoulder is hurting, so could you please remove your hand?¡¹ and he had no intention to pick a fight.


    But as long as he had this mouth, he couldn¡¯t avoid falling into perilous situations. The mouth is the origin of calamity- Harold could even believe that this proverb was a wise saying written down in the Shinten1.


    ¡¸You¡¯re more than motivated, huh. Then, prepare immediately¡¹


    While inwardly drawing away from Itsuki whose smile deepened, thinking that it would certainly be hard to move around with the current attire of a boy from Britain, in accordance to those words, he changed to the garments prepared in the changing room.


    On top was a white dougi, and below was a dark blue hakama like an outfit for an archery club member2.


    Looking at Harold who came out after changing his outfit, Tasuku, Itsuki and many people sitting in the spectator seats of the 2nd floor gasped. Although the boy who was only 140 cm tall was wearing a clean, brand new dougi, no innocence could be felt from his behavior. Harold was emitting an intimidating pressure which pricked one¡¯s skin.


    ¡¸Is this the weapon?¡¹


    Similar to the one Itsuki was holding, he took a shinai which was on the wall.


    For the sake of grasping the sensation, when he lightly swung it, it was light enough to make him think that there was almost no weight at all. While making ¡®Hyunhyun¡¯ sounds of cutting the air, Harold freely swung the shinai around as he pleased.


    It was a flowing sword handling which was so sharp that onlookers could only stare at wonder. Looking at that, Itsuki breathed out a light ¡¸Hee¡¹ in admiration.


    Although he had heard about Harold beforehand, actually looking at Harold¡¯s sword skill, he renewed his awareness to not be negligent. For Itsuki, though he was a detestable opponent who stole his beloved little sister, looking at how a kid of only 10 years of age had trained to this extent, he was honestly feeling admiration.


    Simultaneously the hope that if it were Harold, he might be able to enjoy the fight boiled up.


    If talking about swordsmanship, Itsuki was outstanding. He might be a person in the domain of prodigies.


    Therefore, even at the present time he wouldn¡¯t easily lose to a grown man in a fight, and on the other hand, there was a huge difference in power between him and the other children of his age, so much so that there was no way they could fight him.


    If said that he didn¡¯t feel any discontent about that at all, then it would be a lie. Somewhere in his heart, he had always wished for a rival who was close to him in both age and strength.


    And now, an opponent who might perhaps become that had appeared. If only Harold wasn¡¯t Erika¡¯s fiance, Itsuki would have even thought of welcoming him with open arms.


    ¡¸It¡¯s as though it¡¯s a stick¡¹


    Harold¡¯s impressions after swinging the shinai briefly was only that.


    Though that way of putting it was too much, for Harold who had continued to train with an iron sword until now, he felt that the shinai¡¯s weight was lacking.


    ¡¸Well then, are you ready?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t ask foolish questions. Let¡¯s start already¡¹


    Towards Tasuku who wanted to take confirmation, in an arrogant manner which felt as though it was even refreshing, Harold replied.


    He was nervous. It would be fine to even call it fear. Although Itsuki was a character who didn¡¯t make an appearance in the original work, he was a human who was living in an RPG like world where swords and magic and monsters existed as though it was natural. He was inside such a world and was called strong so there was no way he would be ordinary.


    When thinking normally, there was no way a person who was care-freely living in modern Japan could win. But Harold also believed in something other than this body.


    Although this mouth which repeatedly used abusive language and provocative statements which gave him trouble, this high-spec body which could implement movements and ability which could never have been possible with his original body, was without a doubt a huge asset.


    As he closed his eyes, in the darkness, the fight with the original Harold floated up clearly. When he had fought for the 1st time, he was made to had experienced hardships at the overwhelming speed and skill.


    Currently, the body he was in had the capacity to accomplish that eventually. And if he were to control this body of his own will, then¨C


    (I don¡¯t feel like losing)


    In both of Harold¡¯s eyes, a never before seen strong light was burning. With those eyes, he glared at Itsuki who was in front of him.


    After the 2 of them became silent, Tasuku confirmed the rules.


    ¡¸Weapon is the shinai. Including the head and face, attack to the vitals, and also usage of magic is prohibited. No time limit. The match will conclude when any one of you is unable to fight or gives up. With the exception of these, it¡¯s equal to real combat. Are there any problems with the rules?¡¹


    ¡¸None¡¹


    ¡¸Are you saying that this is equal to actual combat? It¡¯s considerably lax¡¹


    ¡¸Although you¡¯re dissatisfied, no matter what I want to avoid any large injuries. Unless you put armor, it has to be at least this much¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Well fine. For today, those conditions will do¡¹


    Rather, he was thankful for that proposal, but on the surface he reluctantly agreed. Tasuku was inwardly relieved looking at that. The reason was because he had proper understanding of Itsuki¡¯s ability. With his swordsmanship which wasn¡¯t inferior even when compared to a soldier who had experienced actual combat, if it wasn¡¯t limited to a certain extent, the chances of him injuring Harold were high.


    Even if it was something that Harold himself wished for, it wouldn¡¯t be fine to injure a noble¡¯s eldest son, that too the child of another noble who providing assistance.


    Even without it being said, Itsuki understood his Father¡¯s concern. If possible, he had wanted to fight with his all, but considering both their positions, it would be difficult.


    Then, let us cross swords as much as possible within the given extent was what he thought. That was why he unexpectedly said the following words.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll leave the first hit to you. Give it your all¡¹


    Itsuki had no intention to look down on Harold. Since he couldn¡¯t use all his strength, he wanted to know what Harold¡¯s full strength was like.


    So to speak, it was words with feelings close to apology since he couldn¡¯t help but hold back against Harold who had wanted a serious match.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..¡¹


    Towards Itsuki¡¯s attitude which could even be called complacent, Harold unexpectedly didn¡¯t respond. It was just to the extent of raising his right eyebrow by a little. Maybe it was because he was calm enough to accept it as worthless behavior, or maybe because of quite anger which suppressed his irritation.


    In exchange to Tasuku and the others moving back to the wall, a man with wide shoulders stepped forward and stood in between Harold and Itsuki who were gazing at each other.


    Confirming that the 2 of them had taken their stances, he loudly pronounced the start of the mock battle.


    ¡¸Both parties, take your stance¡­¡­¡­..Start!¡¹


    Simultaneously moving with the declaration to start was Harold who was given the first hit. That in itself was roughly as expected.


    But the thing which was out of anybody¡¯s expectations was Harold¡¯s speed. With a speed as though he had disappeared, Harold stepped in and closed the gap between him and Itsuki in an instant.


    ¡¸!?¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t only Itsuki who raised his voice in shock. Among the ones who were watching this match, people either had the same reaction as Itsuki¡¯s or no voice even came out because they were doubting their own eyes.


    But even if Juno, the only person who had actually seen Harold¡¯s speed with her own eyes, were present here, even she would react like everybody else. Because, that speed and the sharpness of his movement, when compared to a month ago, he had improved exceptionally.


    Since it took Itsuki completely unguarded, he couldn¡¯t respond properly. But still, it was only possible because it was Itsuki that he tried to take a defensive form out of conditioned reflex.


    But that was it. As their shinai collided, a ¡®Shiiin¡¯ sound reverberated inside the dojo. In the middle of that echo, a ¡®Gasha¡¯ sound rose up as one of the shinai fell to the floor.After Harold passed by in an instant, the one who stood bare-handed and paralyzed was Itsuki.


    While everyone were at a loss for words, with the shinai hanging loosely next to him, Harold spat out words while sneering at Itsuki.


    ¡¸If this were a real death match, you would have already been dead. Aren¡¯t you glad, that I wasn¡¯t serious¡¹


    It even came off as a sarcastic remark. But for Itsuki, he heard it as though it was even filled with disappointment.


    As though enduring his frustration, he clenched his right hand, which still had a dull numbing sensation due to having the shinai knocked away from his hand, tightly.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Right, it¡¯s like you¡¯ve said. I apologize for underestimating you¡¹


    The feeling of regret welling up in Itsuki¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t towards Harold. It was because he was ashamed at his own foolishness of unconsciously  looking down on Harold although had no intention of being negligent.


    And as he realized that Harold was disappointed in him, at the same time he was also convinced.


    (Even he was searching for a rival with whom he can compete with his all, huh? Like me)


    Itsuki imagined thinking what he would have done if their positions were reversed. If Harold had held back like how he had done, then as expected Itsuki wouldn¡¯t have been able to suppress his anger.


    Harold might have placed that discontentment in that last strike. On the other hand, because he was angry he wasn¡¯t able to give his all.


    Itsuki¡¯s kinetic vision was somehow able to perceive Harold¡¯s sword. If he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong, Harold had intentionally matched his sword¡¯s trajectory to the defensive posture Itsuki had taken and had knocked his shinai away.


    The reason he hadn¡¯t hit Itsuki¡¯s hand or body like that itself was because it was an implicit complaint -¡¸You also Fight seriously¡¹, was how Itsuki interpreted it.


    Only a single part, that Harold had intentionally aimed for the shinai was correct. It was just that Harold, who looked 10 years old but whose mental age was close to 20, had no courage to strike Itsuki, whose age wasn¡¯t odd enough to call him a child.


    Although he was resolved to get hurt, as expected he was hesitant to hurt Itsuki. This time¡¯s battle¡¯s 1st step was to overcome that kind of feeling, but it wasn¡¯t possible when the opponent was a kid.


    ¡¸And this time, I want to request from my side. Please, fight with me for real¡¹


    ¡¸Are you an idiot. From the start, this contest was for the sake of doing that¡¹


    Without the least bit of hesitation, Harold stated. So quickly that Itsuki unintentionally felt let-down.


    Although even Harold didn¡¯t want to do it, but since from the start he intended to survive in this world of survival of the fittest there was no need to hesitate.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Ah, that¡¯s right, huh¡¹


    ¡¸If you still want to fight, hurry up and pick up your weapon. If it¡¯s just that much, I¡¯ll wait¡¹


    ¡¸Thanks. But I¡¯ll take the first move next, alright?¡¹


    Picking up the shinai from the ground, Itsuki addressed Harold in an informal manner different from up until now.


    Receiving those words, even Harold¡¯s mouth curved, and in a voice as though he was somewhat enjoying it, he replied.


    ¡¸Fuhn, try it. If you can keep up to my speed that is¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll show it to you¡¹


    Because that was the courtesy he had to show towards Harold who wished for a serious battle.


    With the match about to be restarted, the tension from before intensified much more. When Tasuku was about to cut into that mood, he received a glance from both Harold and Itsuki.


    ¡ºWe know¡»


    The gazes which seemed to complain together.


    We¡¯ll obey the presented conditions, and yet even with that we¡¯ll fight seriously. That¡¯s why don¡¯t stop us.


    Tasuku who felt as though he was told that, after hesitating, retracted his right foot which had gone forward. Confirming that, different from up until now, Itsuki showed Harold his original gentle smile.


    ¡¸Here I come!¡¹


    Those words became the signal to restart.


    They started moving almost at the same time. However as expected, Harold was faster. But the one who made the first move was Itsuki as he had declared.


    Harold¡¯s speed was already superior to Itsuki¡¯s. But if he knew that and concentrated, he wouldn¡¯t lose sight of Harold¡¯s figure.


    And from the 1st time¡¯s face off, Itsuki formed a hypothesis that Harold¡¯s speed might not be only linear. The basis for that was because Harold himself wanted to experience combat. He judged that Harold most probably lacked combat experience itself. This meant that it was hard to think that a person who lacked experience, in other words an inexperienced person would be able to move around as they pleased with that much speed or would be able to mix in feints with their attacks.


    Itsuki¡¯s conjecture hit bull¡¯s-eye. He instantly predicted where Harold¡¯s destination would be, and the slash he fired off at the empty space became a counter that attacked Harold who appeared there.


    ¡¸Tsk!¡¹


    Against that strike which wouldn¡¯t be odd if it had settled the battle, Harold defended due to his superhuman reaction speed. But because of that, his feet had stopped.


    This was Itsuki¡¯s aim. Without letting go of the chance to win brought forth, he showered attacks on Harold.


    Even for Harold who had confidence in his speed, with the gap being close enough to trade blows, he couldn¡¯t use the rush he had shown during the start.


    That said, even if he tried to take some distance, Itsuki closed the gap between them to prevent him from doing so.


    If it were simply battling using sword techniques, Itsuki held the advantage.


    Harold was fundamentally an amateur and on top of that when he wasn¡¯t able employ the speed used by his legs, his sword speed fell remarkably, and Itsuki wasn¡¯t troubled dealing with his attacks which became too linear.


    Conversely, since Harold¡¯s eyes were too good, he reacted for each and every feint. Since he hadn¡¯t cultivated something like ¡°reading the flow¡± during a battle at all, his body ended up being pulled around by his exceptional kinetic vision. When that was the case, the scales of victory gradually tilted towards Itsuki¡¯s side. Aiming to hit Itsuki¡¯s torso, when he swung his shinai, it was prevented by Itsuki blocking with his shinai, and like that itself they locked swords and started pushing at each other.


    Finally, Harold¡¯s feet came to a complete standstill.


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? You have just been defending¡¹


    ¡¸Your breathing is getting ragged and seems to painful¡¹


    ¡¸That could be said for the both of us¡¹


    Contesting strengths, Itsuki who was 10 cm taller held the advantage. Being repelled back as though he was pushed away, the instant Harold¡¯s posture crumbled a bit, Itsuki¡¯s body suddenly sank.


    Harold instinctively realized that this blow would be unavoidable. Even if he wanted to defend with the shinai, in the state where his torso was inclined backwards, he wouldn¡¯t be able to properly defend.


    The most he could do was to get pursued when he became defenseless after his shinai was knocked away.


    (Got you!)


    Harold tried to intercept the slash aimed at his left torso with the shinai held in his right hand. It was impossible to prevent the attack which had his whole body weight behind it, defense was just some poor and vain struggle.


    Itsuki sent that shinai flying¨C should have.


    ¡¸Eh?¡¹


    Involuntarily leaking out such a voice right in the middle of a match was because, no matter how inadequate Harold¡¯s posture was, the resistance given by the flicked shinai was too small, as though he had swung at empty air. It was because he¡¯d gotten an impression like that.


    Which wasn¡¯t surprising, because the instant both their shinai collided, Harold released his shinai.


    The shinai which was launched up easily revolved in midair, and because of that a blank space for a small instant was formed. A fatal gap when one¡¯s eyes and consciousness strayed away from one¡¯s opponent by a little in a battle.


    As Itsuki thought ¡°Not good¡±, simultaneously his right shoulder was hit by an impact.


    ¡ºHeavy Palm Knock¡»3


    It was a technique which appeared in the story, an unarmed combat technique which dealt damage by a palm strike. Originally, it was technique which was used in combination with normal attacks, and it wasn¡¯t an attack by which an enemy could be defeated if used alone.


    But for a defenseless opponent, it could at least knock them down, literally.


    ¡¸Guu!¡¹


    Unable to endure the impact of the palm strike, Itsuki fell down face up.


    Even with his back being struck by the ground, the next thing he saw when he immediately tried to raise his body and rearrange his stance was Harold¡¯s figure who had caught the shinai which was falling down and pointing its end at his neck.


    ¡¸That¡¯s it!¡¹


    The referee¡¯s call which announced the conclusion echoed out in the dojo.


    With that as the signal, the dojo regained its silence. The only thing that could be heard was Harold and Itsuki¡¯s ragged breathing.


    One was looking up, while one was looking down.


    In a composition which was easy to understand, while looking at Harold whose grim expression still hadn¡¯t changed, Itsuki accepted his defeat.


    As expected, it was frustrating to lose. Right before the match began, him thinking that there was no way he would lose to a boy 3 years younger than himself increased his frustration.


    But different to that, the feeling of fulfillment which he couldn¡¯t obtain until now was satisfied. I finally obtained the thing I¡¯ve always wanted- he was experiencing a floating feeling like that.


    (So this is the thing where we mutually cultivate each other, a rival, huh. Although I lost, it doesn¡¯t feel bad)


    Let alone feeling bad, he was even feeling refreshed.


    ¡¸Aah, I¡¯m tired. Can you lend me a hand?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t remember knocking you down so hard that you wouldn¡¯t be able to stand. Due to sheltered upbringing, your endurance isn¡¯t enough¡¹


    Towards Harold who extended his hand even while being cynical, Itsuki smiled.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll retrain from the basics. That¡¯s why let¡¯s have a rematch again¡¹


    ¡¸Fuhn, I won¡¯t lose to you again. I¡¯ll repay this debt for sure¡¹


    ¡¸What do you¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Harold was speaking as though Itsuki had won. When he saw that Itsuki didn¡¯t understand, Harold muttered ¡¸Idiot¡¹ and replied with displeasure.


    ¡¸To think that you were a bird brain who didn¡¯t even sufficiently grasp the rules of the match. It was stated beforehand that the ¡°weapons are shinai¡±. Do you think that the last attack, the palm strike, which knocked you down was an attack from the shinai?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Listening to Harold, not only Itsuki, but all the people who were watching the match were at a loss for words. Certainly, if it was like that, then it would be Harold¡¯s loss by disqualification.


    But it could be said that Harold who reacted instantly when he was cornered was splendid. At the very least, everybody present here thought so, and nobody would object that it was he who won.


    Except for Harold who had won.


    ¡¸Ku, haha¡­¡­.¡¹


    As a result, Harold who bluntly stated that as though it was obvious, appeared to be too straightforward, stoic and more than anything pure, so Itsuki unintentionally laughed.


    Due to that, Harold¡¯s displeasure grew even more.


    ¡¸What¡¯s so funny?¡¹


    ¡¸No, I just thought that you are strong¡¹


    ¡¸Is that sarcasm, you bastard. I¡¯ll rip that tongue off¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t say such a scary thing¡¹


    It couldn¡¯t be helped that Itsuki enjoyed even this trivial talk.


    Turning towards the direction from where he suddenly felt a gaze, his little sister with a reproachful expression on her face entered his sight. He didn¡¯t even need to think about what that meant.


    (Well well, it seems as though we¡¯ve exchanged places. Harold-kun might have the charm to draw people)


    He was jealous at his little sister being taken away, but before he realized it, his sister was jealous of him. At such a ridiculous situation, Itsuki felt like laughing more and more.


    As one would expect, if he were to do that, Harold seemed as though he would seriously get angry, so he somehow endured it, and in one corner of his head, he thought of something like this.


    (Harold-kun is a rival and my brother-in-law, huh¡­¡­¡­Such a future might not be bad)


    Author ¨C


    I thought of splitting the fight with Itsuki into 2 parts, but since I couldn¡¯t find the right place to cut it, I finished it in a single chapter.


    And because of that the gap (between chapters) became a bit more, but since it was somewhat longer than usual, please give me a break.


    Or rather, the description of the battle is so poor that it is terrible.


    TL ¨C


    1. Shinten ¨C Collectively, sacred texts of the Shint¨­ religion of Japan.


    2. The clothes used in Japanese archery clubs are like those.


    3. Don¡¯t know what else to call it. Please comment if you have better translations. The kanji- („‚´òÕÆ)

 Chapter 21

    Even in his dreams Harold didn¡¯t think that the opponent who was openly baring his hostility just before the match was thinking of such things now, but still he sensed that Itsuki¡¯s mood had changed and he was puzzled at that sudden change.


    Well he might just be in a good mood since he won- he came to this conclusion which was completely off the mark.


    (Or rather I lost. What¡±I don¡¯t feel like losing at all¡±)


    And that too he lost by disqualification against a kid. It was more pitiful than losing normally.


    He was thinking that perhaps this high-spec body excelled at some flag collection ability.


    As though sweeping away that worst possible case which crossed his mind, he shook his head 2 to 3 times, and wishing to puck up his mood which had sunk by breathing fresh air, his feet headed outside the dojo.


    Instead of going outside the entrance from which he came in, he went towards the opening which was connected to the changing room, and stood under the blue sky.


    While bathing in the comfortable wind which felt good against his perspiring body, he continued barefoot on the the white stone pavement which was laid down beautifully.


    From the dojo which had its entrance set up on a hill, there was an unbroken view of the Sumeragi¡¯s town.


    The townscape which resembled old Japan spread out below the cliff. The buildings which were spread out were only wooden ones and there were no buildings which were high enough to cut across sky. Here and there, nature was overflowing, and as though to color them, pink petals were fluttering about.


    Although it wasn¡¯t a scenery he was particularly familiar with, it was without a doubt one which directly stimulated a Japanese person¡¯s nostalgia.


    Maybe that was the trigger.


    The time since he came to this world was approximately 5 months. Remembering about his home world which came across his mind, his tear glands slackened and his vision became blurred.


    As though that was the signal for the burst, Harold¡¯s mind was attacked by a wave of emotions in succession.


    The feeling of solitude being far away from his hometown, the future that awaited him, always steeling himself to maintain the tension, and yet carrying the inexhaustible factors of unease- all of these which combined into anxiety.


    Even if it was a world similar to the game he loved, there were limits for enjoyment. The mental anxiety of living as a character before he knew it, who would die if the world flowed according to history, wasn¡¯t ordinary.


    Harold was inwardly writhing at the various feelings rising up and twisting around. Being unable to endure, tears finally flowed out from his eyes and left their traces along his cheek.


    Honestly, he would have broken down and cried out at the unreasonable situation he was placed in.


    But the reason he stopped at crying silently was because of the high pride of the original work¡¯s Harold. Or rather, the Harold who had a personality of not accepting defeat even if he died being reduced to crying showed how cornered he was currently feeling.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.As if I¡¯d stand losing¡¹


    Even though he was like that, only these words came out of his mouth. Even if he wanted to whine, sticking to pride so stubbornly was actually magnificent- Harold was thinking of such things in the corner of his mind where there was some composure was present. If it weren¡¯t for this steel like mental toughness, Harold might have already broken.


    While thinking of these sentimental things, he was gazing at the cherry-blossom petals fluttering about the Sumeragi¡¯s town. And before long, his heart started to gradually calm down. While thinking of returning back to the dojo soon, as he was about to turn around, he was called out.


    ¡¸Harold-sama¡¹


    As soon as that voice reached his ears, his heart started palpitating. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t due to feelings of love.


    It was because he didn¡¯t know what to do when nothing good could be expected at all when this person came into contact with him.


    When he turned around with movements as though he were a corroded tin toy1, the figure that was there was unmistakably Erika¡¯s.


    But Harold had no idea as to what Erika was thinking to come here or why she had called him out. Because he should be completely hated by her.


    Well, his perception that he was hated in itself was wrong. The reason why she purposely came looking for Harold was because her back was pushed by Itsuki saying -¡¸It seemed like he was discouraged so how about you go and console him?¡¹.


    Honestly speaking, it didn¡¯t look like Harold was feeling dispirited to Erika. She even received the impression that the way he was talking to Itsuki seemed to be easygoing.


    As a matter of fact, at how Itsuki was speaking as though he could sense Harold¡¯s true feelings, she felt exceedingly annoyed, and by the time she realized it, her feet were already heading towards Harold.


    But when she thought about it carefully, this was the ideal time to apologize to him. According to Tasuku¡¯s intentions, she couldn¡¯t inform that the misunderstanding had been solved, but she should still properly apologize for slapping him.


    At the time when she was about to compromise with him, Erika ended up seeing it.


    His right hand had covered both his eyes while he was facing the sky, but there was a single tear which flowed through the gaps of his fingers and down his cheek.


    Erika¡¯s feet stopped in panic. She instantly understood that she had seen something that she shouldn¡¯t have. The reason for crying, the emotions behind the tears, Erika couldn¡¯t understand at all. Since she didn¡¯t know Harold well enough to do that.


    With the shocking scene of Harold shedding tears in front of her, a small muttering of ¡°As if I¡¯d stand losing¡± reached Erika¡¯s ears.


    Harold, a boy of the same age as herself, might have always kept fighting like this.


    Always confident and wearing that fearless smile which was like him, he might have been crying secretly, and he might have always been contending against adults without making his true motives known.


    Only being strong wouldn¡¯t be enough, and only being intelligent wouldn¡¯t make one win. If one didn¡¯t have an indomitable spirit to push aside adversities, they wouldn¡¯t be able to behave like him.


    Erika keenly realized at this time that what her father had said was true.


    And she finally realized that she was misunderstanding a thing. She had thought that Harold was a person who wouldn¡¯t crumble no matter what the predicament was and would be able to easily overcome them, and that his confidence came out as his usual haughtiness.


    However there was no way Harold would have only strength. Harold too was a child of the same age as her. Naturally, he would also have his weak parts.


    It was just that he was pretending to have that haughty attitude so thoroughly that his surroundings wouldn¡¯t realize about such an obvious thing. Since there was no person to whom he could show his weak appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but behave like that.


    Realizing Harold¡¯s circumstance, the only thought that came to Erika¡¯s mind was that she didn¡¯t want to leave him, who was trying to be alone by his own choice, alone.


    (¡­¡­..This might be what Father was talking about, about how I should ¡°Become a person who can truly understand Harold¡±)


    If that was the case, it became clear as to what she had to do. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate anymore.


    Even if she didn¡¯t have the qualifications right now, even if there were many things she still didn¡¯t have, she would surely become a person who could someday support that scarred back. Today was the first day she etched that resolution onto herself. As soon as she decide that, she felt as though her heart became unburdened.


    That was why she was able to call his name without getting worked up. After he was called, Harold slowly turned around. His eyes were filled with suspicion.


    Certainly, when she thought about his mental state, she could understand why he was making such eyes. But Erika had already sworn that she wouldn¡¯t falter at that attitude anymore.


    ¡¸The match just now was wonderful. Even with me, who is ignorant about swordsmanship, I could understand that Harold-sama is strong¡¹


    ¡¸You siblings, have you come to rub salt on the wound?¡¹


    ¡¸Not at all. Isn¡¯t it something like you lost in the battle but won in the war¡¹


    ¡¸I see, you came to pick a fight, huh?¡¹


    Harold had lost that match by disqualification. If conforming to that saying, then it would be that he lost in the battle and also in the war.


    It could only be thought of as purposely taunting him, saying that with a dazzling smile.


    ¡¸Pff¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯m extremely sorry. I said too much¡¹


    It seemed as though Erika also was aware of it.


    But more than that, for Harold it baffling at how naturally Erika was talking to him. On top of that, in this exchange too, she wasn¡¯t feminine.


    ¡¸Hmph, if you want to say some worthless nonsense, then play around with your servant or something¡¹


    ¡¸Please wait¡¹


    Erika blocked Harold¡¯s path when he wanted to leave this place as fast as possible.


    The agitation at not being able to read Erika¡¯s aim turned into irritation and his mouth became even more severe.


    ¡¸Move, I don¡¯t have any time for you. Even if there were, I¡¯d crush them all¡¹


    ¡¸However, in that case I won¡¯t be able to talk properly with Harold-sama¡¹


    ¡¸Right, which is convenient¡¹


    ¡¸Unfortunately, I can¡¯t let that happen. At least only for now, please spare me some of your time¡¹


    Erika¡¯s appearance from which only gracefulness like a flower could be felt until now,  for some reason he felt her to be unshakeable like a big tree with deep roots in the ground. In short, it didn¡¯t feel as though she would move even an inch.


    So this is the pressure from a character of the game, huh- Harold losing to that clicked his tongue, and with his sullen aura in full throttle, he spoke to her.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.If you have any business, quickly finish it¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you very much¡¹


    Saying that, Erika bent her waist and took a posture of bowing deeply.


    ¡¸I¡¯m really sorry for the other day. Even though I was angry, it was wrong for me to hurl insults and also raise my hand. I¡¯d like to apologize¡¹


    ¡¸Ha, you expressly came here say something like that? Pointless¡¹


    Though his words were cold, it wasn¡¯t a lie that they were his true feelings. Harold had intentionally angered Erika, and that reaction was appropriate. Normally, one wouldn¡¯t think to apologize for it. It was because she was Erika that she had come like this to apologize.


    It wasn¡¯t a mistake that that kindness was her virtue. She was considered likeable by a majority of the people. Truthfully, it was the same with Harold when he was a player.


    But for the Harold now, he could only think of that excessive kindness as fangs with deadly poison. It was a deadly existence where once bit by them, it might become fatal.


    She was flourishing a very selfish kindness. When he was thinking like that, his mouth opened.


    ¡¸There is no value in your apology. Rather, even though you cried so assertively, apologizing right after you said that, are you a real idiot? In the first place, that kindness of yours is a deception which comes from good will. On top of being nasty, it¡¯s nothing more than nauseatingly lukewarm feeling of being friendly. And it is up to you to dance around like a clown like that, but don¡¯t get in my way. Don¡¯t get in my sight. You¡¯re an eyesore and like the extremity of unpleasantness¡¹


    In addition to the foulmouthed nature of the original Harold, the resentment against Erika that had accumulated erupted out in one go. After throwing all that abuse, he regained his composure. He completely said too much. Furthermore, he was venting out his anger on her.


    For a reason differing from before, he wanted to cry.


    Showered with abusive words while being in the posture of apologizing, there was not even the slightest movement from Erika. Did I make her cry, or else did I make her angry- while he was observing timidly, Erika quietly raised her body.


    Neither was she expressing anger nor was she tearful. That said, she also wasn¡¯t dispirited at being overwhelmed by those words.


    What was there was a calm expression like a holy maiden¡¯s in a painting as though she had accepted all of Harold¡¯s abusive words.


    Erika had already resolved herself in advance knowing that Harold would show an attitude like this regarding her apology. Because she knew that he was a person who was strong and severe, and also was a person who possessed true kindness, different from her. There were no lies mixed in those abusive words towards Erika. She was aware without even there being a need to be told that she was an existence that was a minus for Harold.


    (The things that I don¡¯t have are too much. The strength to fight against a difficult fate, and the kindness to scold the weak)


    From the start she had been mistaken. Lending a hand wasn¡¯t the only type of kindness. Watching over, thrusting away, doing nothing was also a type of kindness. For the sake of that person, so that they would grow.


    But to actually put that into practice, the strength to believe in the other party was necessary. The person who would be able to support Harold would also be a person like that.


    That¡¯s why no matter how severe she would accept Harold¡¯s words which pointed out at her inexperience, and only by using this as the source to grow would she become an existence who would be able to truly understand and support him. This was just the first step.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Hmph¡¹


    Harold left the place as though he had lost his interest.


    Erika spoke towards that small back which had disappeared into the dojo.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t say ¡°Please wait for me¡±. But I¡¯ll catch up to you for sure. There¡¯s absolutely no way that I¡¯d leave you alone¡¹


    Erika¡¯s muttering was carried by the wind together with the cherry-blossom petals and went away towards the blue sky.


    TL ¨C


    1. Buriki Ningyou ¨C Japanese vintage tin toy produced in large numbers after World War 2.


    Felt like I was in some cringe-fest while translating the latter half

 Chapter 22

    ¡¸Say old man, how much more time until we reach?¡¹


    While being rocked by the carriage used by the general public which was being pulled by 2 horses, a young boy with his eyes sparkling asked his father who was sitting next to him. That fidgety and nervous behavior looked as though he couldn¡¯t wait to reach his destination.


    Towards that, the boy¡¯s father as though wanting to hold back his impatient son, replied.


    ¡¸Very soon, so be quiet¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s all you¡¯ve from some time ago! I¡¯m tired of hearing ¡®Very soon¡¯¡¹


    ¡¸But I¡¯m tired of hearing Liner¡¯s ¡°how much more time?¡±¡¹


    On the opposite side of the boy¡¯s father, inevitably sitting in the fetal position with a cramped posture, a blonde haired girl spoke to the red haired boy as though she was exasperated.


    It took the form of the boy, Liner, being remonstrated by the 2 of them. But there was a reason for him to act like this.


    ¡¸It¡¯s the first time we¡¯re going to a city, right? Aren¡¯t you excited?¡¹


    Being brought up in a countryside village called Brosch, which was surrounded by mountains, if it were to be called as going afar, Liner had only gone to villages and towns in the vicinity. But this time was different. He had come out of the territory for the first time since being born.


    ¡¸Even if you call it a city, it¡¯s just Delfit. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to the capital and if you are so excited it¡¯ll be completely obvious that you¡¯re a bumpkin¡¹


    ¡¸Well, Brosch is rural¡¹


    ¡¸That wasn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    It was a lively conversation, but there was nobody paying attention to it. From the start, the carriage was crowded with people and all of them were chatting as they pleased so the people who paid any attention to this conversation were non-existent.


    But among them, there was a man who seemed to be in the prime of his life, having a good physique and an abundant beard, saw that conversation and started talking to Liner¡¯s father.


    ¡¸Do you people come from Brosch?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. Do you know Brosch?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s the village which is at the edge of the territory governed by Viscount Ballack, right?¡¹


    ¡¸You seem to be well informed¡¹


    ¡¸Since I¡¯m somewhat friendly with him¡¹


    Saying that, the man tipped his empty hand towards himself in front of his mouth. Liner¡¯s father understood what he wanted to say by looking at that action.


    ¡¸It¡¯s related to alcohol, huh¡¹


    ¡¸Right! If you talk about ¡ºBale¡¯s brewery¡», it is well known locally in its own way¡¹


    ¡®Gahahaha¡¯- The man laughed in a hearty manner which fit his appearance.


    Viscount Ballack was famous for being a matchless alcohol lover. If the people living in the territory were asked about it, they would have heard at least once about the rumors that he would drink alcohol every night as though he were bathing in it or that he would often visit the bars in the town for a drink.


    According to Bale, the Viscount was living in the town where Bale was running the brewery, before he started governing. It seemed that he had liked the alcohol from Bale¡¯s brewery from that time itself, and even after he became the Viscount, he had been buying from the brewery regularly.


    But although the monetary transaction was appropriate, it was hard to say that his town was close to the Ballack territory. And so, he was now in the middle of expanding his business in the Ballack territory after the sale.


    He said that although he still hadn¡¯t gone to Brosch, he knew its name and the geography around it.


    ¡¸But still, if its from Brosch, you are coming pretty far. Is Delfit your destination? It isn¡¯t very suitable for bringing children to sight-see¡¹


    Port city Delfit. As its name indicated, it was a town which spread out facing the ocean, and where fishing and trade were prosperous.


    A majority of the part in contact with the sea was the port, so the traffic of ships was quite large and it wasn¡¯t as though there was a beach for enjoying in the sea. It would be a different matter if one went towards the coastline a small distance away from the port where there were no ship lanes, but in that area monsters were usually present. There were passenger boats which went around the sea, but looking at Liner and the 2 of them, they didn¡¯t appear to be prepared for enjoying the boat trip which would take longer than 3 months. In that case, they might have come to savor the marine products.


    ¡¸It¡¯s not for sightseeing but for participating in the fighting tournament!¡¹


    Towards Bale¡¯s question, Liner decisively declared so.


    Delfit was a port city ¡ª in other words, it was a town of fishermen. Therefore, there were a lot of men who were vigorous and proud of their strength.


    Maybe with that spirit as the origin, from olden days a fighting tournament was held every year in Delfit.


    Although it was held with a front that it would help in maintaining the security of maritime activities, its origin was due to people who wanted to give vent to the anger piled up normally or simply those who wanted to go wild, gathering and holding it, but the compatibility of this violent event with the people living in Delfit was extraordinarily good.


    As the years went by, the number of participants increased and even the scale expanded rapidly. By the time 20 years had passed from its start, even an exclusive stage was prepared and now not only from Delfit, but also from the surrounding cities, participants appeared and it had become a specialty.


    Come to think of it, it was already that season, huh- while being convinced, Bale closely stared at the enthusiastic Liner and spoke.


    ¡¸Fighting tournament, huh. You?¡¹


    ¡¸Wh, what? That reaction¡¹


    ¡¸It isn¡¯t that you are weak but it¡¯s just that Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament is quite serious. Just be careful to not get a big injury¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Since I¡¯ll win!¡¹


    ¡¸Hou, that is some grand declaration¡¹


    ¡¸Well, he is participating in the under-13 division though¡¹


    Liner¡¯s father rubbed his head roughly. To that, Liner raised a voice of protest saying ¡¸Stop it-!¡¹ and tried to brush away his hand. Looking at that heart-warming scene, Bale couldn¡¯t feel the air of a strong person, one that would be able to win through the tournament, from him.


    And while Liner was making a racket, suddenly the edge of his shirt was pulled and he turned his eyes towards the other side.


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s in sight, Delfit¡¹


    ¡¸Eh, really!?¡¹


    No sooner had it been said than Liner put not only his head, but half of his body outside the window and caught the city of Delfit in his vision.


    It would be an exaggeration to say that they might reach the sky, but still he could see many tall buildings which weren¡¯t there in Lietze. There were many stalls along the highway they were moving on, and many of them were bustling with people who were going back and forth from the city.


    Even though they had yet to enter the city, that too with it being in quite the distance, it was this lively. Liner¡¯s heart was dancing at the thought of how many unknown and unheard of things would be overflowing there when he stepped inside the city. Next to him, although the girl had an uninterested expression, maybe due to being interested she was repeatedly glancing outside the window.


    ¡¸Oo, incredible-!¡¹


    ¡¸Liner, don¡¯t make so much noise! And it¡¯s dangerous so draw back!¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s fine! Wow, what¡¯s that?¡¹


    After arriving at the long-awaited city of Delfit, Liner¡¯s tension kept increasing. Eventually, Liner¡¯s excitement continued increasing until they entered inside and got off the carriage.


    And when he stood on top of Delfit¡¯s ground on his own feet, that voltage reached its peak.


    ¡¸The number of people are large! The buildings are huge! There¡¯s a steel ship!¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s a statue of a ship!¡¹


    For the time being, Liner was shouting out whatever he saw . Even looking at the monument of a huge ship in the middle of a fountain at the central plaza, he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement.


    Looking at him, the people in the town were laughing at him as though watching something pleasant. Liner was in such high spirits that he didn¡¯t even notice the surrounding situation, but for the 2 people with him, it was considerably embarrassing.


    ¡¸Hey Liner, you¡¯re too excited! We have to quickly go register for the participation¡¹


    ¡¸That and all is for later! I¡¯ll go towards the sea and come back!¡¹


    ¡¸Aah¡­¡­¡­come on!¡¹


    As soon as Liner, who wasn¡¯t able to keep still, was stopped he left those words behind and started running.


    That figure soon mixed within the crowd of people and disappeared.


    ¡¸Good grief, he¡¯s as excited as always¡­¡­¡­ I¡¯ll complete the registration so I¡¯ll leave him to you. After you catch him, we¡¯ll assemble in front of this fountain¡¹


    ¡¸Okay, understood¡¹


    They had to inevitably split in 2 directions.


    The boy called Liner, once freed, would play and move around forever until he became tired. He had gone towards the harbor to look at the sea for now, but it wasn¡¯t known where he would head to next. It was obvious that things would get problematic if she didn¡¯t chase after him immediately.


    While sighing, she jogged after him, moving as though weaving through the crowd. It was a feat she could do only because she was a child who had a small build and was nimble and agile.


    Although, it was a first for her, who was from the same village as Liner, also to see such a sea of people. And then, she collided with a figure coming from around the street corner.


    ¡¸Kyaa!¡¹


    Due to the impact of colliding, she involuntarily fell on her backside. Since the other person had been walking, luckily she didn¡¯t seem to be injured. But that was only regarding herself. Wanting to confirm the safety of the other person, she got up.


    ¡¸S, sorry! Are you alright?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, I¡¯m fine¡¹


    That refreshing voice reached the girl¡¯s ears without being drowned out by the bustling crowd.


    That itself was something that could fascinate people, but after she saw that the owner of that voice was a girl whose age wasn¡¯t much different that hers, she caught her breath.


    (C, cute¡­¡­!)


    There was no sarcasm, and moreover it was her frank impression.


    Until a position a bit below the shoulders, glossy black hair was gathered. White transparent skin like porcelain. Pupils with the same color as the hair, which held some oriental charm.


    Contrary to the immaturity, the appearance of the girl who had a grown up atmosphere was so beautiful that one wouldn¡¯t doubt it if she was described using the word ¡ºBishoujo*¡».


    ¡¸Are you yourself fine? You seem to be somewhat in a daze¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Eh?¡­¡­..Ah, Sorry! It¡¯s nothing! Umm, are you really not injured anywhere?¡¹


    What should I do if there are some scratches on such a beautiful girl? ¨C This black-haired girl was beautiful enough to make her harbor such thoughts which were close to being fearful for her.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t be so worried. She instantly held me so I didn¡¯t even fall¡¹


    ¡¸She?¡¹


    Because her eyes were stolen by the black-haired girl she hadn¡¯t realized, but behind the girl there was woman in the former half of her twenties with chestnut colored hair, wearing a cooking outfit.


    Must be her attendant. When she looked closely, she noticed that the black-haired girl was wearing a splendid dress which she hadn¡¯t seen before now. Without a doubt, she was a noble.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, weren¡¯t you in a hurry?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, that¡¯s right. But¡­¡­.¡¹


    She wanted to chase after Liner. But it would feel awkward if she didn¡¯t apologize properly.


    Maybe due to sensing that conflict, a kind smile, one which made those who looked at it be at ease, floated up on the black-haired girl¡¯s face.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t mind me. Rather, this means that the both of us were fated to meet¡¹


    ¡¸Fated to meet¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸If this is a strong bond, we¡¯ll be able to meet again someday. That¡¯s why, when we reunite again¡­¡­¡­.let¡¯s see, please become my friend¡¹


    ¡¸F, friend?¡¹


    Listening to the completely unexpected request, her eyes became like saucers.


    ¡¸You don¡¯t want to?¡¹


    ¡¸N, n, not at all! Rather, is it fine with someone like me¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸If we are to meet again, it¡¯ll be proof that our bond is real, so isn¡¯t it natural that we become friends?¡¹


    ¡¸Is that¡­¡­..so?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. And so, could you hold your current feelings until our reunion?¡¹


    ¡¸Y, yes!¡¹


    Honestly, she couldn¡¯t understand the girl¡¯s point, but for some reason she was able to readily accept it.


    Maybe it was due to the girl¡¯s charm.


    ¡¸Well then, let¡¯s meet again somewhere. Let¡¯s go, Juno¡¹


    ¡¸Yes ¡«¡¹


    Within the city where people kept moving without any break, the black-haired girl and her attendant-like woman left with calm footsteps.


    After that, she came back to her senses and secured Liner, and by the time she came back to the fountain while dragging him, the sun had started to sink.


    Normally, she would have been scolding Liner for causing trouble, but only today, due to meeting that mysterious girl her feelings somewhat hazy.


    She couldn¡¯t properly put it in words, but it was as though the gears of destiny had started to turn, that kind of feeling which could be called as neither anxiety nor upliftment.


    While she was still having that kind of somewhat murky feeling, the next morning came. Since it was the day of the fighting tournament, Liner, who was 3 times more energetic than his usually excessively energetic self, went ahead to the venue, and she had a shocking encounter which couldn¡¯t be compared to yesterday¡¯s.


    No, accurately speaking, that wasn¡¯t an encounter but a ¡°reunion¡±.


    It was when the participants for the under-13 fight, including Liner, were gathered at the room next to the stage, when they were waiting for their names to be called out.


    When she was waiting for the tournament to start and Liner to make an appearance, she saw a figure which made her doubt her own eyes.


    That figure, which she couldn¡¯t have forgotten from that day 3 years ago, was called by a name different from the one in her memories.


    There was no way she would mistake the appearance of the person who had saved her life. He was taller and the masculinity of his features had increased, but the vestiges of that day were still markedly left.


    By chance, his eyes perceived the girl. Those deep crimson pupils which expressed a strong will were the same as those on that day.


    Their eyes met, and she caught her breath. Their gazes intersected only for a single instant. As he moved his gaze, she breathed out as though she had just remembered about the air accumulated in her lungs. Together with that, the blonde-haired girl¨C Colette Amerel spoke out the name of the boy, who had carried out the reunion, as though she were chewing on it.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Harold, sama¡¹


    TL ¨C


    I left it as Bishoujo since any other translation wouldn¡¯t do justice. Sorry for the amount of pronouns. The author didn¡¯t use their names at all.


    Delfit is [¥Ç¥ë¥Õ¥£¥È] ¨C Derufito. Liner is [¥é¥¤¥Ê] ¨C Raina. Colette¡¯s last name is [¥¢¥á¥ì©`¥ë]- Amereru. I previously translated it as Emerel. Any suggestions are welcome.

 Chapter 23

    ¡¸Don¡¯t go from the front! Split to the sides and counter-attack!¡¹


    In one corner of the normally quiet and peaceful vast expansive grassland, a loud bellow resounded as though tearing through that atmosphere.


    The owner of the voice was a robust man, wearing an armor with white as its undertone, who was issuing orders without any break to about 40 soldiers under his command. But the Horn Head¡¯s roar easily drowned out his voice.


    ¡®Guoooon¡¯- Ringing out through the ground, it was a low and heavy cry which shook the core of the body. The lead colored body was 5 meters long and even it¡¯s height exceeded 2 meters, and moreover its feature was the long, thick and rustic horn emerging from its head, from which its name  originated. Horn Head was a frenzied monster which would charge using its horn and head hardened to resemble stone, as its weapon. It¡¯s appearance was similar to a large rhino wearing iron armor.


    Although it was omnivorous, it didn¡¯t have any preference to prey on other animals including humans and other monsters. However, it was extremely territory conscious and since there were no monsters which could rival the Horn Head in strength in the surroundings, it had rapidly increased its influence and had extended its territory close to the sphere of human livelihood.


    This was the reason they were currently confronting the Horn Head, wanting to subjugate it.


    The biggest threat which was it¡¯s rush had enough power to easily destroy a single house. If humans were to receive it directly, they probably wouldn¡¯t remain alive.


    Due to that, although they were trying to finish it by attacking from the sides the Horn Head was preventing them from doing so by swinging its long horn and tail to intimidate the surrounding soldiers.


    Although it had suffered some wounds, they weren¡¯t enough to dull its movements. And as the combat dragged on, some of the soldiers also started getting injured.


    Fortunately, there was no one who got an injury serious enough for it to become an obstacle in the fight, but if they continued to fight in the current condition, eventually even casualties would occur. The captain of the soldiers was pondering about what to do. Suddenly, a small shadow noiselessly passed by beside him.


    ¡¸P, please wait! It¡¯s dangerous!¡¹


    When the captain noticed this, he tried to stop the small shadow, but the boy¡¯s legs didn¡¯t stop.


    Without even turning back, the boy addressed the captain.


    ¡¸Anymore than this is a waste of time. Make all those guys fall back. They¡¯ll be nothing but a nuisance¡¹


    Listening to that indifferent tone, the man couldn¡¯t speak.


    The employer of these soldiers was Hayden Stokes. His son, Harold, drew out the sword from the scabbard hanging at his waist. Different from the soldiers whose defense was strengthened by iron armor, Harold stood in front of the Horn Head while wearing a jacket, tight leather pants and boots which came up till his calves.


    As the Horn Head stopped receiving attacks from all sides after the soldiers fell back, the Horn Head¡¯s eyes captured Harold¡¯s figure.


    Against Harold who was calmly closing the distance with unfaltering footsteps, the Horn Head gave out a loud roar. Finally, there was a change in Harold¡¯s expression.


    ¡¸It is said that weaker the dog, louder it howls¡¹


    It was neither fear nor nervousness but ridicule. Those eyes were completely looking down on the Horn Head.


    That might have provoked it. While wildly howling again, the Horn Head charged at the existence which was much smaller than itself. The large figure drew near but Harold wasn¡¯t perturbed and didn¡¯t show any movement to indicate dodging it.


    And the instant the distance between the 2 reduced to just a few meters, Harold moved forward.


    Immediately a shrill sound resounded. The origin of it was when Harold¡¯s sword and the Horn Head¡¯s horn collided the instant they crossed by. The things that conveyed the result of the clash were the Horn Head¡¯s cry, different from before, which was filled with pain and the horn, which symbolized it, that had been cut off at the root.


    ¡¸If I¡¯m not mistaken, blacksmiths will swarm around this guy¡¯s horn. Well, it¡¯ll only become loose change, but retrieve it¡¹


    Harold didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the Horn Head which was suffering in agony. It was as though from the start, the Horn Head hadn¡¯t even been in his eyes.


    But although it was a painful blow, it wasn¡¯t fatal. The Horn Head put power into its bent limbs and stood up.


    Anger was present in those eyes. As though it wanted to strike with its rage, it howled thrice.


    ¡¸T, that is!?¡¹


    Towards the Horn Head¡¯s change, a single soldier raised a surprised voice. A Golden yellow light surrounded its huge body. That was a magic formation.


    There were 2 categories of monsters that could use magic. They were either the species that innately excelled at using magic or those which were the strongest within their respective species and had acquired magic during the process of their fast growth.


    This Horn Head was the latter. This was proof of it having that much strength.


    It raised both it¡¯s forelegs. As though it wanted to trample and smash the ground, it struck down with them.


    With that as the starting point, fissures ran through the ground in a straight line towards Harold and the ground turned over.


    ¡ºGrand Punisher¡»


    Although it had an exaggerated name, this intermediate level magic was an earth system magic which would turn over the crust as though to trap and crush the target to death. It¡¯s power was high but since the the attack was linear it would be easy to see through it and if some distance was taken, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to evade it.


    But against Grand Punisher, Harold charged from the front.


    And he leaped just before getting swallowed by the walls of earth. While kicking the earth walls coming from both sides with his legs alternatively, he ran as though he were sprinting on air.


    After crossing about 10 meters, in the end, Harold jumped remarkably high in the air. At a height from where he could look down at the Horn Head.


    With a crackling sound, lightning clad the sword held by Harold.


    ¡¸That¡¯s it for your useless struggle¡¹


    The sword which was clad with so much electricity that one would think it that the sword blade was shining, Harold swung it down without any hesitation.


    ¡¸¡ºThunderbird¡»¡¹


    Instantly, with a roaring sound, a giant bird of lightning fired from the sword attacked the Horn Head as though wanting to swallow it.


    The thunderbird, which held enough heat to burn off the eyes those who were watching, pierced the large body.


    A bit later after Harold landed, the Horn Head fell down. Many places on the large body were burnt and roasted, and smoke was rising from the whole body.


    It didn¡¯t even twitch after falling down. The Horn Head¡¯s life had completely ended.


    ¡¸With this, there¡¯s nothing more to do here. Quickly finish tidying up¡¹


    Without getting a single injury, without even breaking a sweat, Harold who had defeated a huge monster acted as though it was natural and returned back to the carriage. It meant that he had left retrieving the horn and disposing the corpse to them.


    After Harold¡¯s figure disappeared as the carriage door closed with a snap, finally, the air enveloping them calmed down.


    As though it was planned, all of them simultaneously breathed out.


    ¡¸First squad, retrieve the horn. The remaining squads, dispose the corpse. Work quickly! It¡¯s a job suitable for us who bothered Harold-sama for something like this!¡¹


    So as to tighten the air that had loosened by a bit, orders from the captain flew out. Among the soldiers who were moving swiftly after receiving those orders, a new recruit in the first squad, which had been given the comparatively easy job of retrieving the horn, still couldn¡¯t believe the scene he had just seen and asked his senior.


    ¡¸Was Harold-sama so strong?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, come to think of it, it¡¯s the first time for you, huh¡¹


    ¡®Then it¡¯s no wonder that you would be dumbfounded at that scene¡¯, saying that, the questioned soldier, Elias, smiled wryly.


    ¡¸From about 3 years ago, Harold-sama started accompanying the subjugation expeditions. At that time itself, he was quite strong but now, it¡¯s as you can see¡¹


    ¡¸But is it alright? Even if he is strong, he is still the heir to the Stokes family, so if by some chance he were to get injured¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Well, Captian¡¯s, and some other people¡¯s heads would fly. Physically¡¹


    While making a gesture of cutting his neck, Elias said so.


    Towards the turbulent contents which were contrary to the indifferent manner in which it was said, the new recruit¡¯s spine froze.


    ¡¸That¡¯s not at all fine¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s not the case. Eventually, even you¡¯ll understand¡¹


    Declaring so without any fear or anxiety, Elias lightly clapped the new recruit¡¯s back.


    The new recruit still couldn¡¯t understand how Elias could behave in such a composed manner. But the more abundant a soldier¡¯s experience of fighting together with Harold was, the more deeper their trust became.


    When Harold had wanted to go with the subjugation expeditions, at the start, even his parents had disapproved of it. For the parents who doted on their son, it was obvious to stop him.


    But when he swung his sword lightly and used magic for a bit in front of their eyes, they readily gave their permission. It was because they were charmed by his excellent talent, and at the same time they anticipated that even the Stokes¡¯ fame would rise due to his strength.


    Like this, Harold was permitted to accompany the expedition, but that was the first time he had fought with a monster. At the start, he had fought hard battles and had even got injuries which weren¡¯t small.


    But when Harold was injured he had hid that fact from his parents. It was particularly bad when even though his bone had cracked, he behaved as though nothing had happened, and after leaving for the Sumeragi territory, he had come back only after his wound had healed a few days later.


    Although, other than Harold nobody was aware of what it accurately meant, there were lives that were saved.


    Originally, subjugation expeditions would be hounded by danger. Even if encountering strong monsters like the Horn Head this time was considered as being rare, receiving sever wounds in battle and dying weren¡¯t unusual at all.


    But after Harold had started tagging along, people who got severe wounds reduced remarkably and there were no deaths at all.


    This was because Harold himself would defeat most of the monsters, but although he would deny it, he was trying to protect the soldiers. The injury where his bone cracked had also happened when he had protected the soldiers who were about to be struck to death by monsters.


    It was obvious that this time too, he had judged that some soldiers might get injured if the battle drew any longer.


    The soldiers were glad for his consideration but more than that, they were alsofrustrated.They were protected by the one whom the had to protect. And that too he was still a child.


    That¡¯s why there were many enthusiastic soldiers who had sworn to become strong enough to protect Harold. It also became motivation for them to train.


    (I¡¯ve acquired enough combat experience against the monsters that come out in this area. If possible, I want the expedition to go more farther, but I¡¯ve to make sure that nobody gets injured. There¡¯s still a huge amount of monsters that I still haven¡¯t encountered so I want to collect the data quickly)


    Even if it was known that the reason for Harold¡¯s behavior was entirely for making it more efficient to earn experience for him to survive, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that the soldiers lives had been saved.


    By the way, the reason he had hid the injury from his parents was because he thought that they would prohibit him accompanying the expedition if they came to know about it.


    Like that, after piling up encounters with many people due many things, these 3 years had brought about a huge change in Harold. The prime changes were the improvement in his combat ability and his mental growth. Thanks to desperately continuing to fight, he could fearless confront and fight multiple monsters on his own, and could even safely defeat them.


    But due to him looking forward to fights a bit too enthusiastically, he had become known as a battle junkie (Berserker), a symbol of fear, among the populace.


    And one more thing, this wasn¡¯t Harold himself but the change that had occurred in his surroundings. The largest was Tasuku Sumeragi.


    Due to his efforts, the day when LP farming could come under the sun became close.


    Harold, who had returned to the Stokes mansion after finishing the expedition which took about 2 weeks, without even sparing much time to recover from his fatigue, jumped onto the carriage returning to the Sumeragi territory with Tasuku. Regarding this, his parents had conveniently interpreted it as him being passionate about Erika. His stomach became heavy thinking about what kind of reaction those 2 would have when this engagement was annulled, but thinking,¡¯what will happen, will happen¡¯, he decided to forget about it.


    ¡¸How were the negotiations?¡¹


    ¡¸They advanced without any issues. With this, we can seriously start working towards propagating it¡¹


    Tasuku answered while smiling towards Harold who had a sour look. Advancing successfully meant that as planned, the Stokes house were satisfied with taking the profits which were only there in front of their eyes.


    Profits only meant that when LP farming was used the Stokes¡¯ farmhouses would be exempt from the contract fee and the utilization fee would be reduced, and also that a part of the tax collected based on the harvested amount would be returned to the Stokes house.


    Due to this, the farmhouses in the Stokes territory could use LP farming with less burden. If LP farming which had a fast harvest cycle became popular, they would be in an advantageous position due to exporting it to other territories and countries, and due to the returns comparatively rising up, the populace would be able to pay the tax levied by the Stokes house without any delays.


    From Hayden¡¯s point of view, the revenue would rise even with him doing nothing, so he might have decided that there would be no need to forcibly get involved in the experimentation of LP farming. It wouldn¡¯t be late even if they asked for the rights for joint ownership after Harold and Erika officially got married.


    ¡¸To think the negotiations would go so easily¡¹


    Although it wasn¡¯t something that the perpetrator who had devised everything should have said, he involuntarily sighed thinking of what a careless decision his father had made. And towards such a Harold, Tasuku saying, ¡®That¡¯s right¡¯, started talking about a new topic.


    ¡¸There¡¯s a message from Itsuki to you¡¹


    ¡¸Is it another bout?¡¹


    ¡¸Ahaha, well, habitually without omitting, there is that too, but this time, there¡¯s one more thing. ¡®How about participating in the fighting tournament in Delfit?¡¯, was his invitation¡¹


    He remembered about Delfit, and also the fighting tournament. Because in the narrative of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», there was an event of winning in Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament.


    (That was also one way to fight against human rival characters. It¡¯s also fine to not seriously try to kill each other¡­¡­¡­)


    This meant that it was a huge chance to obtain new combat experience. It was the best bait to fish the current Harold with.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Interesting. I¡¯ll participate¡¹


    And so, Harold¡¯s participation in the fighting tournament was determined.

 Chapter 24

    Since Harold made the decision without even thinking about it, the rumors circulating in his territory about him being a battle junkie might not have been necessarily wrong. Although the danger was less, his resistance towards fighting becoming lower was also another change. This was the result of him coming to the clear decision that if it wasn¡¯t like this, he wouldn¡¯t survive.


    ¡¸By the way, is your body alright? I heard that you fought against a huge Horn Head on this expedition¡¹


    ¡¸That again¡¹


    Maybe because Tasuku had asked the same question every time they met after Harold came back from an expedition, Harold¡¯s voice sounded completely fed up.


    But for Tasuku, or rather for the Sumeragi, in the past when they had thought that Harold had come to visit, he had been seriously injured. When they had encountered such a situation, although they came to know that he was strong, they were still extremely worried. Moreover, because it was the Harold who had wanted to conclude the matter saying, ¡¸It¡¯s just a scratch¡¹, they were all the more concerned.


    Especially Erika, who on the surface didn¡¯t show any excessive concern by respecting Harold¡¯s feelings saying, ¡¸Since Harold-sama himself has decided¡¹, since she started to seriously practice healing magic from that day onwards, her honest emotions were that she couldn¡¯t simply sit still without doing anything.


    From the time Erika had started practicing healing magic, Harold hadn¡¯t gotten injured, and so as of yet her power hadn¡¯t healed any injuries of Harold. But still, Erika¡¯s devotion towards Harold, which was shown by her practicing healing magic diligently every single day, was real. Although, Harold hadn¡¯t realized it yet.


    ¡¸Did you really think that I would lose to that small fry whose only characteristic was its large size? Speak only after you think¡¹


    ¡¸Saying that with Harold-kun¡¯s age itself is surprising¡¹


    ¡¸Even your son is like that though¡¹


    Itsuki, who had recently turned 16, too could easily defeat a Horn Head on his own. He was the only person who had enough ability to equal Harold in the same generation.


    It was the same for Itsuki too, and so they would always compete by holding bouts frequently.


    Although Itsuki had just been addressed as Erika¡¯s brother in the game and without even his name appearing in it, he was that strong. Most probably, there were still many formidable people unknown to Harold.


    It was huge that at the current stage, he became aware that the overwhelming advantage of having the game¡¯s knowledge might become an obstacle.


    When he took this into consideration, Harold thought that it was correct of him to deepen his relationship with the Sumeragi even if the risks increased. Even with the prime unresolved problem, which was his relationship with Erika, there had been almost no progress at all since 3 years ago. He had blatantly kept a distance, and had conversed only when necessary while keeping it to the bare minimum.


    There had been no fiance-like events at all.


    (With this, it would be impossible to raise a flag, right?)


    Things were going so favorably that he unintentionally wanted to laugh. Although he couldn¡¯t be careless about the situation of the expanding miasma in the Sumeragi territory, only this had to be resolved by the protagonists, so he couldn¡¯t interfere. But still, with the introduction of the resistance drug and the experimental implementation of LP farming, it was true that the situation had become considerably better.


    ¡®That said, carelessness is one¡¯s greatest enemy. If I think about the future, there are piles of problems and before the start of the game 5 years from now, as much as possible I¡¯ll pluck those death flags that will eventually be raised from their roots!¡¯, thought Harold, as he once again strengthened his determination.


    ¡ó


    On top of a square platform made of stone with sides of 20 meters, 2 people were exchanging intense sword strikes.


    One of them was a boy who was approaching the transition period to his youth, with a height reaching 180 cm and with black hair, which somewhat appeared to be tawny. His usually kind face to which the words pleasant youth would perfectly fit, had a grim expression.


    Facing against the youth was a boy with a height of 160 cm, about a head shorter than the youth, with deep crimson pupils as his defining feature. While moving so intensely that his black hair, which was much more darker than the youth¡¯s became dishevelled, converse to those intense movements he had a sharp glint in his cold eyes and was dishing out sword strikes.


    The 2 who had a close friendship would often cross swords to confirm each other¡¯s growth when they occasionally met.


    ¡¸Haa, ha¡­¡­¡­.yeah, if it¡¯s like this, it seems as though you¡¯ll be alright even in the tournament¡¹


    Itsuki, who had moved away from the sword¡¯s range, lowered his sword while arranging his breathing.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t need your concern¡¹


    ¡¸Only in the strength portion though. It¡¯s good that you have no problems in handling the fake sword¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t make light of me. I¡¯m not so weak that this amount of weight will become painful¡¹


    ¡¸If it¡¯s about that, I was worried whether you¡¯d be able to hold back or not¡¹


    ¡®Because there¡¯s practically nobody in the same generation who can react to Harold¡¯s sword¡¯, was Itsuki¡¯s opinion. If he had to say it, then it was consideration for the opponents who would end up fighting against Harold. Well, it was just needless anxiety about such matters of ability.


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s end it here for today. Since the plan is to depart tomorrow morning¡¹


    (Carriage again, huh. It can¡¯t be helped because Delfit is nearby, but I really want to board an airship)


    Airship was something that appeared in the game, a wooden vehicle with an appearance similar to a ship, and it flew in the air. Its difference from a ship that sailed on water was that there were wings that sprouted out from both sides of the hull and propellers were attached to the mast and the stern.


    It was a vehicle that oozed out impressions of fantasy due to the stress placed on the design, but at the same time, it was unknown as to how it could fly stably with that shape.


    Well, since it was powered by crystals1, called ¡ºCrystal2¡», that monsters dropped when they were defeated, it wasn¡¯t something that could be explained using Science or Physics. By the way, when Crystals were used during compounding, they would be extremely useful in creating and enhancing weapons and armor.


    ¡¸Ah, right, do you want to change your name for registering in the tournament? Almost everybody who participate in the tournament are commoners, so I think that your parents might not like you appearing in that kind of place¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t know about that. Rather, they might say,¡±You did well in beating down those inferior species!¡±, and get pleased¡¹


    No matter which, it wasn¡¯t a proper reaction.


    In that case, if he changed his name and hid his identity, then even if the tournament winner¡¯s name entered his parent¡¯s ears, it wouldn¡¯t become troublesome.


    ¡¸Anything is fine for the alias¡¹


    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll think of it while we travel¡¹


    Later on, Harold would stand on the stage with the name ¡ºMr.Lord¡» that would involuntarily make him doubt Itsuki¡¯s naming sense.


    Harold had no idea that such a future was awaiting him, but his suffering wouldn¡¯t end only at that.


    The evening of the day they reached Delfit a few days after traveling. With the tournament being held the next day, after they checked into a lodge, when Harold walked to the joint restaurant accompanying Itsuki to have dinner, for some reason Erika was present.


    Unintentionally, his body stiffened.


    ¡¸Sorry, Erika, for being a bit late¡¹


    Without even minding Harold¡¯s thoughts, Itsuki sat down at the table where Erika was sitting. Harold glared at the both of them demanding an explanation, but even faster than that, Erika asked Itsuki


    ¡¸Onii-sama, I heard that only the 2 of us will be eating together though?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not wrong that I invited you saying,¡±How about eating together once in a while?¡±¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­.So it¡¯s like that¡¹


    Perceiving Itsuki¡¯s plan, Erika grumbled exasperatedly.


    In short, Itsuki had invited Erika saying,¡±How about eating together (with Harold-kun) once in a while¡±, while intentionally omitting the parenthesized words and making Erika misunderstand.


    ¡¸If my presence is a nuisance, then should I leave?¡¹


    ¡¸Stay here¡¹¡¸Please stay¡¹


    Harold¡¯s and Erika¡¯s voices overlapped.


    If Itsuki were to leave now, then Harold would have to eat while facing Erika. Frankly speaking, it would be hell.


    It wasn¡¯t that Erika disliked it, but her feelings of not wanting to be a hindrance to Harold when she knew that he was keeping a distance from her, was strong.


    Nevertheless, if she were to leave after she had already sat down only by looking at the other person¡¯s face, then it would be too rude. Even if the seat that she was invited to was a trap. Maybe it was because he had planned it after taking this personality of his little sister¡¯s into consideration, Itsuki¡¯s expression was saying,¡¯I¡¯ve done it¡¯.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Why is she here in Delfit?¡¹


    ¡¸Because there are chances of getting injured in the fighting tournament, I thought of making someone who could use healing magic accompany us. However, coincidentally since it was inconvenient to the people in the house, I reluctantly requested Erika¡¹


    It was extremely doubtful whether it was a coincidence or not.


    Seeing that Erika, who had similarly been deceived, wasn¡¯t refuting, Harold wasn¡¯t satisfied with thinking that it might be true. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this situation was intentionally created.


    ¡¸I won¡¯t get injured¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s a proverb ¨C Well prepared means no worries. That¡¯s why I made Erika also accompany us¡¹


    ¡¸It should have been that I wouldn¡¯t make contact with Harold-sama any more than when absolutely necessary though¡¹


    ¡¸I decided that meeting face to face is a necessity. That way, you can move smoothly if something happens, right?¡¹


    It wasn¡¯t as though Itsuki was saying something odd, so they couldn¡¯t complain about it. In the end, with the situation being as though they were taken for a ride by Itsuki, the 3 of them sat around the table. It went without saying that there was no conversation between Erika and Harold. If Itsuki hadn¡¯t acted as the intermediary, they might have remained silent until the end. And so, this time which seemed like penance for Harold continued for more than an hour.


    By the time they had finished dinner, Harold¡¯s mental exhaustion had reached its peak. After finishing dinner, with somewhat unreliable footsteps, Harold returned to his own room. Erika saw that back off while feeling apologetic.


    Although she wanted to scold Itsuki, maybe because he had sensed it, he had left with Harold and his figure could no longer be seen. She was delighted that due to her brother¡¯s plan she was able to be together with Harold after a long time, but more than that her thoughts of being a bother weighed on her. Originally, Erika didn¡¯t want to make her existence known during the fighting tournament unless Harold was injured. And now that plan was in this state.


    While thinking about giving Itsuki a strict warning the next time when they were alone, Erika also returned to her room. She was staying in the same inn as Harold¡¯s and Itsuki¡¯s, but since she had taken into consideration of not wanting to cross each other, she was in a different floor.


    When she opened the door to her room, Juno greeted Erika with her usual nonchalant air.


    ¡¸Welcome back, Erika-sama ¡«. You seem to be tired ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸You were watching?¡¹


    ¡¸Even though it¡¯s like this, I¡¯m also your guard ¡«. Although, since both Itsuki-sama and Harold-sama are stronger than me, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any meaning in acting as your guard ¡«¡¹


    Being strong or weak was irrelevant to the necessity of a guard, but Erika understood what Juno wanted to say. Since those 2 would frequently fight each other, the chances to see it wasn¡¯t scarce, but recently the times where she couldn¡¯t understand what was going on because they were too fast, had increased.


    Especially Harold, who would move so fast that people would be doubtful whether he was teleporting or not. Although, even Itsuki too was abnormal since he could deal with it.


    ¡¸Come to think of it, have you talked about Colette-sama ¡«?¡¹


    Colette Emerel.


    The girl who was supposed to have been killed along with her mother for various circumstances, was for some reason there in Delfit. If thought about it considering the season, then she might have come here to look at the fighting tournament.


    ¡¸No, I¡¯ve concealed it¡¹


    ¡¸As expected, there¡¯s no way you can tell him ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, since we shouldn¡¯t know that she is alive¡¹


    If Harold realized that the Sumeragi knew that Colette and her mother, Clara, were still alive, then they would invite unneeded suspicion from him.


    The Emerel mother and daughter were protected by him even to the extent of him being dishonored. Erika absolutely didn¡¯t want to disgrace those thoughts. She had no intention to step into that secret until Harold himself revealed it one day.


    But still, she couldn¡¯t simply not say even a single thing. That¡¯s why, Erika said that if they were to meet again, she wished to become friends.


    Erika felt it after she actually saw Colette herself. That couldn¡¯t she too become a person who could support Harold. Colette should have also known. About the strength and kindness of Harold. Because she had been saved by it, and was still being protected by it.


    If they were to meet again, then that might be the time when Harold would speak about the secret. Erika thought that at that time she would once again want to become friends with Colette. They could become good friends for sure.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll go to bed for today. Juno, you too return to your room¡¹


    ¡¸Understood ¡«. Good night, Erika-sama¡¹


    ¡¸Good night¡¹


    After Juno left the room, Erika changed into her sleep-wear, and as soon as she turned off the lights of the room, she dived into her bed. It was different from the usual futon, since it gave off an unfamiliar springy sensation.


    Compared to the one in the Stokes mansion, it wasn¡¯t very comfortable to sleep on.


    Since she couldn¡¯t properly fall asleep, the thoughts that were there previously and their continuation went through her head.


    If she became friends after they met Colette again, then at that time, even Colette might get drawn towards Harold.


    Although they were engaged, it was just temporary. She also knew that Harold was planning to cancel it. If that happened, then Colette might become her rival in love.


    Normally, one would feel jealous. But strangely, Erika¡¯s heart was calm. It wasn¡¯t because she thought that she had the advantage in love.


    ¡®Colette will become my rival. That too is fine¡¯, was how she thought. In these past few years, Erika became aware that she was yearning for Harold. If she were to hope for it, she thought that she wanted her first love to be fulfilled.


    But for Erika, those feelings of love weren¡¯t the most important. What she wished for more than anything else was for Harold¡¯s happiness. That¡¯s why she wanted for Harold to be with the person he himself would choose. It didn¡¯t matter even if that person wasn¡¯t her.


    If her feelings were rejected, then she would cry for sure. Her love towards Harold was real.


    But still, if Harold were to marry Colette or someone else, she wanted to bless them from the bottom of her heart with a bright smile. Even these were Erika¡¯s true feelings.


    It wasn¡¯t as though there were no other ways to support Harold other than becoming his partner.


    (That¡¯s why, I¡¯m looking forward to our reunion)


    While being bathed in the moonlight coming from the window, she gently smiled towards her future friend.


    The brilliantly shining moonlight reminded her of Colette¡¯s vibrant blond hair. While thinking about that, Erika closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


    TL-


    1. The kanji used is (ãkʯ) ¨C kouseki.


    2.The kanji used is (½Y¾§) ¨C kesshou.

 Chapter 25

    ¡¸Fuwa ¡«a, why do we have do something like patrolling at a time like this?¡¹


    Wearing an armor which was carved with the emblem that represented the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order, black wings similar to obsidian and a silver sword, a man in the latter half of his twenties muttered listlessly while yawning hugely.


    His subordinate, who was following behind him, chided him seeing as he clearly had no enthusiasm at all.


    ¡¸Since it is work, please don¡¯t complain, Squad leader. Even I don¡¯t want to patrol so early in the morning¡¹


    The clock¡¯s needle was currently pointing at a bit past 5 A.M. Moreover, the patrol had started together with sunrise, at 4 in the morning.


    The reason was because of the already open and bustling shops. Especially flourishing were shops that served alcohol.


    Once in a year, during the 3 days when the fighting tournament was held, almost all the fishermen would take a break from work, and they would drink alcohol from morning to get excited for the tournament and would let the merry-making unfold.


    The town would overflow with drunk people, so there were repeated quarrels and the public order would get a little bad. The patrol would act as both a deterrence force and also to deal with cases like those.


    ¡¸I think that you can¡¯t be too merry just because there¡¯s a festival¡¹


    ¡¸Although you¡¯re saying that, why are you trying to go drink alcohol?¡¹


    The subordinate grabbed the shoulder of his superior, Squad leader Cody, who was trying to enter a bar as though it was very natural.


    Him being this informal in his speech and attitude towards his superior was solely because of Cody¡¯s personality. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t give Cody any respect.


    ¡¸Ale is calling me¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t suddenly say idiotic things with a serious face¡¹


    Cody¡¯s subordinate brought him back to the patrolling course as though he was dragging him.


    Without being able to do anything, Cody just saw off the bar which was becoming distant. It wasn¡¯t clear as to whose position was higher.


    ¡¸Haa¡­¡­¡­so, not being able to do anything other than look at the surrounding people drink alcohol will continue for another 3 days, huh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Even though you say that, Squad leader, aren¡¯t you weak against alcohol?¡¹


    ¡®Moreover, it¡¯s irritating that you get entangled in a quarrel after you drink¡¯, towards the subordinate who added such a complaint, Cody replied.


    ¡¸It¡¯s not that I like drinking alcohol. I like getting drunk¡¹


    For Cody, drinking ale was a means and not the objective. He declared that anything was fine as long as he got inebriated.


    Accompanying Cody to drink some cheap, unappetizing alcohol, and finally getting dragged into a quarrel, for him, it was unbearable.


    While the 2 of them were engaged in such a worthless dialog, from the alley in front of them, they suddenly heard a sound as though glass was shattering. Consequently, they also heard a woman¡¯s shriek and a loud noise.


    They exchanged glances, and then, both of them sighed deeply.


    ¡¸Looks like it¡¯s time for work¡¹


    ¡¸Good grief¡­¡­¡­.Can¡¯t they drink in a more enjoyable manner¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s not something that Squad leader can say¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up. Well, Robin-kun, let¡¯s go control the situation with that frightening face of yours that makes everybody scared without any exceptions¡¹


    While speaking, they ran towards the direction of the sound. Turning around the corner of the alley, they pushed through the crowd of people to confirm what was happening. He ignored Robin aka Robinson who was muttering,¡¯Can¡¯t you change the way you say it¡­¡­¡­¡­¡¯, behind him.


    ¡¸Alright, please excuse me¡¹


    ¡¸Haah? Don¡¯t push through-!?¡¹


    The robust man who lived on the seas, turned around to complain towards Cody, who was forcing his way through, and after looking behind him he saw Robinson¡¯s face and lost his voice.


    A 190 cm tall figure with a muscular physique, with dark skin more tanned than fishermen¡¯s. Those dark grey sanpaku1 eyes coupled with them being slanted, his fiendish face looked as though he was intimidating the other party.


    He was much more scary than those monsters around here.


    Robinson¡¯s temperament was gentle. He was the so-called type of person who was at a disadvantage due to his appearance.


    But the amount of times it was used as an advantage when he was working as a knight wasn¡¯t scarce. If the enemy was weak-willed, they would become timid as soon as they were glared at, and in situations like these, his path would naturally open up.


    Even this time, the effect was instantaneous. It was to the extent that as soon as they noticed Robinson¡¯s presence, the crowd parted.


    ¡¸Truly, it¡¯s so smooth when Robin-kun is here¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll accept that as praise¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Like this, after Cody and Robinson struggled and arrived at the center of the crowd, there was a single boy and an adult man, and also a person who was wriggling while flapping his legs while his torso was thrust into a big water jug in front of a store.


    Even while Cody and Robinson still couldn¡¯t grasp what was happening, the boy pulled out the man who was stuck in the water jug. While looking down on the soaked man, who was and coughing and choking while on all fours, the boy muttered sarcastically.


    ¡¸How¡¯s it? Have you sobered up a little?¡¹


    The man who was frantically inhaling air had no leeway to answer. Instead, the other man flared up at the boy.


    ¡¸You bastard, what the hell are you doing!¡¹


    ¡¸Can¡¯t you tell just by looking? It seems as though even you have no recollection of what you did, so how about you too pour cold water on yourself like this bastard? Well, if you weren¡¯t sane from before itself, then it would have no meaning though¡¹


    ¡¸Spouting out shit as you please¡­¡­..! I won¡¯t show mercy even if you¡¯re a kid!¡¹


    Maybe because he was too drunk, the man approached the boy in a run while brandishing his right arm, wanting to hit the boy.


    Even though he knew he couldn¡¯t make it in time, Cody ran after the man to stop him. And he saw those eyes.


    The boy¡¯s penetratingly cold pupils.


    Even with a man who wanted to hurt him right in front of his eyes, let alone showing hostility, the boy didn¡¯t even seem to be interested in him. And not only that, he even captured Cody, who was rapidly approaching from behind the man, in his vision.


    In this situation, he had a calmness and a broadness of vision unthinkable of a child.


    His eyes met with the boy¡¯s. In that instant, those emotionless eyes were dyed by a look of surprise, and then by vigilance.


    But that too was only momentary. The boy slipped past the man¡¯s large swing and drove his elbow into the man¡¯s solar plexus.


    That was more than enough to make the man kneel. The boy, who appeared from the other side of the man who had crumbled down, still had his sight turned towards Cody, severely glaring at him, even while being showered in the surrounding crowd¡¯s applause.


    Being in the middle of this series of events, Cody hit upon something.


    (Don¡¯t tell me, he perceived my strength? Just by the intersection of our sight that didn¡¯t even fully last for even an instant?)


    The unmotivated attitude, dislike towards fetters of obligation and hiding of true strength had affected Cody and had made him be content with the status of having the official post of Squad leader, but his fighting prowess was such that even in the chivalric order, it would be much faster if one counted from the top to reach him. It was to the that extent that he could fight on par with the person who would most likely become the next Captain of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order, Vincent Van Westerfort.


    If it was that the boy became surprised at his strength and went on guard looking out for his intervention, then Cody could understand the boy¡¯s reaction.


    (Even more than his strength being able to defeat a large man in one blow, the surprising matter is his observant eyes)


    To be able to accurately see through whether the opponent¡¯s strength was higher or lower than oneself¡¯s just by looking, the person himself should have a certain degree of ability. It seemed as though the boy was considerably strong.


    Wanting to relax the boy¡¯s vigilance, who was still observing him very closely, Cody raised both his hands and plastered a tired smile on his face.


    ¡¸Well, that was splendidly skillful. Onii-san was surprised¡¹


    That figure of him laughing,¡¯Ha ha ha¡¯, was extraordinarily shady. But maybe because the boy decided that he didn¡¯t want to mix up matters with Cody, he slackened his vigilance. Thinking that it would be fine to ask him about the situation if it was like this, Cody continued to speak.


    ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but could you please tell me what exactly happened? Even we just came running now, so we still haven¡¯t grasped the situation¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.It was just that these drunkards were quarreling. And during that time, one of them was thrust towards me so I just dealt with him¡¹


    ¡¸I see. That was quite the artistic way of dealing with it. Joking aside¡¹


    Remembering the legs sprouting out from the water jug, his laughter was welling up. Later on, it might become a funny story when he was drinking. The boy tried to leave since there was nothing else left to speak.


    ¡¸Ah, wait, wait! You aren¡¯t injured, are you? Even if it¡¯s a scratch, if germs enter it¡¯ll be terrible¡¹


    ¡¸I just dealt with guys who couldn¡¯t even help me warm-up. There¡¯s no problem¡¹


    ¡¸Really? Don¡¯t take it lightly. If you just move your body for a bit, then any pain might¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸Annoying. If you want to know about what happened, ask the rubbernecks. Or else, do you want to waste my time by questioning me?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, you found out?¡¹


    His true feelings was that about 20% was for grasping the situation. The rest of it was because he was curious about the boy¡¯s identity, he wanted to drag the conversation but it ended futilely. Glancing at Cody who had easily confessed, the boy left.


    ¡¸Squad leader, what to do with those people?¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, right, let¡¯s see. For now, we¡¯ll wait for them to recover, and in the meantime¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    While firing orders to Robinson, Cody was thinking about the black-haired boy. That discernment and the way he carried himself, and also that unflinching grit even with a person as strong as Cody in front of him, all these were abilities that couldn¡¯t be learnt if he hadn¡¯t experienced real combat. As he saw it, the boy was about 12 to 13 years old, but it was unknown as to where he had piled up such experiences.


    (There are many points that I¡¯m curious about, but to start with, let¡¯s pay attention to the fighting tournament. It seems as though I¡¯ll be able to see something interesting)


    From his words that said they weren¡¯t even able to warm him up, the probability of him participating in today¡¯s fighting tournament was high. When he thought of how the fight for the under-13 division was being held on the 1st day, the boy¡¯s age too seemed to be dead on.


    To the work that was boring, a fragment of enjoyment came rolling in. While thinking of remembering the boy¡¯s name, Cody just realized that he had forgotten to ask for the boy¡¯s name.


    ¡ó


    (I panicked! I seriously panicked! Why is Cody here!?)


    As though running away from the crowd of people, or rather after actually running away, Harold entered an empty alley and held his head.


    The reason was because of the one he had just now encountered, Cody. It was obvious since Harold knew his name, but as expected he too was a character who appeared in the game.


    He was the core person of the mercenary group ¡ºFuriel¡», which was made up of wanderers¡­¡­¡­but he would occasionally appear in front of the hero party and from a common front, and at times would use them in a good way- he was that kind of incomprehensible character. Well, basically he was a good person who came out in some spots and had the role of rescuing the party.


    Harold already knew about the setting of Cody being a former member of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order, so he wasn¡¯t surprised seeing him wear that armor, but he hadn¡¯t even thought that he would run into Cody in this place.


    Because of the tumult of the city that started stirring at sunrise, Harold had opened his eyes when the time was bit past 4 in the morning.


    While thinking about the boisterous and somewhat restless air, he was reminded of the college festival in his university years, and as though it was inviting him his legs turned towards the city.


    30 minutes after he thought of doing some warm-up while also exploring Delfit, a loud shout reached Harold¡¯s ears when he was wandering in the market street without any aim. When he turned his eyes towards the origin of the voice, there were 2 men who were grasping each other¡¯s collars and quarreling. Due to their scuffle, a wooden table was overturned and the plates and glasses on top of it fell down and shattered with a piercing noise.


    As he thought of how they were overflowing with vigor so early in the morning, and when was about to pass them since he wasn¡¯t meddlesome enough to stop them, that happened.


    The man who was thrust away came falling in Harold¡¯s direction. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. It would have been fine to quickly avoid him and walk away. When he was about to do so, he realized that there was a small girl behind him. If Harold were to dodge, the girl might be squashed by the man.


    And from there, his body moved before he could think. Harold swept the legs of the man, who was unbalanced and was falling down towards him, while at the same time he gripped the man¡¯s right wrist and shoved him inside the uncovered water jug. The man who was floating in midair had no means to struggle.


    After that, it became something like Harold fighting the other man and paying him back after agitating him with sarcastic words. At this point, Harold had a defiant mental state thinking,¡¯I don¡¯t care anymore¡¯.


    He had already given up being hateful at this mouth whenever it spit out reckless remarks since it would just make him tired.


    When Harold was thinking of handling it as fast as possible, he noticed the suddenly incoming Cody and him mind went into chaos.


    Due to that, he lost his composure and unintentionally erred in holding back as he used his elbow.


    (Sorry, I went too far, uncle who¡¯s name I don¡¯t know)


    Remembering the appearance of the man who had fainted, Harold apologized in his heart, and after suddenly calming down, he realized that there had been no need to run away from Cody.


    In the first place, Harold and Cody¡¯s relationship in the game hadn¡¯t been described. By the time the game started, Harold had been a member of the chivalric order, and Cody had already made Furiel. Although there might have been some period when they had both been members, it would have been very short.


    (I mean, wouldn¡¯t it have become more easier later if he had remembered my face?)


    Since there were times when Cody would accompany the hero party, if Harold had some connection to him, Cody could become a source for Harold to learn about the party¡¯s internal affairs. If he thought about it, then his previous actions might have been too hasty.


    While pondering about how to somehow build a friendly relationship with Cody the next time they met, Harold returned to the inn to have breakfast.


    When he arrived in front of the inn, he met Itsuki who had just come out.


    ¡¸Good morning, Harold-kun. Where had you gone?¡¹


    ¡¸Previewing the venue¡¹


    It was true that along with taking a stroll, he had taken a glance at the venue. Looking at the unexpectedly big stage, honestly he was a bit nervous.


    ¡¸It seems like you have enough motivation. I have something that I want to give you¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.What is this?¡¹


    Itsuki handed him something that was wrapped in paper. While feeling suspicious, he peeled the wrapping off. The thing that was there was a mask that covered from above the nose, like the one used in balls.


    ¡¸Since you¡¯re participating while changing your name, I thought how about even hiding your real face too¡¹


    ¡¸Like hell I¡¯d want this!¡¹


    That retort came from his very soul. They might have been the most powerfully said words from the time he had possessed this body. Somehow recently Itsuki¡¯s character had become more and more incomprehensible. When they had first met, Harold had thought that he was a person with serious sister complex, but actually, he had a weird playfulness which could be considered as quite similar to Erika in the game.


    But when he prepared for such an item with a serious face, Harold couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether he was playful or a natural airhead. Was he really the same person who had outwitted Erika and Harold last night?


    Harold, who was dejected with the mask given as a present, would immediately come to know that he had been registered in the tournament with the an extremely dubious name like ¡ºMr.Lord¡», and would once again quarrel with Itsuki just before the tournament.


    As a result, his nervousness was dispersed with a pointless tiredness replacing it, and he stood on the stage for his first match.


    The stage at the venue was surrounded with a huge crowd with their enthusiastic gazes and cheers directed towards the participants. The pressure felt as though it could physically push. If one took even a step out of the room where the under-13 division¡¯s participants were present, they would unsparingly be bathed in that pressure.


    ¡¸And facing off, with his real name unknown, is Mr.Lord-kun!¡¹


    When his registered name was called, Harold climbed up the stage with heavy footsteps. Although this digressed, the only one who had used an alias from among all the participants was just Harold, so he stood out even more. Even if he didn¡¯t want his background to be known, if he gathered attention due to it, then wouldn¡¯t it have had an adverse affect.


    While thinking about such things, Harold pushed down his embarrassment, and as though expelling all his emotions, his face became completely expressionless. Although that appearance seemed as though he was concentrating on the match, if one looked at the young boy from up close, they would feel as though they were looking at some fearful existence.


    And when the match was about to start, Harold saw her. The blond hair that was shining due to the sunlight was longer than what he remembered, with it being tied in a ponytail now, was the girl he had saved 3 years ago. Although she still had childish features, there were vestiges of features that would be there 5 years later of which only Harold knew, Colette Emerel was there in the spectator seats.


    Colette too looked at Harold with her chestnut colored eyes. As though to run away from that gaze, Harold averted his eyes.


    She completely knew. When he saw how Colette had widened her eyes due to surprise, Harold was convinced of it. It was the worst timing possible for a reunion since Erika was here. If there was a God, he wanted to curse at his nastiness.


    (Ah, if I knew that it would be like this, it would have been better to have worn that mask given by Itsuki¡­¡­.. It might have become unexpectedly popular. Isn¡¯t it the strongest item since it can hide one¡¯s identity while also get laughs?)


    Harold, who had fallen into a crisis, for now, attempted to escape reality.


    TL-


    1.Sanpaku gan (Èý°×ÑÛ) or Sanpaku (Èý°×) is a Japanese term meaning ¡°three whites¡±, and refers to eyes in which the white space above or below the iris is visible.

 Chapter 26

    While being jostled by the heated-up crowd, he pushed his way through and moved forward. While apologizing to the surrounding crowd, with light movements he quickly arrived at the front row of the spectator seats.


    ¡¸Oh, it seems like I somehow made it in time. It was worth it to leave the work to my subordinates¡¹


    Stroking the stubble on his chin, Cody muttered after he found that black-haired boy standing on the stage. Cody¡¯s squad had been ordered to patrol all around the city. He had pushed that work onto his 3 subordinates including Robinson, and had sneaked out to observe the fighting tournament. Right about now, his subordinates would be working while resentfully complaining about him. He would receive scoldings after they met later, but for now he forgot about that and gave preference to satisfying his curiosity.


    Sitting in a seat which had a good view, he watched a few matches that weren¡¯t very interesting. Finally, the boy whom he had been waiting for, appeared on the stage. His outfit seemed like it was tailor-made for him with the material being good quality leather. Even the gauntlet equipped on his left arm, from its color, it seemed to be made from materials different from the general bronze ones.


    (That¡¯s superior than the ones used by the low-class knights(us). Is he a noble from somewhere?)


    Even the name that was called was Mr.Lord, which was obviously an alias. From his outfit, the probability of him being a common citizen was low. In that case, it would be quite hard to lure him into the chivalric order. Actually recruiting him would completely depend on his strength, so Cody had come here to ascertain that.


    In other words, this would work as a splendid pretense of him scouting out a talent who could carry the chivalric order in the future. By no means was he slacking off. He had also prepared to argue with such sophistry when the time came. With this, he could concentrate on the boy¡¯s match without any anxiety.


    ¡¸Then let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve¡­¡­¡­got?¡¹


    But before Cody could finish his sentence, the match was over. Immediately after the ¡®Start!¡¯ call, Lord closed the distance between himself and his opponent in a single step, flicked away his opponent¡¯s sword and thrust his own sword tip before the opponent.


    The match hadn¡¯t even taken 3 seconds, being concluded at lightning speed. It was understandable that the opponent boy¡¯s eyes had become dots.


    And yet, coupled with that sharp gaze which seemed as though he wanted to kill, it might have induced much more fear than the fake sword thrust in front of the boy. Swallowed by the murderous aura of Lord, the opponent boy declared his surrender in a quavering voice.


    Due to the match ending instantaneously, even the crowd which was excited, didn¡¯t know what had happened and was making a stir. Without even minding the surrounding crowd¡¯s bewilderment, Lord left the stage.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Oioi, isn¡¯t this real outstanding talent?¡¹


    The strength of the participants in this sort of tournament would be in all ranges. Even the current opponent boy had sufficient strength, but it was only to the degree of when speaking within that given age group. In other words, it wasn¡¯t the part about him winning that needed to be noted. His speed was what was astonishing. Most probably, the other boy might have felt something like before he realized, he had lost. If he just compared only with regards to speed, then Lord would completely outclass his current subordinates.


    Even while being surrounded by a few thousand spectators, without faltering even by a little, he had overwhelmed his opponent with movements that had no hesitation or useless parts. Although he was still immature with regards to mind, skill and body, being able to exhibit that much physical ability under such a situation was splendid.


    This much talent, it would be wasteful to keep it hidden. Thinking like that may be due to the ego of belonging to the chivalric order, but as far as Cody was concerned, they would lose nothing by increasing the amount of excellent people. Even if he called it scouting, the right to decided whether a person would join or not was left to themselves, but Cody didn¡¯t have such an admirable personality so as to hold back due to this.


    (It seems like it would be good to call dibs on him. But¡­¡­..)


    From the previous match, Cody perceived a certain indication from Lord. It was as though he was rushing the match, a negligible but sure impatience was present.


    It was that Lord who had seen through Cody¡¯s strength with not even an instant passing when their gazes had intersected this morning. There was no way he could not have perceived the difference in strength between himself and his opponent. Obviously, it wouldn¡¯t even become a reason to rush for the win. It might have just been simply Cody misunderstanding.


    But if that wasn¡¯t the case, then towards what was he showing that impatience. This doubt remained within Cody¡¯s head.


    ¡ó


    When he noticed Colette, Harold¡¯s actions were extremely fast. Along with the call for the start of the match, he broke into a quick attack, made his opponent surrender instantly and left the stage.


    He hurriedly returned to the tournament participants¡¯ room and while frantically moving his eyes, he started searching for a certain boy.


    Since Colette was here, the probability of him too being here was high. The protagonist of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», Ryner.


    The problem was whether he was a spectator like Colette or a participant in the tournament. The worst case would be when he would have to fight Ryner in this tournament.


    Unfortunately, Harold¡¯s prayer,¡¯Please be in the spectator seats¡¯, vanished into thin air. That embodiment of naturally highly-spirited and liveliness, his spiky hair entered Harold¡¯s vision. His hair color was as he remembered, a burning red.


    When the name Ryner Griffith was called, he dashed towards the stage with a state of having excessive fighting spirit. Harold¡¯s head hung down after he confirmed that figure. With this, it became definite that Ryner was participating in the tournament.


    (Seriously ¡«¡­¡­¡­.? Should I give up before I face him?)


    This development shouldn¡¯t have been there in the game. In the game, when he reaches Delfit, there was a scene where Ryner would be surprised looking at a huge ship. ¡®So it was the first time he had come to Delfit¡¯, such words were said. He completely didn¡¯t understand how that would lead to him participating in the fighting tournament.


    In any case, he would let sleeping dogs lie1. While he was thinking of withdrawing from the tournament by giving some vague reason, he suddenly realized that what he was doing now was the same as what he had done this morning. Without even thinking deeply, just because they were characters that appeared in the game, he was reflexively trying to avoid them.


    If he thought back to it, the reason Ryner was hostile towards Harold was mainly because of Clara being killed and Harold¡¯s speech and behavior within the story. And Harold had already cleared Clara¡¯s matter.


    Although his speech was like that, even in the future, he had the intention to act decently like how he had done until now. This meant that there would be no reason for Ryner to hate him. Instead, it would be a good plan to get along with him. Although he had no intention to be included in the hero party that was always at the front lines with the highest danger, it was possible to give them advise on increasing their war potential by using his knowledge about the game. If they became hostile, there was no way that they would even listen to him.


    When he thought until there, his head had also cooled down a lot. In the first place, even if Erika and Colette met, it would be their first time seeing each other. As long as Harold wasn¡¯t present when they met, there was no way his past actions would be discovered.


    Since Erika wouldn¡¯t get close to Harold on her own, it would be a good chance to indirectly inquire about Colette and Ryner¡¯s relationship through this tournament.


    While confirming Ryner¡¯s strength at the present point of time, if Harold could get acquainted with him for the future, he could also build a friendly relationship. There was no need to simply stand and watch this chance slip away from right under his nose. As he established his objective, Harold shifted his awareness towards the match. When he turned towards the stage, it was just when Ryner had won the match. He was happily making a Guts-pose.


    Although it was hypothetical, he was still the Hero that would save the world in the future. ¡®If talking with regards to the game, even if he was level 1, he wouldn¡¯t lose in this kind of place¡¯, was what Harold wanted to think. That said, for now he should frankly congratulate him. It would also help him start a conversation.


    (What should I say? Congrats¡­¡­..would become ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you impulsive¡±. What is that? That¡¯s so arrogant. Uh.., to make it harmless and inoffensive¡­¡­¡­.)


    While he was thinking of such things, Ryner had already come near him. Wanting to stop him, Harold spontaneously said these words.


    ¡¸Oi, you, Red hair¡¹


    As a result, he made a mistake in choosing his words. Together with his posture, where he had folded his arms while leaning his back on the wall, his words came off as being extraordinarily haughty. But once the words left his mouth, there was no way they would return. At the words ¡®Red hair¡¯, Ryner¡¯s feet stopped.


    ¡¸Ah, you!¡¹


    As soon as Ryner, who was stopped, became aware of Harold, he suddenly drew closer. When Harold thought that he might have gotten angry, there was no anger in those eyes, but for some reason they were blazing with a fire.


    ¡¸Say, aren¡¯t you that incredibly fast guy? I was watching, but I didn¡¯t understand at all! How did you do that? Can I also do that!?¡¹


    That manner of his contained so much force that it made even Harold, who had called him, want to back away. Even in the game, he was a character who had retained his childishness, but when he was actually a kid, it was all the more powerful.


    ¡¸Even if it¡¯s just a little trick for it, please teach me! If that¡¯s not possible, it¡¯s fine even if you just tell what kind of practice you do regularly! Even I carry weights and run around, but I can¡¯t move as fast as you¡¹


    ¡¸To start with, close that needlessly functioning mouth¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, sorry. Come to think, I still haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Ryner!¡¹


    Ryner cheerfully extended his right hand.


    After hesitating for a moment, Harold shook that hand.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Harold. Call me however you want¡¹


    ¡¸Okay! Yoroshiku2, Harold!¡¹


    Ryner turned a worry-free grin towards Harold. For him, they were already friends. Ryner was a boy like that. Even for Harold, that was a likeable point. Contacting this pure boy completely due to ulterior motives hurt Harold¡¯s conscience a bit, but he ignored it.


    ¡¸I saw your fighting style but you were somewhat impulsive. Although, you¡¯re much better than these other riffraff¡¹


    ¡¸Hee, thank you¡¹


    No matter what, one could only think that he was trying to agitate the other participants. Obviously, grim glares flew towards them from the surrounding people, but without noticing them, Ryner frankly became shy. It seemed as though him being an idiot who couldn¡¯t understand sarcasm hadn¡¯t changed. For Harold, where the forcibly used abusive language was a cause of constant annoyance, truthfully he was considerably grateful for that kind of reaction.


    ¡¸But I have no duty to expressly teach you anything. If you want to know, then fight against me and try to steal it. Only if you¡¯re able to keep winning up through the tournament though¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ll do it! Harold too, don¡¯t lose before you fight against me, alright?¡¹


    ¡¸Who do you think you¡¯re speaking to. The only thing you¡¯ll be able to learn is that the difference in strength between us is as huge as the difference between heaven and earth¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it. Well, later! Next time, let¡¯s meet during the match!¡¹


    Ryner, with that friendly smile until now disappearing, instead smiling belligerently and Harold, who was as haughty as usual. Determined and fearless. For now, this was the preliminary encounter.


    From afar, the other participants were glowering at those 2 who were like that. Since both of them spoke as though they didn¡¯t care about anybody else than the one in front of themselves, it couldn¡¯t be helped that the others thought that those 2 were provoking them.


    Unexpectedly, he had raised the hurdle for Ryner, but if he was hero, then he could easily jump over them all.


    ¡¸Only then will this fight be worth it¡¹


    Harold mumbled while looking at his right hand, which had been grasped strongly.


    TL-


    1. The saying used here is actually -sawaranu kami ni tatari nashi ¨C which translates to -If you don¡¯t touch a god, you won¡¯t be cursed.


    2.This is like the most common annoying to translate word. Although it could be translated to ¡®Please take care of me¡¯, that becomes too polite coming from Ryner. So I left it as it is. If anybody has any suggestions, please do tell.

 Chapter 27

    Those emotions that hinted at his true feelings, for them to be expressed as words was a difficult feeling. The most appropriate might be the feeling of being deeply moved.


    Finally, he had already come to the point where he met with the hero of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», Ryner. The chance meeting that should have happened 5 years in the future according to the game, had already been accomplished.


    Although it was completely outside his expectations, being able to build a friendly relationship with Ryner had proved that his actions up until now hadn¡¯t been wrong.


    Involuntarily, the corners of his mouth rose up. It looked like an extremely evil smile. The participants who personally saw it were attacked by chills, and all of them simultaneously retreated. Harold, whose conscious had completely shifted onto Ryner, didn¡¯t notice the situation around him.


    How can I gain his trust? How high is his strength currently? Does he have a close relationship with Colette like in the game?- Harold only had these thoughts inside his head right now.


    As a matter of fact, soon after Harold came to know that this was the world of ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», while establishing the objective of evading his own death flags, only once he had thought that there might not be any need for him to personally take any action.


    Bluntly speaking, this world was something that was produced. It was an interweaving of characters and fate determined by the producers, a story with its conclusion already determined.


    There will always be a protagonist in a story. And for a protagonist, something called protagonist correction1 always exists.


    That, which could also be called as the will of the author, was a tremendous power that could make the surrounding circumstances, the flow of the environment, the world itself an ally of the protagonist. Naturally, inside the game, even Ryner had been saved by it. If that wasn¡¯t the case, no matter how outstanding they were, there was no way the world could be saved by some 10 odd people.


    But contrarily, as long as Ryner was the protagonist, people would, the world would ally with him. This world too should have surely been made in that manner.


    That¡¯s why, he doubted the necessity of a small existence like Harold Stokes trying out to help. Without doing anything unnecessary, quickly getting out of the front stage of the story, it would be be much better and would also be as far away as possible from danger if he became some nameless Villager A.


    Like that itself, wouldn¡¯t it be fine to just play dumb in some corner of the world like the minor role he was and wait for the story to welcome the happy ending.


    If he thought back to it now, that might have been him shrinking back due to his future, wanting to throw away his duties and escaping. But still, the reason he wasn¡¯t invited by that easy way out was because of the fact that he had saved Clara.


    Although it was with Harold¡¯s assistance, she was able to escape her death which should have already been determined.


    In short, even if this was a world that resembled the game ¡ºBrave Hearts¡», there was no correction power that existed like in the story.


    If this hypothesis was correct, then even if Harold ran away, there might not be any villain who would appear instead of him. That would make the story collapse. It might also serve as a negative effect on the protagonist¡¯s growth. The protagonist who couldn¡¯t grow as much as in the game couldn¡¯t save the world- to also avoid this kind of situation, Harold continued to be involved in the story.


    (¡­¡­.But if you think about it in the other way, it would also be possible to strengthen Ryner)


    Although Harold had just focused on the negative aspects and hadn¡¯t even thought about it until they actually met, by making him accumulate more experience than in the game and by teaching him how to efficiently fight against enemies, Ryner could become stronger than in the game.


    Hiding this secret motive, Harold was waiting for their confrontation. Until the fight against Ryner, all the other participants he fought with, were defeated in a single move without any exceptions.


    And the battle against Ryner was, as though someone had planned for it, was on the stage for the finals. Both their victories were overwhelming. Almost none of their opponents could exchange blows with them. And when the 2 of them stood against each other on the stage, the spectators¡¯ excitement had reached the peak.


    ¡¸Like I promised, I¡¯ve come till here¡¹


    ¡¸Naturally. If it isn¡¯t just all talk, then prove that strength to me¡¹


    ¡¸Bring it on!¡¹


    Making a strong face filled with competitive spirit, without being timid, Ryner declared. His thoughts that he was absolutely going to win were clearly floating up. Maybe he couldn¡¯t hold back those feelings. As soon as the match started, Ryner attacked.


    It was a horizontal sweep, as though wanting to ward off the opponent. Immediately after Harold avoided that by moving backwards, Ryner, who had closed the distance, pursued attacking. From the right, from the left, from top, from bottom, and sometimes, directly from the front. Those uninterrupted sword strikes that were unleashed, each and every single one of them, were calmly knocked away by Harold.


    Speed, power and technique. Certainly, compared to the opponents Harold had fought against until now, Ryner outclassed every single one of them in all these areas. Harold could understand how he could safely come up to the finals.


    But that was it. He didn¡¯t feel any menace from Ryner¡¯s strength.


    (Oioi¡­¡­..seriously, is that all?)


    As far as Harold was concerned, bluntly speaking, there wasn¡¯t much difference compared to the other participants. At the current point of time, if Ryner¡¯s strength was expressed in game values, it would be level 1, and if one took his age into consideration, then he might be even lower. If that point was taken as the basis, then it would be inevitable to think that Harold was aiming too high, but if it was like this, then Harold couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether he could become a hero who could truly save the world.


    Personally seeing Ryner¡¯s strength, the thing Harold felt was neither anger nor disappointment. It was an anxiety that seemed to weigh down heavily upon him.


    ¡ó


    That was, for Ryner, a shocking spectacle. The tournament he had participated in, while in high spirits. The boy who had participated before him, with a speed that could only be seen as though he had disappeared, had finished his match before anybody could even blink.


    Harold. That was how the boy, who was so fast that even following him with the eyes would be difficult, named himself. Moreover, Harold who  had that much strength, had acknowledged his own strength. For Ryner who had put great effort to become strong, to gain strength for protecting the people important to him, those words made him happy. But at the same time, seeing that a boy, whose age wasn¡¯t that much different than his own was so strong, he also felt frustrated.


    That¡¯s why, he was really serious. Like how he was against his parents, who repelled him every time he challenged them, or even more seriously putting his all his feelings, Ryner confronted Harold.


    As though he wanted to collide with Harold with everything he had.


    And yet, Ryner¡¯s sword didn¡¯t reach Harold.


    (Not even a single strike is hitting him, why!?)


    More than 50 sword strikes. Almost all of them were repelled by Harold¡¯s sword, and those that weren¡¯t, were easily evaded by him by simply turning his body.


    Although it was a thin and lightweight longsword, he was freely using it with only one hand, and was effortlessly dealing with Ryner¡¯s strikes.


    And moreover, Harold still hadn¡¯t used that extremely high speed of his to attack in this match. He was continuing to let Ryner attack as he pleased while not moving his legs at all.


    As though he was completely on the defensive. Because it was different from his usual flashy way of fighting, the spectators were cheering him on by saying,¡¯Fight properly¡¯.


    But for Ryner who was crossing swords with him, every time they  he struck with his sword, he was shown the clear difference in their strength. It was close to the despair felt when a staunch fort, furnished with tall, thick ramparts, was invaded with just a single swing of a sword.


    The moment a small crack was produced in Ryner¡¯s heart, his sword dulled by a little bit, and seeing that, Harold backed away.


    And he threw these words at Ryner¡¯s strength.


    ¡¸What a disappointment. You¡¯re not even worth considering¡¹


    ¡¸What!?¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that the truth? You¡¯re attacks aren¡¯t even grazing me. It¡¯s futile no matter how many times you repeat it¡¹


    ¡¸You haven¡¯t even attacked yet!¡¹


    ¡¸You moron. Something like that, I can do it whenever I want¡¹


    Harold put those words into action. Simultaneously as Ryner realized that Harold had disappeared from his vision, the sword held by both his hands was cut down.


    The blade was split right at the middle, and the upper half of the blade slid on top of the stone floor. There was only the less than one half of the length of the thing that had been a sword, left in his hands.


    All the weapons used in the fighting tournament were fake swords that had their edges dulled. That said, to bisect it so cleanly, he couldn¡¯t even imagine just how much skill was required.


    And yet, the most surprising thing was still that speed. Looking at it from outside and actually confronting it was completely different. Before Ryner could really see anything at all, he had already closed the gap.


    ¡¸Not being able to even react to something of this level, I can¡¯t help but feel shocked¡¹


    ¡¸Shit¡­¡­.¡¹


    He lost, without any suspense. He was shown a difference that was greater than one between an adult and a child. It was the first time since he had been born that he had lost to a person in the same generation in sword strength. He hadn¡¯t even thought that it would be so frustrating.


    As though averting his eyes from Harold, who seemed like too distant an existence, Ryner turned his face downwards.


    ¡®Now, it¡¯ll be over after the referee declares my defeat¡¯, thought Ryner, but no matter how much time passed, the referee didn¡¯t raise his voice. What was displayed in front of Ryner¡¯s eyes, when he raised his face up since he was thinking that it was strange, was Harold¡¯s figure who had thrust the fake sword in front of the referee.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Eh?¡¹


    Looking at that scene which exceeded his understanding, that frustration and sense of defeat was instantly blown away, and he was left completely dumbfounded.


    For some reason, Harold was threatening the referee.


    ¡¸Oi, you bastard, this guy still hasn¡¯t admitted that he has been defeated, so what are you thinking wanting to end the match?¡¹


    ¡¸No, well, his weapon is broken and since he can¡¯t fight anymore¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸Then won¡¯t it be fine for him to use another one¡¹


    ¡¸Eeh¡­..?¡¹


    At those words, this time, both Ryner and the referee became perplexed. Ignoring those 2, Harold ripped away a sword from one the other participants below the stage.


    No matter how anybody saw it, this match was Harold¡¯s win. Even Ryner, though hadn¡¯t said it from his own mouth, had already acknowledged his defeat.


    ¡¸Ryner¡¹


    ¡¸Wh, what?¡¹


    Holding a fake sword that had been conveniently taken away, Harold came back in front of Ryner. And then, Harold threw it carelessly at his feet, while he was being vigilant.


    ¡¸Pick it up if you still have the will to fight¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Ryner was silently gazing at the thrown sword. If it were the usual him, without any hesitation, he might have picked it up and asked for a rematch. The reason he was hesitating like this now was because Harold was too strong. If there was such a formidable opponent in the same generation, there was no way he could be a match for him. He was afraid of thinking like that, of acknowledging that.


    It was close to instinct to think of protecting one¡¯s self-respect, pride. Much less, when Ryner had never lost to anybody except his parents. And now, after he had thoroughly lost to Harold, if he were to fight anymore, then would only add to the shame of losing. His heart might break.


    ¡®That¡¯s why, let¡¯s stop¡¯, he thought.


    ¡¸For what reason do you seek strength?¡¹


    That decision was halted by Harold¡¯s question.


    ¡¸For what, reason¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Why had he thought of becoming strong.


    Was it because it was his dream to become the Captain of a chivalric order? Was it because he wanted to win against his mother or father some day? Certainly, those were also true. They were his dream from before, and a nearby target. But he felt that those weren¡¯t the correct reasons.


    How had he arrived at wanting to fulfill that dream, and that target? Why had he admired the position of the Captain of a chivalric order?


    (If I become strong, then I can be a knight. Since if I become a knight, then I can protect various people¡­¡­..)


    Protect. It was a very vague, and yet a very simple desire. But, that was right. Ryner¡¯s craving for strength, its origin was laughably simple.


    When he had been younger than now, a friend of his had been bullied by a kid who was older than them in the village. The difference of 1 or 2 years was extremely huge for children. To surpass that gap, Ryner sought strength. To protect his friend, to defeat an opponent who was bigger and stronger than himself. The justice that lived inside him, to put that into practice, it wasn¡¯t possible if he weren¡¯t strong. He wanted strength to protect the things important to him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..I have things that I have to protect. To protect them all, it would be useless if I¡¯m not the strongest!¡¹


    There was also the promise he had made with his childhood friend who was always captious. He would never let that person cry again. For the sake of that, he would become stronger than anyone. That¡¯s why, no matter how strong the opponent was, Ryner had to win. There was no way he could give up before he could win.


    ¡¸You¡¯ll protect everything? You¡¯re acting as though you¡¯re a hero¡¹


    ¡¸Still, that is my resolve¡¹


    ¡¸Humph, no matter how resolved you are, if you don¡¯t have strength corresponding to it, you¡¯d just seem ridiculous¡¹


    ¡¸If it¡¯s power, I¡¯ll just increase it! Right here, right now!¡¹


    Once again, a fire lit up in Ryner¡¯s eyes. The hand that held the sword was hot. That heat, as though wanting to encroach his body, continued spreading from his right hand. His whole body pulsated, with a feeling as though his blood was boiling.


    His body, his heart instantly became lighter.


    ¡¸Here I come, Harold!¡¹


    Strongly kicking the ground, he surrendered his body to that floating sensation and approached Harold with a slash. By completing that series of actions, he understood.


    That the him right now was swinging the sword in a sharper and faster manner than he had ever done before. And yet, he could sense that even more power was rapidly gushing forth from inside his body.


    He couldn¡¯t suppress that delirious sensation. No, the Ryner, who had no intention to suppress it, started to fiercely attack Harold.


    When he peeked at Harold¡¯s state, although he was repelling the attacks just like before, his expression was distorted by hatred.


    The sound of him clicking his tongue informed Ryner that he was pressing Harold back. Due to victory drawing closer, even more power flooded out of him.


    ¡¸Uryaaaaa!¡¹


    He slashed down at Harold with all of his might. Harold barely managed to dodge it. When the sword that cut through the air hit the floor, as though to show his power, a fissure ran through it. Glancing at that, Harold murmured.


    ¡¸You¡¯re using ¡ºBrave Mode¡» here? As expected, you are¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸Haa, ha¡­¡­¡­brave, mode¡­¡­..?¡¹


    He repeated the words he had heard for the first time. And finally, he realized that he was breathing heavily. It didn¡¯t look like he could continue being in this state for a long time. Then, he would postpone anything that he needed to think about.


    Readjusting his grip on the sword, while raising a voice filled with fighting spirit, he restarted attacking for the nth time.


    ¡¸Deeeeiii!¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t get conceited!¡¹


    This time, Harold responded. A dizzying amount of sword strike were exchanged. At the battle that couldn¡¯t be thought of as being fought by kids, the spectators swallowed their saliva, and the metallic sound of the sword clashes dominated the stadium. Everybody who were present in that place were captivated by their figures, and although they were curious about the outcome of the match, they wanted this battle to last as long as possible. Those contradictory feelings were welling up in them.


    But eternity didn¡¯t exist. Eventually, the time to end the 2¡¯s battle came.


    ¡¸Gu¡­¡­¡­.!¡¹


    After evading an attack, Ryner¡¯s feet got tangled, and when he was about to fall down, he somehow forcefully took a step. That was because his body that should have been light, abruptly became heavy.


    It became so heavy that it was as though the muscles in his hands and legs had been changed into lead, and it was so painful that it was as though even while trying to breath he couldn¡¯t inhale air.


    (Wrong¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ve just returned, to the usual state¡­¡­¡­.)


    Ryner had repeated moving in a way that he himself had thought wasn¡¯t usually possible. It was nothing more than the recoil for those actions.


    He felt as though he was reaching his limits in even gripping the sword. His legs were trembling just by him standing, and it felt as though he would fall if he lost his focus even for a bit.


    He fought well. In the end, he still couldn¡¯t properly hit Harold with even a single strike, but still it was a good fight.


    If it was the him until yesterday, he couldn¡¯t have fought like this until the bitter end. That¡¯s why, it would be fine to rest already, right?


    Harold is unrivalled.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Like, I would say that!!¡¹


    The weakness that was creeping up on his heart, Ryner erased it with a loud shout. Even if he couldn¡¯t win, even if the other person was unrivalled, he would never give up. This was also for the sake of keeping his promise to Colette.


    That high spirit still hadn¡¯t gone dim. On the contrary, it increased as though it was burning up all the more.


    As though in concord with Ryner, the surrounding winds surged. That red hair moved like flickering flames.


    The next would be the last. And because it was the end, he had to put his all into it. He would fire everything he had got. A single strike with all of his might, all his accumulated effort and all his thoughts placed into it.


    If you can¨C


    ¡¸Then try to stop iittt!!¡¹


    From the sword blade that was swung down as though wanting to cleave Harold, deep crimson flames erupted out with a heavy sound.


    Those were flames that contained Ryner¡¯s will. His strong emotions that incarnated his thirst for victory.


    In all of the 12 years Ryner had been alive for, this was his strongest attack. He had complete conviction that he had fired off something like that.


    Those howling flames attacked Harold directly. As though wanting to swallow his body, it was in that instant when those flames conspicuously swelled up.


    A white light flashed as though to completely paint over one¡¯s vision. Almost simultaneously as everyone closed their eyes due to not being able to bear it, a thunderous sound which seemed to tear the air reverberated throughout the stadium.


    One person cowered, while another screamed in fear.


    The thing that made all living things forcibly feel terror and peril, it was that dreadful thing¡¯s invasion.


    The only people who could properly recognize that thing¡¯s identity were those who were in a place away from the stadium.


    A never before seen huge bolt of lightning attacked the stadium. Suddenly raining down from the sky that was completely clear, that lightning bolt completely crushed the flames that was about to thoroughly burn Harold, without leaving even a trace behind.


    Naturally, there was no need to even think about whose doing it was. The only one in the stadium who was completely unwaveringly calm was Harold. He, a boy of only 13 years, had fired that.


    ¡¸Haha¡­¡­..seri, ously¡­¡­?¡¹


    Even that one strike into which he had put his everything, until his spirit had been completely exhausted, hadn¡¯t been able to reach Harold. Not only that, he had easily outclassed Ryner. Looking at that scene, he could do nothing other than laugh. But Ryner didn¡¯t have enough energy left to even smile.


    With a blurry vision and powerless legs, without being able to move even a single finger, Ryner started falling towards the front.


    The one who stopped and supported that body was Harold. Supporting Ryner at his chest area with his right arm, Harold talked as though he was exasperated.


    ¡¸Idiot. If you could do that, then you should have started off with it¡¹


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you being way too harsh¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡°That¡± surely indicated his last strike. Being cornered until he could not even properly stand on his own legs, and yet only because he had struggled until the end, wanting to win, that he was able to unleash it.


    It wasn¡¯t something that could be used easily.


    Ryner, who was astonished at the fact that a person more Spartan than his mother actually existed, could barely reply back in a feeble voice. Maybe due to truly exhausting all his power with that, Ryner lost his consciousness in Harold¡¯s arms. Entrusting him to the medics who came rushing, while watching Ryner being carried away on a stretcher, Harold mumbled a compliment that reached nobody.


    ¡¸But well, I¡¯ll take back my words saying that you were a disappointment. Since it seems as though your power reaches at least to the level where my feet are¡¹


    Although it was thoroughly condescending, it was unmistakably a praise. There was no way Harold¡¯s words could reach Ryner, who had long lost his consciousness. But there seemed to be a somewhat satisfied smile on Ryner¡¯s face.

 Chapter 28

    The match between Ryner and Harold concluded. Colette, who was looking at that scene in a daze, came to her senses in the next instant and started running towards Ryner, who had collapsed.


    That magic Harold had unleashed at the end. Although it wasn¡¯t a direct hit, there was no guarantee that Ryner was safe. Without even listening to Ryner¡¯s father, Orbell, trying to restrain her, she moved her legs while being driven by anxiety.


    But when she was just a bit away from the first-aid room, her path was blocked by a crowd. Even while thinking,¡¯Why are there so many people?¡¯, Colette resolutely plunged into the crowd, and while raising her voice saying, ¡¸Excuse me!¡¹ ¡¸Please let me through!¡¹, with those thin arms of hers, she pushed her way through them.


    That crowd abruptly split. Due to the pressure around her suddenly disappearing, Colette pitched forward due to her momentum, but still, she reorganized her posture with her inherent sense of balance, managing to stop falling down.


    And when she raised her face, her eyes met with Harold¡¯s.


    ¡¸Ah¡­¡­.¡¹


    Involuntarily, her voice leaked out.


    It seemed as though this crowd had split because they had wanted to avoid Harold. If she were to look around, a space that was close to a circle seemed to be made up around him. Certainly, she could agree that one¡¯s knees would become weak if they were to meet him right after they had seen that lightning. Colette too, would have acted similar to them if she hadn¡¯t been saved by Harold in the past.


    But just because of that, it wasn¡¯t as though she could promptly speak to him. There was a huge amount of words and gratitude she wanted to convey. But after seeing the person who had saved her life and her precious childhood friend fight, now, at this particular moment when she was in a very unstable mood, she couldn¡¯t put together any words.


    Although it wasn¡¯t as though he had perceived her emotions, Harold started speaking to her.


    ¡¸Is that the guy whom you have acknowledged?¡¹


    ¡¸Eh¡­¡­.? Ah! Y, yes!¡¹


    Maybe because Colette¡¯s mind was considerably disturbed, even her reply was very shaky. However, she understood what Harold was speaking about and replied back.


    ¡¸I thought I had told you to give that to a man who could protect you. Why did you purposely choose a weakling like that?¡¹


    ¡®That¡¯ was most probably the necklace Harold had given her 3 years ago. From the day Ryner had accepted that necklace, he had always worn it around his neck. While in the middle of fighting, Harold must have realized that Ryner was the knight that would protect Colette.


    ¡¸Ry, Ryner isn¡¯t weak at all. He will protect me¡¹


    Colette, who had replied back like that, had done so in a frail voice. However, she hadn¡¯t averted her eyes and had spoken while firmly gazing at Harold.


    ¡¸Hmph, well if you¡¯re satisfied at just being protected, then that¡¯s fine. A suitable coward for a weakling to protect. At the most, you could only hold Ryner back though¡¹


    ¡¸Why are you saying something like that¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Why Harold was rebuking the both of them, Colette couldn¡¯t understand the reason for doing that. Just, it was unbearably painful to be reproached by Harold.


    ¡¸You should have personally experienced how helpless being weak is. And yet, if even after that you choose the path of living as a weakling, then suit yourself. Not like I care¡¹


    After saying only that much, as though losing his interest in Colette, Harold left. The reunion with the one had who saved her life had just ended with a few lines being exchanged. That too, in a form of one-sidedly being abandoned.


    ¡®Why?¡¯- only that question kept on going around inside her head. Why had Harold, who had saved the both of them, used such harsh words against her?


    Without understanding the reason, when she came to her senses, there were tears floating up in her vision. It was due to Harold¡¯s irrational behavior, and was also because of the sorrow at being abandoned by him.


    She wiped the tears that were about to overflow and fall down with her cuffs. When she turned her eyes towards the direction where Harold left, that back seemed to appear very distant. When she considered that gap as the distance between them, Colette¡¯s heart unnaturally tightened very much.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve to go to Ryner¡¹


    Powerlessly, Colette instructed herself. As though wanting to run away from something she didn¡¯t want to look at, she dashed towards the direction opposite to Harold. And when she reached the first-aid room, Ryner was lying with his eyes closed. According to the doctor, who was talking to Orbell, who had arrived a bit later, it seemed as though Ryner had only collapsed due to exhaustion and there were almost no external injuries.


    The doctor also said that he might wake up soon since healing magic had already been used.


    Ryner regained consciousness after about 10 minutes later. While groaning, Ryner opened his eyes.


    ¡¸Ryner!?¡¹


    ¡¸Colette¡­¡­? Uwah!¡¹


    As soon as Ryner opened his eyes, Colette embraced him as though covering him. Ryner was confused at the sudden occurrence, but as he started understanding the situation, his face steadily grew redder. The adults in the surroundings, including Orbell, read the mood and left without making any noise. The Colette, into whose eyes those reactions didn¡¯t even enter, strengthened her embrace.


    ¡¸I¡¯m glad¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸What do you¡­¡­¡­ah, that¡¯s right. I lost¡¹


    Realizing that he was made to lie down on a bed, he recalled the match from until just before. Although his whole body was languid, there were no places where he felt pain.


    ¡¸Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m fine. Since Harold held back¡¹


    Abruptly hearing Harold¡¯s name coming out from Ryner¡¯s mouth, Colette¡¯s expression became gloomy. Actually, although she didn¡¯t want to behave in this manner, remembering the Harold from just a short while ago, her emotions were thrown into chaos. Ryner peeked at Colette¡¯s face when she was like that.


    ¡¸Did something happen?¡¹


    Ryner¡¯s eyes and voice seemed to indicate his serious concern. From the day they had exchanged that promise, Ryner had always been trying to protect Colette. And because Ryner was like that, Colette trusted him and even if it were Harold, she wouldn¡¯t permit him to look down upon Ryner.


    ¡¸Say, Ryner¡¹


    ¡¸Hm?¡¹


    ¡¸Ryner will protect me, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, since I promised!¡­¡­..well, I ended up losing today though¡¹


    Concluding in a poor way, Ryner scratched his head. As though to cheer him up, Colette replied with a laugh.


    ¡¸Ryner isn¡¯t weak¡¹


    ¡¸Eh?¡¹


    ¡¸Although you lost to Harold-sama, you might win the next time¡¹


    ¡¸Might, huh¡­¡­..wait, Harold-sama? Does Colette know Harold?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah. In the past, he had saved me and mom. The chivalric order¡¯s necklace I gave to Ryner too was given to me by Harold-sama¡¹


    ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­.., perhaps, is he a noble?¡¹


    ¡¸Right¡¹


    ¡¸As expected. Amazing, that guy. He¡¯s strong, he can use magic, and he¡¯s also a noble¡¹


    ¡®Amazing¡¯, a very simple impression. But it was actually true, Colette also thought so. What Harold showed in his match against Ryner was the difference in their level of strength.


    But Ryner was the strongest among the village children. There had also been a time when he had defeated a ferocious monster alone. Harold had overpowered such a Ryner.


    He was a person who had the strength to fight and also the strength to protect people. That was why, she was thankful for Harold, and also considered him a person worthy of respect. That was how much of a shock she had felt when she had been thrust away.


    ¡¸Even so, that guy is way too severe. What do you think he said at the end? ¡ºIdiot. If you could do that, then you should have started off with it¡»¡¹


    While imitating Harold¡¯s tone, Ryner complained. But in that figure there was no anger due to being made fun of nor any sorrow due to losing.


    It wasn¡¯t a mistake to say that the flames that Ryner showed with the last strike was the best he could do right now. And it had been splendidly repelled. There was no way Ryner, who hated to lose, wasn¡¯t feeling anything.


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you frustrated?¡¹


    ¡¸Frustrated¡­¡­¡­Isn¡¯t it obvious that I¡¯m frustrated? But more than that¡­¡­..hmm, how do I say this?¡¹


    Ryner folded his arms and tilted his neck. And after groaning for a while, he spoke out these words.


    ¡¸I don¡¯t clearly understand, but it didn¡¯t feel unpleasant. When he told me to do that from the start, it wasn¡¯t like he was making fun of me, but it was somewhat like¡­¡­.. right, it was like when I get beaten up by mom¡¹


    Ryner¡¯s mother, Leona. Although usually she was a gentle woman, when it came to training Ryner, her mouth would become bad, and her hands would become fast.


    But that was for the sake of pushing Ryner towards his dream. It was one of the ways Leona expressed her love towards him. Ryner felt something similar to that from Harold.


    Although you could that it was pitiful for Ryner to feel love when he was beaten up, maybe because it was him, there were some emotions of Harold that he could read.


    ¡¸Besides, if we fight again some other time, then I¡¯ll absolutely win!¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..I see. Do your best¡¹


    ¡¸? Aren¡¯t you somewhat dispirited?¡¹


    ¡¸Not at all¡¹


    Pushing own the words that had almost come out of her throat, Colette laughed. Losing in sword fights which he was most proud of, but still being able to look forward like this, Ryner seemed dazzling for the current Colette. She felt as though that light could relieve her cowardice, unbearably she averted her eyes.


    ¡¸Right, I¡¯ll go call back Doctor and Orbell-san! Good grief, even though Ryner is awake, them just disappearing is troublesome¡¹


    Leaving behind a dry smile and those words, Colette left the first aid room.


    ¡ó


    That feeling of excitement he had forgotten a long time ago. Being stimulated by that, with his expression becoming even more looser than his usual flippant one, Cody, without even minding those odd looks he got, dashed through the main street. He wouldn¡¯t mind it even if he got caught by his subordinates. More than those trivial things, the matter with the highest priority right now was to get in touch with that black-haired boy.


    Lord¡¯s ability in the sword and magic were real. Moreover, he had considerably polished them up until now.


    And yet, both his skills and his body were still far from being complete. Cody felt that he still had a huge potential for growth.


    How ominous. If it was him, then he could eventually equal Vincent, or perhaps, could become a person more remarkable than him.


    That was why he was promising, and therefore dangerous. Because he had power different from others, if he were to err in the usage of that power, he might bring enormous harm. Then what should be done. The answer was simple. Toss him inside the den of powerful people.


    ¡¸And that¡¯s why, why don¡¯t you try joining the chivalric order (us)?¡¹


    ¡¸What ¡°And that¡¯s why¡±. Has your head cracked?¡¹


    After appearing as though he had come cutting through the wind, to the Cody, who had solicited him with neither any greeting nor any preface, Lord hurled harsh words at him without being perturbed in the least.


    Although the youth walking together with Lord was vigilant against the extremely suspicious Cody, Lord himself held him back.


    ¡¸Calm down. This guy, even though he¡¯s like this, he¡¯s a member of the chivalric order¡¹


    ¡¸This person¡­¡­¡­?¡¹


    The youth made a dubious face, but that was understandable. For their first meeting, Cody, who gave off a frivolous impression even under normal circumstances, had currently taken off his armor that testified for him being in the chivalric order and was wearing clothes as though he wanted to blend in with the town. Even if he said that he was a member of the chivalric order, it would hard to believe when said so abruptly.


    ¡¸Ahaha¨C! Due to certain circumstances, I¡¯m wearing these clothes now, but more or less I am full-fledged member of the chivalric order¡¹


    ¡¸So, why did you come here?¡¹


    ¡¸No well, like I said before, how about joining the chivalric order? ¨C a solicitation like that. I think that Lord-kun would do quite well with us¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Let me tell you one thing. My name isn¡¯t Lord, it¡¯s Harold. Never again call me by that name¡¹


    ¡¸Hmm?¡¹


    ¡¸You hate it so much? This name¡¹


    ¡¸To the degree that I would like to involuntarily crush you¡¹


    ¡¸It seems as though the circumstances are somewhat complex. Including such matters, want to talk for a bit?¡¹


    With his thumb, Cody pointed towards a store behind him. In the Delfit, where there were an innumerable amount of bars, it was one of the few stores that handled drinks other than alcohol.


    Towards that invitation, without being able to particularly complain, Harold agreed. The interior of the store was much quieter when compared to the tumult on the streets. Although there were no more than about 30 seats including the ones at the counter, an eighth of them were filled, so it seemed to be flourishing in its own way. At the only place where 3 people could sit, Cody sat down in one of the seats around the circular table and without any hesitation, Harold took the seat directly opposite him.


    In contrast to those 2, the youth who sat in between them, maybe due to still being vigilant, frequently kept glancing at Cody even after each of them lightly introduced themselves. Even when Harold was talking about his background and about the details of how he came to participate in the tournament, he wasn¡¯t making a good face. But still, it seemed as though he had no intention to stop whatever Harold was choosing to say, and while drinking the beverage at times, he was calmly lending his ears to the conversation.


    ¡¸Hoho, the fake name was to fool the eyes of your parents, huh. What made you go so far to participate in this tournament?¡¹


    ¡¸Just testing my strength. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t test it out since there were only weaklings¡¹


    Certainly, with that much of a difference in strength, it was quite a disappointment. If there was an opponent who was even a bit worthy, then¡­¡­¡­


    ¡¸But that red-haired kid you fought against in the finals. Wasn¡¯t he quite good?¡¹


    ¡¸Ha, don¡¯t make me laugh. With that level, there¡¯s not much difference between him and a rock fallen on the roadside¡¹


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you harsh. As for me, I was about to call out to him too¨C¡¹


    ¡¸What did you say?¡¹


    Although it couldn¡¯t be said that it was harmonious, that spot¡¯s mood that was by no means dangerous froze up instantly. What Harold emitted abruptly was unmistakably anger.


    Exposed to the pressure that was grave enough to almost overawe him, Cody involuntarily flinched. Although he didn¡¯t know which part of that conversation touched Harold¡¯s nerves, it was apparent that he rejected Cody getting in contact with Ryner.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­But that seemed to have been a delusion. Ahaha, I give up. Somehow recently, my misunderstandings seem to have increased. Maybe I¡¯m getting old¡¹


    ¡¸Humph¡¹


    Although he tried to poorly gloss over it, for the time being, it seemed as though he managed to avoid problems. But still,why did Harold dislike him trying to help Ryner, to this extent.


    (Maybe he has some kind of emotional attachment towards him. Come to think of it, the final battle too seemed somewhat like he was trying to instruct him)


    At first, he had thought that Harold wanted to harass him, but until the end, he had never directly attacked Ryner. Although it seemed to have been fought in the same way as he had done throughout the tournament, even though he had made all his other opponents until then concede within the blink of an eye, he was different towards Ryner.


    Without using that speed which was his greatest strength, he had received Ryner¡¯s attacks, and had either parried or evaded them. By Harold doing so, Ryner had been cornered, and he had unleashed power that had crossed his limits. If said in other words, Harold had been trying to draw that out.


    (Well, only he knows the truth though)


    Although he was curious, it wasn¡¯t information that was necessary at the current situation. The most important thing was whether Harold was interested in joining the chivalric order or not. Wanting to loosen the stiff air, Cody once again started talking in a light tone.


    ¡¸Well then, once again, let¡¯s get to the main issue. Harold-kun, do you want to try joining the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    Folding his arms, Harold remained silent. Even for him, there might be many things he needed to think about. Thereupon, waiting for the right time to speak within the silence, Itsuki opened his mouth.


    ¡¸Um, Cody-san. If I¡¯m right, then only those above 16 years old can join the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order. Harold-kun is still 13 years old, you know?¡¹


    ¡¸Hm, well, generally it¡¯s like that. But exceptions always exist in everything. Even one of my acquaintance had also entered at an age of only 14 years¡¹


    ¡¸Exceptions, is it¡¹


    ¡¸Right, right! Well practically, it¡¯s very rare, right? It means that that is how much talent and potential I feel from Harold-kun¡¹


    This was genuinely the truth. Listening to the words talent and potential, even Itsuki closed his mouth. Since it was the him who had been seeing Harold much more closely than Cody, he could understand many things.


    ¡¸Within those exceptions, who was the youngest to have entered?¡¹


    Harold, who had been silently thinking, asked such a question.


    ¡¸It was the 14 year old boy who came up in this conversation. His name is ¡ª Vincent¡¹


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you implicitly want to know?¡¯ with those feelings included, Cody said that name.


    Vincent Von Westerfort.


    Called the ¡°Strongest¡± by the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order, he was made out to be a monster by them, and was envied by many people as a hero.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Fine then. Let me join the chivalric order¡¹


    But when he heard that name, Harold laughed. As though showing his thoughts of wanting to challenge the strongest.

 Chapter 29

    Although Harold had immediately agreed to Cody¡¯s invitation, when thinking normally, it wasn¡¯t something that could arbitrarily be decided by a child. Maybe due to feeling curious about it, Itsuki incessantly asked Harold about how he would convince his parents, after Cody left. But as for Harold, he didn¡¯t think that it would become a huge obstacle.


    Harold¡¯s parents were the type of people who were obsessed with appearance and titles. And entering the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order was considered to be an extremely honorable matter.


    Since the chivalric order was a force different from the county¡¯s military, an elite troop directly under the control of the King. There was also the past that his father, Hayden, was aiming to join it when he was young.


    If those parents¡¯ beloved son was to be scouted by the chivalric order that was an elite troop, then what would happen was as clear as day.


    Harold, who had obtained the Cody¡¯s contact address, as though he had no more business with this city, left Delfit the next day.


    Without even stopping by the Sumeragi territory along the way, Harold, who had returned to the Stokes mansion after a journey of 2 weeks, immediately reported to his parents.


    ¡¸What is it, wanting to speak formally?¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s something I needed to inform father and mother about. While I was staying in Delfit, I was scouted by a person from the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order¡¹


    ¡¸What! Is that true!?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. If I wanted to, it would be immediate, it seems. I¡¯ll be the youngest person in history to enter¡¹


    ¡¸Amazing, Harold!¡¹


    ¡¸I want to enter the chivalric order. Is that fine?¡¹


    ¡¸Of course!¡¹


    As he had predicted, their reactions after listening to him were superb. Especially Hayden¡¯s delight, it didn¡¯t seem to be ordinary. The dream that he couldn¡¯t achieve in the past has been accomplished by his son, was what he might have been thinking.


    When he had gone to watch Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament together with Erika, they had encountered rioters who were making an uproar, and when he splendidly suppressed them, he was scouted- when he spouted out some convenient story like that, they didn¡¯t even doubt him at all. On the contrary, saying, ¡¸A banquet!¡¹, they immediately started preparing for a celebration. Although they understood, it seemed as though they had no intention to stop him.


    (Even the chivalric order leaves for danger zones though. Even if for argument¡¯s sake, what will they do if their eldest son were to die?)


    While looking at his ecstatic parents, he was thinking of such things. Well, since he had had the intention to join the chivalric order even when he knew that it would be dangerous, not being allowed to join it would be troublesome. And also, even Hayden was a militaristic man, so he must have understood about those matters.


    And so, Harold, who had promptly received his parents¡¯ acknowledgment, went around the mansion, which was in a flurry for preparing for the abruptly held banquet, as though it had nothing to do with him, and called Norman and Jake, and while at it, even Zen to his room. Harold informed the 3 of them.


    ¡¸I¡¯m going to the imperial capital to become a member of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order. Although the Sumeragi hold the initiative for LP farming, even if there¡¯s no movement, periodically inform me about the situation here¡¹


    ¡¸If it¡¯s the imperial capital, it¡¯s quite distant¡¹


    ¡¸It isn¡¯t a distance that can be covered by fast horses, and if we want to get in contact regularly, it¡¯ll be limited to using letters¡¹


    ¡¸In that case, it¡¯ll take a bit of time¡¹


    ¡¸Not a problem. In the case where you have to notify me immediately at any cost, cooperate with the Sumeragi. I¡¯ll inform them beforehand¡¹


    ¡¸Understood¡¹


    To grasp the movements of the Stokes house even when he¡¯s absent, he arranged a way to communicate beforehand. It was for the sake of responding as fast as possible when the situation changed if by chance any indications of turbulent movements were to appear.


    But there was a person who interrupted them.


    ¡¸P, please wait for a moment! Harold-sama, you¡¯re entering the chivalric order?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s what I said. Are your ears there for decoration?¡¹


    ¡¸No, no, no, even Norman-san and Jake-san simply just let it go, you know! Isn¡¯t it a normally outrageous matter!?¡¹


    Zen was quite agitated. A normally outrageous matter- leaving aside whether it was grammatically correct or not, he understood what Zen was trying to say. But since it was troublesome, Harold decided to ignore him.


    ¡¸That¡¯s all. Immediately return to your work¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡¹


    Norman and Jake bowed and left the room, and even Zen, who seemed as though he still wanted to ask him something, left with them. When he was alone in the room, Harold exhaled slowly. It could be taken as breathing deeply or as sighing.


    The emotions put into it, whether they were the feelings of loneliness due to leaving the house that he had gotten familiar to or whether they were the feelings of liberation being able to escape from his parents eyes, Harold himself was unsure which it was.


    3 years.


    That was the amount of time since he had come to this world without even understanding the reason. And within that, he had spent the most amount of time in this mansion, inside this room.


    It wasn¡¯t as though he felt nothing when he was going away from that.


    Nonetheless, entering the chivalric order was a predetermined route for the sake of following the original work. It was just that the schedule had accelerated up a bit.


    Harold, who had promptly made a decision to stop his heart from wavering, with the polite speech and ingratiating smile that activated only in front of his parents, suitably spent his time at the grand banquet which was held the next day to celebrate his joining the chivalric order. Not even waiting for a month after he had been scouted, Harold quickly departed from the mansion.


    Holding the reins in a completely familiar manner, he rode on a horse for a few hours. For the sake of meeting up with Cody, he reached the toll booth set up in the middle of the specified highway.


    Even though it was called a toll booth, it was an establishment not for collecting tax or goods, but for checking whether there were any suspicious people or people who were trying to carry in dangerous or prohibited goods. A stone wall had been erected as though to blockade the highway, and one couldn¡¯t move further if one didn¡¯t pass through it.


    Harold, who was equipped lightly, was able to easily enter the toll booth after clearing a light luggage search. It was quite lively since simple tents to rest one¡¯s body were set up and merchants on their journey had, while taking a break, opened up compact stalls.


    Finding a group that were donning white armor in one corner, Harold got down from the horse and went towards them while walking. After he got closer by a certain extent, the other side also noticed Harold¡¯s existence, and while waving his hands, Cody raised his voice saying, ¡¸Oooi!¡¹. Due to that, the group¡¯s gaze concentrated on Harold.


    ¡¸Well, well, Harold-kun. We met again much faster than I expected¡¹


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t come here to meet you. More than that, don¡¯t break your promise to let me enter the chivalric order, alright?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s fine¡¹


    There was no reaction even though he tried pushing him. Honestly, he was still doubting whether him being scouted was really true or not. Harold knowing Cody¡¯s personality made it even more harder for him to erase those thoughts. Well, since although he might deceive but not outright lie, the possibility of scouting him itself being a lie was low.


    ¡¸Say, no way Captain was talking about this kid, right?¡¹


    As though wedging into the conversation, standing next to Cody, a girl wearing the same white armor as him observed Harold as though she was appraising him.


    ¡¸Hm? That¡¯s right¡¹


    ¡¸You¡¯re joking right? Isn¡¯t he still a kid?¡¹


    Although, the one saying that had an appearance of a 17 to 18 year old girl. Although what the girl was saying was right since in this world, if one became 16 they, would be treated as an adult, from the senses that Harold had, the girl too was still a child. Instead, it was obvious for him to feel that he was the adult since his mental age was more than 20 years.


    ¡¸Ha, then are you a miserable small fry even lower than a kid?¡¹


    That¡¯s why, unintentionally, these words suddenly came out.


    ¡¸Wh, what did you say!?¡¹


    The girl, who didn¡¯t think that he would retort back like that so clearly, took a step backwards due to being bewildered. And there, the girl¡¯s back bumped against something. When the girl turned back due to realizing who that was, as though substituting herself, he was pushed into Harold¡¯s field of vision.


    Huge. The first thing Harold thought was that. And next, he realized that that frightening face looked somewhat fiendish at a glance. Being exposed to that stare, it¡¯s intensity was enough to make one submit unconditionally. While being frightened enough to almost let out some weird voice, he probed the mood of the man who seemed like he wanted to say something.


    ¡¸Do you also have a problem with me? In that case, I¡¯ll make you understand with your body together with that woman¡¹


    Naturally, his inner state of being frightened wasn¡¯t shown outside. But at that, every single person except Cody appeared as though they were surprised. The man with the scary face asked Harold, who was worried thinking,¡¯Maybe they drew back because my mouth was too sharp?¡¯


    ¡¸Y, you¡­¡­¡­aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t understand what there is to be afraid of you. After all, even if we fought, I would be the one to win¡¹


    Harold¡¯s mouth, without minding his true feelings at all, easily disregarded the man¡¯s question. There had been no talk about winning or losing and this man was also from the chivalric order. Since he had enough strength to join it, it wouldn¡¯t be just for mere show. He wanted to restrain using aggressive words as much as possible towards a person who would become his colleague. Well, Harold himself knew that he couldn¡¯t expect this mouth to give consideration towards matters like that.


    ¡¸You people, Harold-kun has only been invited and he still hasn¡¯t officially become a member of the chivalric order, alright? To start with, how about at least introducing yourselves?¡¹


    ¡¸S, sorry about that. I¡¯m called Robinson¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Aileen¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m Shido! I welcome you, Harold!¡¹


    The man with the tall stature and frightening face was Robinson, the harsh girl next to him was Aileen and the man with orange hair that could be associated with a lion¡¯s mane was Shido, was how they introduced themselves. And hearing their names, Harold¡¯s body stiffened.


    (Aren¡¯t these guys also characters who will die!)


    That was the reason. Cody quitting the chivalric order, in other words, his motive for founding Furiel. The cause was because he let Robinson and the others, who were his direct subordinates, die in a certain battle.


    In the original work, behind Cody¡¯s easy-going attitude, he blamed his powerlessness in his heart, and was always worrying whether him turning back on the chivalric order had been the right choice.


    Although in the final stages of the game, that kind of hesitation and inner conflicts could be resolved, the problem was that if things went in the same way as the original work, then Robinson and the others would die. A detailed explanation regarding their death hadn¡¯t been shown in the narrative. In one of the scenes in the game, Cody would speak out their names while gazing at the moon, or Cody¡¯s past becoming clear after he loses subordinates in an event, only these kinds of fragmented information was shown. Naturally, there was no way something like their character settings existed, and even concerning their visual appearance, he had only seen them now.


    Even if he wanted to save them, because the information was too less, he couldn¡¯t come up with any plans. The only thing that he knew was in which battle they had participated and lost their lives. And more than anything else, if by chance they survived, it would mean even more derailment of the original work. This was because if Robinson and the others were saved, the probability of the story of Cody quitting the chivalric order and founding Furiel being destroyed was exceedingly high.


    If that were to happen, the events that could originally be cleared by borrowing Furiel¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t be possible. In the worst case, it would be checkmate.


    In other words, Harold was compelled to make a choice. Would he give priority to his survival rate and let them die without helping them. Or would he become resolved for the destruction of the original work by evading the future that awaited Robinson and the others.


    Even if it was uncertain, exactly because he knew the future of this world, he understood that his choice was literally to either kill himself or kill others. Even while knowing, but still he had to choose.


    Harold keenly realized that this might be the fate, which seemed similar to a curse from which he could escape by no means, that was determined upon him the moment he decided to live as Harold Stokes.

 Chapter 30

    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­What do you guys think? About Harold¡¹


    When they had started preparing for camping since the sun was sinking, Aileen lowered her voice and asked. Being questioned, Robinson and Shido exchanged glances, and after a short pause they each answered respectively.


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t he a good kid?¡¹


    ¡¸He¡¯s strong?¡¹


    ¡¸I do think that he is somewhat strong, but there¡¯s no way he¡¯s a good kid¡¹


    All of a sudden being insulted as a miserable small fry lower than a kid, there was no way Aileen could accept Robinson¡¯s opinion.


    ¡¸Is that so?¡¹


    ¡¸After all, it¡¯s just that Robin is thinking like that because someone wasn¡¯t afraid after meeting you for the first time¡¹


    ¡¸That is, well¡­¡­..¡¹


    He couldn¡¯t deny that his impression of Harold, who didn¡¯t even seem to be afraid or perturbed regarding his greatest complex, was certainly high.


    ¡¸Either way, since he wasn¡¯t frightened by Robin, doesn¡¯t it mean that he has gone through his fair share of fights?¡¹


    She couldn¡¯t voice up any objections towards Shido¡¯s opinion. All of them mostly had the same opinion. Frankly speaking, it wasn¡¯t wrong to say that Robinson¡¯s face was a deadly weapon. His appearance was so atrocious that even an adult would quake in fear. All the more if it were a kid, and for a kid around Harold¡¯s age, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to burst into tears. That was the three¡¯s common perception.


    Although it wasn¡¯t particularly arranged beforehand, the three¡¯s gazes simultaneously concentrated on Harold. That appearance of him adding twigs to the fire while making a displeased face could only be seen as a kid appropriate for his age. But in reality, since he was recommended for the chivalric order at an age of only 13 years, he must be hiding an absurd amount of power.


    They couldn¡¯t affirm it because they still hadn¡¯t seen his strength with their own eyes, and also because he was acknowledged by Cody, whose  irresponsible behavior was standing out, they couldn¡¯t believe it. Although, they knew in their heads that there was no way he would invite him as joke. And suddenly, Shido muttered.


    ¡¸Or rather, let¡¯s try to directly talk to him¡¹


    No sooner had Shido said that than he quickly finished constructing the tent. And then, he plonked down without any reservations in front of Harold, with the fire in between them and started talking to him.


    ¡¸Yo, Harold. Is it fine for a bit?¡¹


    ¡¸What is it?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing much, just that we only know each others¡¯ names, so I thought maybe we could deepen our friendship a bit¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Do what you want¡¹


    Even while making an annoyed face, Harold accepted Shido¡¯s proposal. Seeing that reaction, Robinson and Aileen also got closer.


    ¡¸By the, I had wanted to ask from before, but where did you meet the Squad Captain? The person himself isn¡¯t telling no matter how many times I ask him¡¹


    ¡¸At Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s where we had been garrisoned¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, are you perhaps the child who knocked down the drunkard?¡¹


    Robinson¡¯s memory flashed back. Because Harold was far, Robinson couldn¡¯t confirm his face, but when he thought back to it, his physique and atmosphere was quite close to the boy in his memory.


    ¡¸You knew about something like that, huh¡¹


    ¡¸But I think that Captain didn¡¯t invite you at that time though¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    ¡¸That guy came right after the first day of the tournament got over. He didn¡¯t open his mouth because him slacking off might have gotten out. Since he wasn¡¯t wearing the armor¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Come to think of it, there was a day where he left all the patrolling to us and disappeared somewhere¡¹


    That day being hectic due to Cody abandoning his duties was still a recent event in the three¡¯s memories. Listening to Harold, Aileen groaned, ¡¸Squad Captaain ¡« ?¡¹, in such a low voice that it seemed to creep on the ground and went towards Cody. Her eyes were glazed over.


    ¡¸What happened to that girl so suddenly?¡¹


    ¡¸Aah, she went to drop lightning or something on the Squad Captain. It¡¯s usual¡¹


    Although he was severely remonstrated after the fighting tournament, it seemed as though that anger had returned. While Shido laughingly explained to Harold that this was a scene that he would get used to even if he didn¡¯t want to, Robinson, who had a puzzled face for some reason, entered his vision.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..It seems as though Harold-kun participated in the fighting tournament, but was it in the under-13 division?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right¡¹


    As though implicitly wanting to say, ¡¸So what¡¹, Harold narrowed his already sharp eyes even further. While being somewhat pressured, Robinson continued talking.


    ¡¸What was the result?¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t it obvious that I won¡¹


    Harold declared as though it was natural. Shido, sensing Robinson¡¯s intent in asking that question, closed his mouth, choosing to see how things would go. And then, Robinson approached the heart of the matter.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..That day, when we were patrolling the town, an enormous bolt of lightning struck from the sky. And from what I¡¯ve heard, it seems as thought that was a magic used by the victor of the under-13 division¡¹


    That is to say, the one who brought down that lightning bolt, if the rumor he had heard was right, was Harold. If that lightning strike had indeed been brought down by Harold, then could agree with Cody recommending him for the chivalric order without waiting for the stipulated age. That was how tremendously strong that magic was.


    ¡¸Was that your magic?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­¡ºBolt Lance¡»¡¹


    With the sun about to completely sink, a flash cut through the dusky sky. A single long lance of lightning fired off towards the sky rose up to higher altitudes. The bolt of lightning that seemed as though it would disappear beyond the sky like that itself struck a monster, a large ominous bird that was about 3 meters, and knocked it down. The monster that was burnt black was completely annihilated.


    ¡¸This is the answer. Are you satisfied?¡¹


    Harold, who had annihilated a monster with a single strike of magic that was activated with no preliminary actions or chants, without changing his expression by even a little bit, spat out in an annoyed tone.


    Robinson and Shido were dumbfounded at the event that was too abrupt. At a place a little away from them, even Aileen, who had been scolding Cody, was gaping blankly without being able to grasp the situation. Cody, who was the only one that wasn¡¯t perturbed, escaped from the lectured with an ¡®Alright!¡¯ expression on his face.


    ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Harold-kun. I¡¯ll be startled if you suddenly use magic though¡¹


    ¡¸Because you couldn¡¯t explain about me since you ran away wanting to protect yourself. Don¡¯t make extra work for me¡¹


    ¡¸If you say it like that, Onii-san will be troubled since I can¡¯t say anything in response¡¹


    Without even looking troubled in the least bit, he laughed away the harsh words from Harold. And then, he made a ¡®pon¡¯ sound with his hands as though he had hit upon a great idea, and without even seeming to feel even a bit of the heavy atmosphere, he changed the topic.


    ¡¸But, well, leaving that aside, even the sun has set, so how about we have dinner soon. Wasn¡¯t there some pickled kujimana1 still remaining?¡¹


    As though nothing had happened, Cody rummaged around for the snacks for alcohol. Looking at him, not only Harold but even the other three sighed as though they were exhausted.


    ¡ó


    Inside a tranquil room, only the sound of a pen running over a parchment was heard in a constant rhythm. There were no gaps within the bookshelf furnished on one side of the wall, and looking at the books arranged in the order of their titles, the methodical personality of this room¡¯s owner revealed itself.


    The owner, Vincent Van Westerfort silently continued moving the pen. Maybe due to facing the mountain of documents for a long period of time, he lifted his face while massaging his shoulders which as expected were feeling tired. Facing him was his aide, Shannon, who was also immersed in paperwork like him.


    Thinking about taking a break soon, when he was about to call out to her, he suddenly realized that it quite noisy outside the window. While thinking whether there was any training or something today, he peeked outside and found out that a crowd had formed in the training grounds.


    ¡¸Vincent-sama, did something happen?¡¹


    ¡¸Shannon, was there any joint training for today?¡¹


    ¡¸There shouldn¡¯t have been any schedule issued for it¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    To Shannon, who was inwardly tilting her head due to not grasping the reason for the question, who replied like that, Vincent pointed outside the window.


    ¡¸That is¡­¡­¡­. it seems as though the people from the platoons have gathered there. I can see some of the Troop Leader¡¯s faces¡¹


    The question was what they were doing there. Thinking from how Vincent hadn¡¯t heard about it, it might be a matter that could be solved by their own judgment.


    ¡¸Ya-hoo. Is Vincent here?¡¹


    While he was puzzling his head over what kind of gathering that was, the door to the office was rudely opened without even being knocked. The voice that came simultaneously with the door opening was one that couldn¡¯t be simply expressed as one that he had gotten sick hearing, of his crony¡¯s.2


    That old friend¡¯s name was Cody Rujial. Although there was a difference of heaven and earth between vice captain and squad leader, their relationship was one where they knew about each other so thoroughly that it was enough to make them sick.


    And so, since Cody had appeared here, he instinctively perceived that the clamor in the training grounds was his scheme. When he thought about it, he hadn¡¯t seen Cody¡¯s appearance for the past few days. During that time he might have plotted something.


    ¡¸It¡¯s you, huh. What is this clamor?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not good to make assumptions, Vice Captain-sama¡­¡­.. though you¡¯re right. There¡¯s going to be an enrollment exam held for a newbie right now, so please pay attention¡¹


    ¡¸Really, you are¡­¡­.. I just beg you not to cause any problems¡¹


    ¡¸That depends on that guy¡¹


    ¡®Kukuku¡¯, laughed Cody trying to stifle it. Even for Vincent who had known him for a long time, that laughter, as though Cody was really enjoying himself, was something he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. Was the existence whom he called ¡®that guy¡¯ making him do so?


    ¡¸For now, look at the training grounds from here. Perhaps, you might be able to see something amusing?¡¹


    After saying only that much, Cody left without even closing the door. In the room that had once again regained silence, sighs from the 2 people overlapped.


    ¡¸That person is as boisterous as always¡¹


    While closing the door that was left open, a little bit of disgust came out of Shannon. For a diligent person like her, Cody, who behaved irresponsibly, wasn¡¯t a very likeable existence. Although she wasn¡¯t harsh because she knew about his personality and him being Vincent¡¯s old friend, her true feelings were that she wanted him get it together.


    ¡¸That uninhibited nature is by birth, there¡¯s no way it would get fixed after all this time. And also, in public places, he is a person who can behave suitably¡¹


    ¡¸I understand, but¡­¡­¡­¡­ I think that how Vincent-sama deals with him is soft¡¹


    Hearing the word soft, Vincent¡¯s heart ached as though it was pricked. From when was it that he had started feeling guilty towards Cody? If it looked as though he was dealing with him too softly, the cause was surely because that.


    Originally, Cody wasn¡¯t a person who would fit into an organization like the chivalric order that honored tradition and law. The person himself understood that. But still, he had lived here for more than 10 years. In this place that was suffocating him and wasn¡¯t suitable for him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.No, the one that isn¡¯t truly suitable is me¡¹


    ¡¸Did you say something?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s nothing¡¹


    As though wanting to avert his eyes from the negative feelings that were welling up, he shook his head. While trying to gloss over the words that unintentionally leaked out, Vincent threw open the window. A gentle breeze blew into the room. While being brushed by that wind, he breathed out heavily.


    ¡¸Let¡¯s take a break for a while, Shannon-kun¡¹


    ¡¸Then I¡¯ll prepare some black tea¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, thank you¡¹


    Although he couldn¡¯t grasp Cody¡¯s true intentions, since he said that much, there must have been something that he wanted to show him. It was that guy. There was also the possibility that he would show something worthless.


    But, that smile of Cody¡¯s just now crossed through his mind. It was carved long ago into his memories, something that made Vincent remember his longing. That¡¯s why, he felt that he wanted believe in it. A nostalgic Cody¡¯s smile, like a boy unable to contain his amusement without being able to wait to see the other person¡¯s reaction.


    TL ¨C


    1. Some kind of eatable in that world maybe.


    2. The word used is kusare en which translates to undesirable but inseparable relationship.

 Chapter 31

    In the imperial capital Amajil, there was a castle called Regalia castle. It was the so-called royal castle where the royalty that ruled over the country lived, and it was also the place where the high level executives that managed the country discussed affairs.


    This Regalia castle was situated at almost the exact center of the capital and because it was erected on an artificially built rectangular platform, it was a symbolic structure that could be seen from anywhere within the capital.


    And at the foot of Regalia castle, stone walls had been built as though to enclose the platform. Those walls had 2 places at the north and south where gates were placed, and the distance to the castle from the walls in a straight line was about 150 meters. The space that expanded between the platform and the walls in the form of passages surrounding the castle didn¡¯t only function as a fortress in the times of emergencies, but was also the core of the military unit directly under the supervision of the King, the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order.


    Starting form the headquarters that supervised the whole chivalric order, lodging for the residence of the members and training grounds for them were included, and excluding the people who were on long term expeditions or placed at other locations, all the members of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order ate and slept within these grounds.


    While receiving this explanation from Robinson and the others, Harold partially ignored it while waiting for the time to come. By the way, inwardly, even now he felt as though his legs would give out when he looked at Robinson¡¯s face.


    Even at the time in the middle of their journey towards the imperial capital, when he was pressed for confirmation of him being able to use magic from Robinson, he had spontaneously fired out magic due to fear. Although he had conquered his fear to a certain extent by fighting against monsters, Robinson¡¯s appearance was shocking enough to shake even that mental strength.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­Rather than that, where did that guy go?¡¹


    ¡¸I think that he¡¯ll come back soon. Well, it¡¯s fine to simply wait without minding it¡¹


    ¡¸¡¯In the meanwhile, become an exhibit¡¯, is it? Don¡¯t screw around¡¹


    As if his inward annoyance was oozing out, Harold spat that out. His true feelings were unusually in agreement with his words. The reason was the situation that surrounded Harold and the others currently.


    At the training grounds that was being used for inter-personal combat drills, Harold was standing stock still while being surrounded at a distance by a great number of the members of the chivalric order.


    That face was irritation personified. After they arrived at the imperial capital, when he thought they were passing through the chivalric order¡¯s establishment directly, the person responsible disappeared before he knew it, and on top of it, because he had been neglected and left as an exhibit, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable that he was like that.


    ¡¸Yaa yaa, Sorry for the wait¡¹


    Without even noticing even a little bit of Harold¡¯s irritation, Cody returned in his usual lax manner.


    Restraining his urge to send Cody flying with a kick, Harold demanded an explanation about the situation for now.


    ¡¸You bastard, where had you gone. To begin with, who are they?¡¹


    ¡¸Sorry, sorry, I had some small business, you see. And, I want Harold-kun to fight with those guys. The thing called enrollment examination?¡¹


    ¡¸What?¡¹


    Harold wasn¡¯t the only one who reacted to Cody¡¯s words. All the members who had gathered also burst out in murmurs. It seemed as though they too hadn¡¯t been given an explanation beforehand. And then, a bearded man questioned Cody.


    ¡¸What¡¯s this, Cody. We only heard that we¡¯ll be testing the fledglings though¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. This fight will act as both that test and also as an enrollment exam for him¡¹


    With those words, all gazes concentrated on Harold. And what everybody were thinking was voiced out by the bearded man.


    ¡¸By enrollment exam, you mean for that kid? No matter how you look at it, he hasn¡¯t reached the stipulated age¡¹


    (This conversation again¡­¡­¡­ And also, as expected, he doesn¡¯t go through any ordinary means, this bastard!)


    He¡¯d predicted that there would be something looking at Cody¡¯s personality, and it was just as he had thought. Since it had already proceeded up to this extent, it wasn¡¯t as though he hated it so much, but Harold wished that Cody had at least talked to him before. Well, most probably he would have kept quiet due to some stupid reason like, ¡¸I thought I would surprise you¡¹.


    ¡¸In the first place, although they¡¯re called fledglings, they¡¯ve already trained for more than 2 years and even though it¡¯s a small amount, they also have experience in real fights. For a kid, they¡¯re opponents that are a bit too much¡¹


    What he had said was reasonable. Although the amount of people who wanted to join the chivalric order was huge, the acceptance rate was quite low. Also, many people would quit after becoming members of the chivalric order due to the harsh training, and if they failed the test after enrollment, they would be dealt as leaving in groups.


    The majority of them were eliminated like this, and after surviving even harsher training and real combats, 3 years after their enrollment, they would finally be able to escape being treated as newbies.


    They would get treated as first-rate a few years from then, about 5 years from the enrollment. Mind and body, unless both of these were tough, they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it.


    In the first place, the only ones that would be enrolled were those whose superior talent and strength were acknowledged. Among them, those who were selected even though they were inexperienced were the ones called ¡°fledglings¡± by him.


    ¡¸Those things are fine. Since this child is an extraordinary talent¡¹


    But Cody didn¡¯t even pay any attention to that very reasonable opinion. On the contrary, he said this towards the members who would fight against Harold.


    ¡¸Instead, if you guys underestimate him and attack lightly, you¡¯ll have a painful experience so be careful. Or rather, if you guys are able to defeat Harold-kun, it¡¯s fine for me to recommend you for the next promotion examination¡¹


    The way he said it was similar to saying that those at the level of new recruits couldn¡¯t defeat Harold.


    If he said so much, there no way anyone in the chivalric order wouldn¡¯t get unhappy. Although they were still new recruits, they had completely devoted themselves to training and had achieved their current title. They had the conceit in the effort they had piled up and the pride of being a member of the chivalric order.


    Even though it was like that, being brought as an opponent for a child¡¯s enrollment examination and having themselves being seen as inferior wasn¡¯t a good feeling. Instigated by Cody, it could be felt with one¡¯s skin that the members of the chivalric order were thinking of overturning the assessment that could only be thought of as unreasonable.


    ¡¸Well, since it¡¯s like that, do your best¡¹


    With a face that was saying ¡®I¡¯ve done it now¡¯, Cody lightly clapped Harold¡¯s shoulder. But with only this level, Harold¡¯s arrogance didn¡¯t even bend. From the beginning, accumulating combat experience had been the next most important issue after evasion of death flags.


    Although he was somewhat mad at this surprise attack like development, the situation that was prepared itself was something that he wished for.


    ¡¸Cody¡¹


    ¡¸What is it?¡¹


    ¡¸Let me praise you¡¹


    While speaking out arrogant words in his usual manner, the corners of his mouth rose up spontaneously. He often felt it after he had possessed this body, a high which could also be called as fighting instinct. That passion was lit in his heart, and the heat was spreading throughout his whole body.


    He calmly grasped that in a corner of his mind. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had felt like this.


    It was the same when he crossed swords with Itsuki and also when he had confronted a monster for the first time. That thing which appeared in front of a battle that made him feel strong tension was probably something like the vestiges of the original Harold.


    Only by defeating strong opponents could he flaunt his strength, his excellence. He had drowned in the joy that could be obtained by doing that. Therefore, the original Harold absolutely didn¡¯t acknowledge a thing like defeat which would be like denying himself. That was why, after being defeated by Ryner in the original work, Harold craved for even more power and because of that he led himself to ruin.


    (In a sense, he¡¯s a battle junkie. Although, his nature was nasty because he didn¡¯t genuinely want power, but because he would be envied and glorified for being strong)


    That was the original Harold¡¯s true nature, but ironically, it wouldn¡¯t become a flaw in the current situation. Although the origin was warped, basically, the stronger the opponent was, the more his desire for victory increased. And those thoughts would influence his movements during the time of battle.


    To make him more faster, more sharper and more accurate.


    Stronger the opponent, more disadvantageous the situation, the sharper his body and techniques would get. It had already been verified during repeated battles.


    However, recently, starting with the bouts against Itsuki, he had been getting farther away from tense battles against strong opponents. This was because he had gotten used to it while he was increasing the number of fights.


    But now, this time¡¯s enrollment examination that was going to be conducted due to Cody, was something that satisfied both Hirasawa Kazuki¡¯s motives and Harold Stokes¡¯ craving for glory.


    While taking up a stance after removing his sword from its sheath, Harold opened his mouth turning towards the members of the chivalric order.


    He just wanted to normally say, ¡®please treat me well¡¯.


    ¡¸Start attacking from those who want to lose¡¹


    Obviously, the words that were actually spoken out were as usual, and like Harold wished for it, were completely different words. Maybe because these words had pushed him, a single youth walked out from within the group. An uncommon amount of fighting spirit was overflowing from those eyes. He was completely serious. Harold smiled wryly thinking how this mouth was really a genius at instigating people. For the others, it might have looked as though he was sneering.


    ¡¸Squad Captain Cody, is what you said just now the truth?¡¹


    The youth that walked out saluted and questioned Cody. Those movements and his manner of speaking were brisk.


    ¡¸Of course! Well, that¡¯s only if you win against him though¡¹


    ¡¸Yes, thank you very much!¡¹


    After saluting like a role model, he turned towards Harold.


    ¡¸Boy, sorry but I¡¯ll be getting serious. But still, this is also a good chance for you to know how small your world actually is¡¹


    ¡¸Much obliged for your very fine opinion. As a thanks, let me have you grovel on the ground¡¹


    Stomping on the youth¡¯s words, Harold stepped forward and faced him. With those 2 at the center, a tingling sense of tension started spreading out.


    ¡¸For now, anything is fine as long as the both of don¡¯t die or try to kill each other. Well then, start whenever you want ¡«¡¹


    ¡¸Stepping forward!¡¹


    When Cody called out in voice that was too light contrary to the situation, almost simultaneously, the youth rushed towards Harold. As expected of being trained thoroughly, his movements were fast. Even the sword that was swung down from the overhead position had a considerable amount of power. But that was it.


    Harold, who slipped through the sword strike coming down from above, stepped in towards his opponent¡¯s chest and thrust the sword edge at the chain-mail on his abdomen.


    ¡®Gakin!¡¯- with a metallic sound, the youth moved as though he was knocked, retreated 2 to 3 steps while staggering, and then fell face up. It seemed as though the stab¡¯s shock reached towards the armor¡¯s innards and caused him to faint. Cody peeked at the collapsed boy¡¯s face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­His eyes are completely spinning, this is hopeless. Oi, somebody, get a stretcher¡¹


    ¡¸Yes!¡¹


    After seeing off the youth being carried away, Harold once again sent a sharp gaze towards the knights.


    Pierced by that sharp gaze, some of them were pressured and shrunk their shoulders. But without without minding that, Harold invited them.


    ¡¸Next, come¡¹


    Harold had something he wanted to confirm and also wanted to test and see in this examination. That was why, for now, he pushed aside any unnecessary thoughts and concentrated on fighting.


    The one who came forward next was a brawny man who had a larger stature than the previous youth. Without opening his mouth, he gave a bow. When they faced towards each other, this time, Harold moved first.


    Firstly, as a trial, he lightly crossed swords. While they kept on exchanging blows, he gradually increased his speed, but the man was able to easily keep up. When his speed became as fast as how it was when he usually fought with Itsuki, the man was still unperturbed. As he had heard, they seemed to have considerable strength. Confirming that, Harold took some distance temporarily.


    And then, he unraveled his stance by loosely hanging down his sword and exposed a defenseless state. Surpassing intrepidity, a warped smile as though looking down on his opponent was plastered on that face. This was what was written on the completely provoking face ¨C ¡®Come and see¡¯.


    Maybe the man couldn¡¯t tolerate that behavior that spoke more eloquently than words. He came slashing at Harold. That speed was remarkably faster than the first exchange, and the strike was much more stronger.


    Harold parried that with his sword¡­¡­¡­something like that didn¡¯t happen. While still loosely hanging the right hand that gripped the sword, he did nothing but evade his opponent¡¯s strikes. It seemed as though he had no intention to shift to the counterattack, and he was seriously observing his opponent¡¯s behavior while he was attacking incessantly. For the time, it was about a few minutes. By doing nothing but evasion, he got confirmation.


    (I thought perhaps, but it actually existed, huh. Characteristic motion)


    Characteristic motion was as it¡¯s name said, it indicated movements that were already fixed. Game characters each had their own motion that was fixed. The person whom Harold was confronting now was a member of the chivalric order, in game specifications, a character called ¡°Knight 1¡±.


    As the game ¡ºBrave Hearts¡» progressed, one would battle the ¡°Knights¡±, who appeared as enemy characters, many times. They didn¡¯t hold a setting other that a knight¡¯s, in other words, existences that were called small fry characters. Therefore, various movements, motions were unified. Those became the characteristic motions of the knights.


    The occasion on which he had realized that characteristic motion existed in this world was during battle with monsters. At first, he was doing his fullest to only just fight, but as he got used to combat, when he got the leeway to observe the opponent, he realized that they were using movements that he was familiar with.


    The attacks unleashed and the timing and category of magic that was used from then on completely matched with the movements in the game screen in his memories.


    Naturally, the times they showed motion that wasn¡¯t there in the game was many, but still being able to know the opponents next move would become extraordinarily advantageous. Due to that, his sense of stability in battle rapidly increased. That was why, Harold thought like this next ¨C Wouldn¡¯t characteristic motion exist even for human characters?


    But although it was fine until hitting upon that possibility, the problem was that he had no chances for fighting against characters that he knew. There were no opponents for him to ascertain it. The thing that unexpectedly came by at such a time was Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament. Thinking that he might be able to fight against mob characters that were identical to the knights, he decided to participate.


    But when he actually looked at the situation, his opponents were only kids. Ryner, the only person whose characteristic motion he knew about there, still hadn¡¯t reached the age he had been in the original work, and so, hadn¡¯t come with movements like in the game.


    But today, after about a little less than 2 years had passed since he had hit upon it, it was verified that Harold¡¯s hypothesis was right. Of course, although there was further need for much more inspection, there was a high possibility to obtain the advantage of reading ahead even in inter-personal combat. And so, since Harold was naturally in a good mood, that atrocious smile¡¯s deepness kept increasing. And it was indeed easy to evade the knight¡¯s sword that had many strikes due to characteristic motion, and Harold, who continued to evade with a paper-thin difference as though he had enough to spare, seen from the others around him looked as though he was playing around with his opponent with a clear difference in their power.


    Maybe getting impatient at the present condition, the knight took some distance. Thereupon, he somewhat lowered his center of gravity a little and took a posture as though he was bracing himself. This was the motion when knights activated magic. A light blue magic formation emerged at the knight¡¯s feet. For Harold, if he that much information, he could narrow down the magic.


    (No matter which magic, the knights¡¯ motion is fixed. And a blue magic formation, they can only use 1 category of the water attribute magic. That means, the one that he is going to use is ¨C)


    Harold stuck out his left hand forward and spoke the name of that magic.


    ¡ºAqua Slash!¡»


    When the both of them simultaneously yelled that out, an innumerable amount of water blades appeared in midair. The blades which were about 30 cm long, each went flying towards their respective opponents, but they clashed exactly at around the middle of the 2 of them, and due to that shock, a sheet of water was raised up and then it died out.


    This too was what Harold had aimed for.


    In the original work, once magic was activated, it could only be either evaded or defended against. Neither physical attacks nor magic could negate it. But that was only a specification inside the game. If it was this world, magic could be negated by magic. This had already been demonstrated.


    When Harold looked at him, the opponent¡¯s face was dyed with shock. Naturally, even he knew that magic could be negated by magic. But that was a phenomenon that happened only by pure coincidence in the middle of a battle and even mistakenly wasn¡¯t something that could be ¡°aimed¡± for. Although the technique of hitting magic, which had a fast attack speed, with magic itself was difficult, fundamentally if magic weren¡¯t intercepted by magic of the same attribute and scale, it couldn¡¯t be negated. The action that Harold showed in the fighting tournament, of negating lightning by flames, was accomplished only because the magic was more powerful than the opponent¡¯s and it was forcefully suppressed.


    And on top of that, basically, until the magic was activated, there was no way to perceive what kind of magic the opponent would use. If one tried to stop magic using this method, then there was a need to constantly fire high powered magic. Frankly speaking, it¡¯s efficiency was poor and it wasn¡¯t something that could be included in tactics. That was the common sense with regards to this world.


    Nonetheless, that was something that was in regards to this world and that kind of common sense wouldn¡¯t work on Harold. Recovering from the shock, the man once again shifted to the offensive. But that speed and sharpness from until before wasn¡¯t present in the attacks. Both sword and magic attacks¡¯ accuracy became rougher. For the people who didn¡¯t understand the trick, Harold had simply flaunted his overwhelming talent. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they had even gotten disturbed. Because, if it were like this, both evasion and defense would become easier.


    He completely read all the movements of his opponent, and handled him while being absolutely safe. And the moment his opponent exposed a big gap, Harold drove in a single strike which became a counter and defeated him.


    Harold didn¡¯t rely on his speed which could even be called as his greatest weapon. This was because of thinking that if he just kept relying only on his speed, someday he might fall into a situation where he couldn¡¯t deal with it using his speed.


    Therefore, there was a need for him to improve his combat techniques and at the same time, there was a need for him to make sure how effective his current techniques could be. That was why this enrollment examination was killing 2 birds with 1 stone, but had the value of 3 birds.


    ¡¸It¡¯s annoying to deal with each and every one of you separately. While at it, I wouldn¡¯t mind even if all of you come simultaneously, alright?¡¹


    While feeling sorry for using them for his selfish motives, Harold continued provoking them so that they could fight with all their might.


    His mouth that excelled at instigating opponents was in perfect form today too.


    ¡ó


    ¡¸Amazing, that boy¡­¡­¡­..¡¹


    Shannon, who was standing next to Vincent, described the spectacle unfolding below her as though she was befuddled. What that simple word ¡®amazing¡¯ indicated, was the black-clothed boy that was engaging the members of the chivalric order in a huge scuffle within the training grounds.


    Towards that, Vincent only replied with only a small ¡¸Yeah¡¹.


    Certainly, it was amazing. It could even be called magnificent. The boy stopped all the attacks precisely no matter what kind and whenever he attacked, he would almost always finish the fight in a single strike. He was dealing with both offense and defense perfectly. A boy who had come to take the enrollment examination and one who wasn¡¯t even 15 years old.


    The impression that Shannon expressed was very natural and correct. There was no room to insert an objection.


    But because of that perfectness, Vincent was feeling an extraordinarily huge sense of discomfort.


    (What is going on? This is too perfect)


    The way the boy fought was something one couldn¡¯t do if they didn¡¯t know their opponent¡¯s movements beforehand. It was different from a safe and steady battle.


    Because of it flowing too smoothly, one would unintentionally doubt whether it was a sword battle that was arranged beforehand.


    This didn¡¯t simply consist of only predicting the opponent¡¯s attacks. He wasn¡¯t simply evading everything aimlessly, but rather was continuing to choose the optimum place to evade or defend while considering the next attack. That itself, if one didn¡¯t have foresight, they wouldn¡¯t be able to eliminate unnecessary movements to that extent and it would be arduous to dish out attacks. One couldn¡¯t help but think that such a person would always ¡°know¡± 2 to 3 moves ahead.


    It was true that there was a fixed style of fighting in the chivalric order. Especially the new recruits that the boy was fighting, that style had been beaten into them as the basics. After learning it, by going through real battles, they would combine it with their own battle style and would continue to optimize it. Vincent himself, although his current style hugely varied when compared to his former style, it wasn¡¯t wrong that that style was the base.


    Well, only a small handful of the powerful people in the entire chivalric order had such huge variations. In other words, what he was trying to say was that the boy, who should be an outsider, that was thoroughly familiar with that style wasn¡¯t ¡°amazing¡±, but ¡°strange¡±.


    (Right, it¡¯s weird. It would be impossible to have such an efficient battle style by only being strong or experienced)


    Then how was it that the boy was making the impossible possible. If he were to think about it, there was a possibility that that boy had crossed swords with the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order in battlefields. That too, not once or twice, but enough times to memorize their style and swordsmanship, combinations, their timing for using magic and their attributes, and the actions that would become cues for these things.


    Even if that were true, it was plenty enough to think that there was a possibility of him belonging to a hostile power. If such a person were to come to take the enrollment examination, then probably, their aim was to conduct some maneuvering activities by infiltrate into the chivalric order.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­..Shannon-kun, there¡¯s something I want you to do¡¹


    ¡¸Please give any order you want¡¹


    ¡¸I want you to gather all the battle records of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order within the past 10 years. Everything from large-scale battles to battles with only a single squad and even small scale fights of individual levels¡¹


    ¡¸When is the due date? If even individual level records of the order¡¯s members need to be gathered, then it¡¯ll take some time¡¹


    ¡¸I don¡¯t mind. Gather the others while I¡¯m investigating the large-scale battle records¡¹


    ¡¸Understood¡¹


    Shannon respectfully bowed her head. Normally, he would feel like smiling wryly at her politeness, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood for that now.


    Predicting activated magic and negating it, they had been investigated enough for such an absurd thing to be possible. Even habits that they themselves hadn¡¯t noticed might have been discovered. It would be easy to send the boy away by failing him, but that was too dangerous. This wasn¡¯t something that could be ignored.


    In that case, they would draw him here and while observing him, try to investigate where he belonged to. There was also the possibility that there existed spies other than him that might have already infiltrated inside the chivalric order or the kingdom. In that case, they could use him to reveal the other spies.


    ¡¸It¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s just needless anxiety¡­¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸Were you saying something?¡¹


    ¡¸No, it¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s return to work, shall we¡¹


    ¡¸Yes¡¹


    While seeing the black-clothed boy take on 20 people, they once again returned back to their paperwork.

 Chapter 32

    Speaking from the results, Harold magnificently passed the enrollment examination. That was obvious since he had taken on about more than 30 knights and defeated them while he had been almost completely uninjured. Since dealing with movements that didn¡¯t stick to the characteristic motion would be nothing if one had Harold¡¯s reflexes and physical ability, in the latter half, him getting used to it also helped and it was to the extent that he felt as though he was doing some monotonous work. When he realized it, even the high he had felt in a long time had lessened.


    But although he passed, there were also problems. It was the fact that although it was an extremely difficult matter, a part of the people couldn¡¯t feel anything good towards the newcomer who had beat up his seniors.


    ¡¸The newcomer called Harold, is that you?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­So what¡¹


    ¡¸Since it seems as though you have a huge attitude, we were thinking of teaching you how the newbie should behave¡¹


    That is, what he was trying to say was, without even 10 days passing after his enrollment, situations where he would quarrel with senior knights whenever there was any time, started occurring. ¡®Is it fine for Knight-samas to be like this¡¯, were Harold¡¯s frank thoughts. Even with them, who were brave and honorable when seen from outside, it seemed as though not each and everyone was a good person.


    That said, thinking how they could do such things so coolly, when he questioned Shido about it, it seemed as though personal fights using weapons or magic were prohibited. And it also seemed as though a considerably heavy penalty would be given if one broke the ban. That was why they attacked with their bare hands. And obviously, they attacked Harold aiming for when he was unarmed too. It seemed as though it was done under the pretense of unarmed combat training and not personal struggles without weapons.


    After doing the laundry which was assigned to the newcomers and drying them, in front of Harold, who was returning to the barracks, were 4 senior knights standing shoulder to shoulder. Harold openly breathed out a sigh. He didn¡¯t care if that attitude conversely instigated them even more. For them, no matter what Harold did, it would get on their nerves. ¡®If a person is detestable, then even their clothing is detestable¡¯, was a saying that was well said. Even if they were to thrash Harold, they would probably still be unable to stand him.


    If so, it wouldn¡¯t be alright to simply get beaten up. If he couldn¡¯t avoid being hated then he was fine with leaving it like that. Frankly speaking, it was meaningless to simply keep them company. There was only a single action that Harold could pick here.


    Bending both his knees by a little, he dropped his center of gravity. Looking at the posture where it seemed as though he would throw himself upon them even now, the four of them increased their vigilance, but that backfired. Unleashing the strength stored in his legs, Harold¡¯s figure disappeared leaving behind a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound of cutting through the air. Due to their visions narrowing because they were too concentrated on Harold in close-range, their eyes weren¡¯t able to keep up with that speed. As a result, they were late in reacting.


    By the time they became aware that Harold had disappeared, he had already kicked the stone wall present on the right side and had accelerated towards the front. With that action that didn¡¯t even take a single second, he had left behind the 4 of them and instantly opened a gap of more than 20 meters. With this, there was nothing the 4 of them could do to catch up to him. By the time they turned back, Harold¡¯s back had already become distant.


    Ignoring the angry ¡¸Wait!¡¹s that could be heard from behind, he headed towards a busy place. Because if there were some people, it would be hard for even them to start a quarrel. If he just let it go like this, it would end without needing to take them on.


    (At any rate, if there are a huge amount of people like those guys, then even Vincent wont¡¯ be repaid, huh)


    While steadily pulling away, Harold was thinking about such things. Although Vincent was a person who would become a powerful enemy in the game, he himself was a good person at heart. As a human, as a knight, his personality was to always be righteous.


    ¡ºKnights are the sword of the Kingdom and also its shield¡»


    That was his belief, but what Vincent was trying to protect wasn¡¯t just the King. According to him, a Kingdom was all its citizens.


    Borrowing the lines from the narrative ¨C


    ¡ºA nation exists only because of it¡¯s citizens. If there is no nation, then there is no need for a King. That is why, leading the nation and creating a bond (means) of peace for the citizens is the duty of the King. In that case, so that both parties fulfill their own duties, us knights are the ones that eliminate the threats that attack them and the ones that open up the future of the nation!¡»


    Vincent was a man who honored justice, valued etiquette, saved the weak, remonstrated the ones who were wrong and mercilessly slayed the ones that would harm the citizens.


    Without a mistake, he was righteous. And he was strong enough to also assert and put that righteousness into practice. Although, it could also be said that he was like that because he had compelled himself thinking that it wouldn¡¯t do if he weren¡¯t like that. As a result, after the game¡¯s Vincent had stuck to his beliefs, he had been crushed by his own ideals and his heart had broken.


    Although the topic had digressed a bit, to put it simply, picking on others in the name of training that stuck inside the chivalric order like some bad tradition, was very far apart from the ideal knights and the state of organization that Vincent wished for. There was no way he would forgive these kinds of things, and he would most probably completely eradicate it once he became the Captain.


    Thinking, ¡®I¡¯d be happy if he could do so as fast as possible¡¯, as though it were other people¡¯s affairs, without slowing down, he managed to run away. The time was already past noon.  While thinking of having lunch, he returned the wicker basket used for laundry to the barracks and went towards the grand mess room. If it was there, since there would be many people at this period of time, they wouldn¡¯t blatantly try to quarrel with him.


    This was a completely digressing topic, but the dishes in the basic menu in the grand mess room was free of charge. In the case of high grade dishes or when a side menu was supplemented, it would generate some money but it wasn¡¯t a considerable amount.


    With the meals being neither too much nor too less, Harold, who wasn¡¯t picky, innocuously ordered the basic menu and quickly sat down in an empty seat. And naturally, he was eating alone.


    Harold, who frequently quarreled, was obviously avoided by his seniors and also by the other newcomers. Although they were called newcomers, there was certainly some kind of wall due to there being a difference in the time and circumstances when they had joined, but the primary reason was still that Harold would get caught up in a quarrel every single time. Since they were afraid of getting involved if they were with him, it couldn¡¯t be helped that they were hesitant to get close to him.


    ¡¸Scowling today too, huh, Harold¡¹


    That said, there were always exceptions no matter what the situation. There was a man who sat in the empty seat right next to him. It was Shido. And as though they were being lead by him, both Robinson and Aileen sat down opposite Harold.


    ¡¸What do you want?¡¹


    ¡¸Since there was a sad junior who was eating alone, the senior whose heart was aching thought of sharing the table with him¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s an unneeded favor. In the first place, even you don¡¯t have any good friends, do you? I haven¡¯t seen you with anyone other than these guys¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I¡¯m not Robin¡¹


    ¡¸I wish you wouldn¡¯t say something I can¡¯t deny¡­¡­..¡¹


    Being suddenly hit by a stray bullet, Robinson became depressed. That figure of him mixing his soup with a spoon while hunching his shoulders was like a timid child.


    Frequently meeting him since after coming here, even Harold had understood that the youth with this face and big stature called Robinson, contrary to his appearance, was timid and delicate, and on top of that had a quiet temperament. His appearance and insides were completely opposite.


    And so, there was no need to fear him, but still it would take some time to get completely used to him. If he were suddenly appear in his vision, Harold would reflexively freeze up.


    ¡¸By the way, you¡¯ve become quite popular. Must be difficult to keep the seniors company¡¹


    Shido lowered his tone by a little and said that. It seemed like there were people who didn¡¯t think well of Harold in his surroundings too. Looking at how he was interacting in a friendly manner like this without getting influenced by them showed that Shido was a good person. Even Robinson and Aileen were looking at Harold with their eyes filled with concern.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Certainly. Right now, I¡¯m being surrounded by troublesome guys¡¹


    ¡¸If you can say that much, you seem to be fine¡¹


    Without even making an unpleasant face at those harsh words, Shido laughed loudly. In contrast to that, Aileen breathed out a sigh.


    ¡¸Good grief, you¡¯re not adorable to an unbelievable extent. If you¡¯re like that, you won¡¯t be able to make any friends or find a lover¡¹


    ¡¸Buhahaha! You say lover, but you¡¯re the last person who should say that!¡¹


    ¡¸Did you say anything? Shido¡¹


    Before Shido could finish his sentence, Aileen¡¯s left straight burst forth. The thing that captured that fist was Shido¡¯s face. Shido, who had asked for the fist that had been swung without any mercy, had a red line flowing out from his nose.


    ¡¸Ha, unfortunately I don¡¯t need such things¡¹


    ¡¸Well, that¡¯s right¡¹


    The moment he replied back to Aileen who was emitting an intimidating air, appearing out of nowhere, Cody put his hand on Harold¡¯s right shoulder. That face had its usual faint smile. Maybe because the other 3 were used to him appearing in this manner, they didn¡¯t show any great reactions. Although even Harold wasn¡¯t much different from them on the surface, inwardly, his heart was pounding.


    ¡¸Since Harold-kun already has a fiancee. There¡¯s no need for him to make a girlfriend now, right ¡«¡¹


    Without even any special warning, Cody casually dropped a bomb. Due to being completely surprised, Harold wasn¡¯t able to react immediately. On the contrary, he committed a fatal error.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­.Why do you know that?¡¹


    He ended up asking that question. With this, it became as though he was affirming that Cody¡¯s statement was true.While clumsily wiping the red liquid dripping down from his nose with his cuffs, Shido grasped Harold¡¯s open left shoulder.


    ¡¸Let us hear it in detail, Harold. It seems as though you have a fiancee?¡¹


    ¡¸Right, right. Graceful and elegant, a very lovely girl to whom the words ¡®Refined young lady¡¯ suit perfectly¡¹


    Towards the question asked by Shido, who was drawing closer, for some reason, the one who answered was Cody. Although that too was irritating, more than anything, the problem was the way he spoke, as though he clearly knew about Erika.


    ¡¸Oi, why do you know about her¨C¡¹


    ¡¸Her? Did you just say her? At that age, you¡¯re already acting like a husband!?¡¹


    ¡¸Eei, don¡¯t scream, it¡¯s annoying!¡¹


    ¡¸Well then, I¡¯ll return to my work. You guys, keep the clamoring within limits¡¹


    While he was having a hard time tearing off Shido, who was clinging to him asking for the details, the source that invited the clamor left while waving his hand languidly.


    But there was no way this place would settle down with only that, and he was stuck dealing with Shido who was shouting, ¡¸It¡¯d be fine if it were a girlfriend, but a fiancee!¡¹, and a shocked Aileen who was saying, ¡¸To lose to a younger guy and that too, to one who is so unsociable like this¡­¡­..¡¹. Robinson was nothing but flustered trying to pacify the 2 who were like that.


    It was quite a noisy noon.


    ¡ó


    More than half the members lived within the barracks that dotted the chivalric order¡¯s headquarters. As a general rule, until a few years from enrollment, it was a cramped condition with 6 people in a room, but the treatment would gradually change depending on the years of service or the post as it would become 3 in a room or 2 in room. On the other hand, the people who had a family could live in their own house, and if one were to fulfill the established criteria, it would be possible for them to move out of the barracks even if they were single. The only thing that was absolute was that it was a necessity for one to live in the barracks with others for a minimum of 4 years from enrollment.


    That being the case, if one were to become the Vice Captain of the chivalric order, they would be given a completely private room. Accurately speaking, they would be given an exclusive office that would act as a joint establishment of their residence, study and reception room.


    As far as Vincent was concerned, it was something that was too much for him, but a space where one could live without minding the surrounding people was a well appreciated thing.


    That was why, when Cody, who was an old friend, stepped into this place, his usual lax attitude grew worse. Since the need to mind each other¡¯s position completely disappeared. Even now, he had completely occupied the 3 seater sofa in the reception room by lying down face up on it. He had his knees raised and legs crossed, and while using his left arm as a pillow, he continued reading a report held in his right hand while skillfully turning the pages with only one hand.


    ¡¸Hmm, from about 3 years ago, he applied to and participated in the subjugation expeditions, huh¡¹


    The report in Cody¡¯s hand contained all the information regarding Harold. But it was still just limited to the information obtainable from the outside though.


    The reason why he knew about Erika was also because of the fact that in a previous investigation report, she had been named as his fiancee and even her portrait had been placed. That too was also one part of the information that Vincent had asked to be gathered regarding Harold. After looking through it, Cody rose up and asked Vincent, the one who gave him this, of his real intentions.


    ¡¸So then, what are you telling me to do by making me read this?¡¹


    ¡¸Soon, I¡¯ll put Harold in your squad. I¡¯m sharing this information because of that¡¹


    ¡¸Oioi, it still hasn¡¯t even been a month since Harold enrolled, has it? Normally, enlistment is only after clearing the basic training curriculum, right?¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯ve judged that is is unnecessary. Just in case, I¡¯ll have him take up the final examination of the basic training curriculum, but if it¡¯s him, he will probably be fine¡¹


    ¡¸That is, well, you¡¯re right. But still, it¡¯s an exception among exceptions¡¹


    ¡¸Harold is outstanding. Due to that, there¡¯s no need to stick to the norm and a suitable training must be given. In the first place, since he has enrolled at an age of only 13 years and as the youngest person in history, no matter what is done, it won¡¯t change the fact that he will gather attention¡¹


    ¡¸The thing called following experience? But he¡¯ll stand out. More than presently¡¹


    ¡¸That is why I want you to become his windbreak¡¹


    For a short while, both their gazes collided. But even that didn¡¯t last long, and Cody, who was the first to avert his gaze, breathed out a long sigh.


    ¡¸I understand what you are saying¨C the superficial reason¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ You¡¯ve seen through my thinking, huh¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s not particularly to that extent. But if it were only for that reason, there would be no need to do this much, right?¡¹


    Saying that, he flung the report in his right hand on top of the desk. Cody¡¯s point was rational. And right from the start, Vincent had no intentions to hide his plan from Cody. It was only a conversation for formalities sake up until now, and the real issue was from here on.


    ¡¸Say, Cody, looking at the way Harold fought during the enrollment exam, what did you think?¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Needless to say,¡±Impossible¡±, was what I felt. No matter what, him being able to move in that kind of way, where the countermeasures against the chivalric order was optimized enough for it to be conveniently done, was outside my expectations¡¹


    It seemed as though he too had hit upon the same doubt like Vincent. That was how inexplicable the movements that Harold had shown were.


    ¡¸Even I agree. There is a need to investigate where he learned a fighting style like that¡¹


    ¡¸But Harold is a full-fledged noble, you know? That too, he¡¯s one of those stiff pure-blood faction that are rare these days¡¹


    Seeing through Vincent¡¯s thoughts, where he was having apprehensions that Harold had connections with organizations that were hostile towards this nation, Cody talked as though telling him to calm down.


    ¡¸As a result, he might¡¯ve killed a servant¡¯s family¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, I can¡¯t deny that¡­¡­¡­ but there were things like how he had been injured due to protecting soldiers, so you can¡¯t just simply judge him like that, right?¡¹


    ¡¸For the sake of making sure of that is also another reason for his immediate enlistment. There is a need to check his background and personality. These are jobs that I can ask only of you¡¹


    ¡¸In other words, you want me to monitor him, huh. I doubt that there is a need to do things to such an extent though¡¹


    ¡¸I can¡¯t just imprudently believe in him just because he is a noble. We have experienced that firsthand 10 years ago with Noheik¡¯s treachery¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..¡¹


    Towards Vincent¡¯s words, Cody couldn¡¯t help but be silent. He didn¡¯t even want to remember it, the betrayal of the one who was even called as the King¡¯s confidant, Kalem Noheik.


    Kalem, who had also been the head of the historic house of Noheik, had leaked highly classified information and had received a large amount of money from the company he had been colluding with. Even the fingers of both hands weren¡¯t enough to count his charges. And among them, leaking information regarding the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order had also been included.


    Kalem, who had been imprisoned, hadn¡¯t given a testimony with regards to the incident and had committed suicide by banging his head a number of times against the wall. As a result, the incident had ended with the company he had colluded with being penalized, and even until now, they hadn¡¯t been able to properly grasp where and how much of the classified information had leaked out.


    Kalem¡¯s betrayal and death had given a greater shock than due to the damage suffered by the nation because starting with the King, he had obtained the trust of his colleagues and even the masses.


    ¡¸Besides, I haven¡¯t thought that that incident has been resolved. The negative inheritance he left behind, the people who conspired with Noheik in those days, are still lurking behind the center of the nation¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­If you are going to this extent, then it seems as though you¡¯ve grasped something. And so, you are saying that those guys might be there behind Harold, huh¡¹


    ¡¸Or, there might also be a possibility that there is a third party that obtained the information that Noheik leaked, but in either case, we can only just speculate. I do fell sorry for you and Harold. But still¨C¡¹


    ¡¸Understood. Alright, I¡¯ll do it¡¹


    The words, ¡®I have to doubt him¡¯, were overwritten by Cody.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.Sorry¡¹


    ¡¸Why is it that you are apologizing here. It¡¯s fine to say thank you or something. You are too earnest, much more than required¡¹


    ¡¸Because the guy who was always next to me did nothing but slack off. I might have become serious for his portion too. Even now, if he were to change his mind a little, it would be helpful¡¹


    ¡¸Oh, my ears hurt. Disperse, disperse¡¹


    Cody hunched his shoulders, stood up, and left the reception room in a hurry. Looking at the door, which had been closed with a snap, that seemed to have been superimposed by his old friend¡¯s back, even though he knew it wouldn¡¯t reach, Vincent spoke out a word of gratitude. Only a single ¡¸Thank you¡¹.

 Chapter 33

    That day, a particular barrack for newcomers in one corner of the headquarters of the Saint King¡¯s chivalric order was engrossed in a certain topic. The origin of the matter was the notification sent to the whole of the chivalric order a few days back. The contents were that a new person that had enlisted would come. Although enlistments that happened in the middle, without going through the open recruitment examination conducted every year, were certainly less, there was no need to make any special fuss about it.


    Then the reason as to why it had become a hot topic was because the age of the one who had enlisted in the middle was far below the originally stipulated age. Since it was a boy of 13 years old. It was the enlistment of the youngest person since the establishment of the chivalric order. That itself wasn¡¯t a lacking subject, but since he had single-handedly defeated a few dozen senior knights during the enlistment examination, their curiosity about exactly what kind of person he was, was never-ending.


    The newcomers of the same term who filled the barracks of the 94th term were especially noisy. The ones who were the most noisy were the members of the 7th squad of the 94th term who were to live together with the boy.


    ¡¸Say, if that newbie is a guy like in the rumors, what to do?¡¹


    The leader of the 7th squad, Isaac, while fidgeting nervously, asked that question to his squad members.


    ¡¸That again? The contents of the rumor are all unbelievable, and I think that it is a bit too far-fetched¡­¡­.¡¹


    ¡¸But it seems the part about him beating up many of the seniors is true, so at the very least, he might not be ordinary¡¹


    ¡¸A brawny guy with a height of more than 2 meters and he clobbers his opponents without even using any weapons while none of the attacks work on him¡­¡­¡­. was it? I don¡¯t have the confidence to work with a monster like that¡¹


    ¡¸Actually, there are people who believe that he is a ghost formed from the collective grudge of the knights who died on the battlefield. That¡¯s why attacks don¡¯t work, it seems¡¹


    ¡¸Impossible¡­¡­¡­.. right?¡¹


    The words that were successively coming out of their mouths were the indication of anxiety they were feeling. This was because from the past few days, the rumors regarding the newbie were too unreal. The contents were things that should have been laughed off, but they couldn¡¯t do so because there was some authenticity. But the things like him being a ghost were too crazy.


    Therefore, lately whenever they were free they would express their respective speculations, about how he was like this or that, about the identity of the newbie. But that too would end today. Since the newbie, who was the center of topic, was going to come here today.


    At that time, suddenly, without even a knock, the doorknob was pulled. The four¡¯s gazes simultaneously concentrated on the door. While raising an old-fashioned creaking sound, the door gradually opened. And then, the one who appeared from the other side was¨C


    ¡¸Excuse me for a bit. Are all of you here?¡¹


    It was a man with unkempt hair, which extended until the nape of his neck, and an unshaven beard. They didn¡¯t know about the man since it  had only been a few months since their enlistment, but recognizing that he was a superior officer by looking at the arm band on his shoulder, they took a posture of saluting him.


    ¡¸Yeah, yeah, good work. I¡¯ve only just brought the thing to be delivered, so I¡¯ll leave the rest to you guys¡¹


    From behind the superior officer who stated that in a very careless manner, a boy with a height of about 160 cm showed his face. His expression was grim.


    ¡¸You have quite the guts to treat me like an object, huh, Cody. Should I stuff you in a wine barrel and kick you out into the sea?¡¹


    When they were thinking that he might be nervous, without even hesitating, the boy abused the superior officer all of a sudden. With a spectacle which they hadn¡¯t predicted at all in front of them, starting from Isaac, the other 4 froze up with their mouths gaping widely. Not only had the newbie, who had just enlisted, not used honorifics in front the superior officer, but had actually spoke in this manner. It couldn¡¯t simply be settled with reasons like just because he was a child or because had some backing. It was a behavior that was very far apart from their common sense.


    ¡¸At that time, I wish you fill barrel completely with alcohol too. With something I¡¯m not able to drink usually, like Cognac¡¹


    ¡¸Be satisfied with low-class ale. It¡¯s fit for you¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s quite a cheap brand. There¡¯s no way I can have low-class ale for the last drink in my life¡¹


    But even the superior officer behaved as though he didn¡¯t mind it. Rather, he was even grinning broadly. While they were standing there with their heads still unable to process this abnormal situation, the superior officer left with a ¡¸Later¡¹ while swinging his hand. Thereupon, naturally, only the boy, who was brought by him, was left in front of them.


    He wasn¡¯t a brawny 2 m man like in the rumors. His noble features, compared to his age, gave off a somewhat grown-up impression, but it also gave off an immature impression suitable for his age. Black hair and clothes, and those crimson eyes that seemed as though it would suck in those who looked at them. Those eyes suddenly narrowed, and a sharp look captured the four.


    ¡¸I¡¯m Harold. You bastards, pay the utmost attention so that you don¡¯t displease me¡¹


    As though it were natural, and also concise enough for one to unintentionally miss it, the boy who named himself Harold declared that. He was beyond cheeky, almost outrageous. Although they were contemporaries, as seniors normally they should have shown their anger, but when it was so outrageous, they could only be taken aback.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.. Um, okay. I¡¯m Isaac. Pleased to meet you¡¹


    Isaac, who somehow responded even while being dumbfounded, could barely respond like that in an very polite way with a cramped smile. There was no one who looked at that figure as being pathetic for acting like that in front of a boy younger than him.


    All of them were overwhelmed by that intense presence Harold held, not allowing them to say no. If one were to say pathetic, then without a doubt all of them were. This was, for the members of the 7th squad of the 94th term, their chance meeting with Harold, one they would never forget in their lives.


    ¡ó


    Maybe because Harold was silent originally, after that, he only spoke for the minimum required amount. It was also because Isaac and the others couldn¡¯t speak to the silent Harold due to hesitating. They welcomed the next day with that atmosphere that seemed to choke them. During the early morning, when the mist still hung in the air, including the 7th squad, all new recruits that had been enlisted for less than a year were gathered at the outdoor training field. It was normal, the usual morning drill.


    If something were different, then it was that Harold¡¯s introduction had been inserted before the start.


    ¡¸Even you guys would have heard the talks, but this guy is the youngest in history to enlist, Harold Stokes¡¹


    Due to those few words from the instructor, murmurs spread about among the new recruits. Most probably, it was because he could only be seen as a normal boy unlike the man in the rumors.  Almost all whispers were skeptical ones, doubting whether he was actually strong. Maybe because Harold, who was standing next to the instructor, hadn¡¯t heard those whispers, he didn¡¯t even bat an eye.


    ¡¸As long as one has enlisted, age doesn¡¯t matter. Everybody are treated equally. Harold, are you prepared for that?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t ask foolish questions. Being treated equal to these guys is too lukewarm¡¹


    ¡¸It seems that it¡¯s true that you don¡¯t know how to speak. You can participate only after running around the training field 30 times! Go!¡¹


    Listening the instructors words, everybody were startled. Morning training was first warm-up exercises along with running 10 laps around the training ground, and after that working the body and practice swings. It wasn¡¯t rare that people were punished by being made to run extra laps around the field if they were judged to be late or slacking off. But still, it was rare for someone to be punished with 30 extra laps. It was the first time the recruits of the 94th term had heard this number in the less than half a year they had been enlisted. It seemed as though Harold¡¯s behavior had irritated the instructor considerably. Being handed the punishment, Harold started running without talking back. Immediately after that, the instructor raised his voice once again.


    ¡¸What are you guys doing! Do you guys also want to run the same amount as him!? If not, start running immediately!¡¹


    Being driven by that voice, everybody simultaneously started running thinking, ¡®Please spare us from that¡¯. 1 lap of the training ground was about 400 m. For  30 laps, it was about 12km. Even for them, it would take about about 50 minutes. For people around Harold¡¯s age, it would take more than an hour. It was unthinkable that he would have the energy remaining to participate in the training after finishing that.


    He might drop out on the first day itself. Everybody thought so. But as they entered their 2nd lap, they noticed that something was strange. The gap between them and Harold, who was leading, hadn¡¯t decreased at all. On the contrary, it gradually became wider.


    ¡¸No matter how you look at it, he¡¯s going too fast¡¹


    ¡¸If he¡¯s like that, he won¡¯t be able to hold up until 30 laps¡¹


    Some of the people who were running next to Isaac gave their frank impressions. Everybody thought that that was right.* But against those expectations, when they were in their 5th lap, Harold had left them behind by so much that they had fallen behind by 1 lap. But still, his pace hadn¡¯t dropped.


    Well-regulated breathing, steady body, hands and legs that were being moved strongly. That nimble running of his was far from his limits which made them feel as though he even had some leeway.


    They couldn¡¯t believe it. If they were running at the same pace as Harold was, their breath would have most probably been faint by now. Harold glanced behind, and as though he was thinking, after a moment, he muttered yo nobody in particular.


    ¡¸Shall I raise the pace a bit more¡¹


    The once that picked that up shuddered, thinking, ¡®He¡¯ll go even faster?¡¯. Instantly, Harold¡¯s strides became larger. Proportionally, Harold steadily accelerated.


    Almost simultaneously, their legs suddenly became heavier. The degree of fatigue they normally felt towards the end of morning training had already been accumulated at this point.


    ¡®Why?¡¯- This question rose, but was immediately cleared. Lured by Harold, even their paces had increased. Even their breath had started rising. Remaining 4 laps. Just becoming conscious of that was painful enough to almost stop their legs.


    Due to their pace being disrupted, by the time they finally completed 10 laps, they were 5 minutes late compared to their usual time. Despite that, their fatigue was heavy. But the most surprising thing was, a few minutes after they had finished running, Harold completed his 30 laps. With an astounding speed. Even the instructor was making a face as though he was seeing something unbelievable. And Harold, even while sweating, hadn¡¯t broken that refreshing look on his face.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ It seems you have considerable stamina¡¹


    ¡¸Naturally. I haven¡¯t done training weak enough to be exhausted by this level¡¹


    ¡¸Hou. Then for the form practice next, I¡¯ll have you swing this¡¹


    Maybe thinking that the punishment wasn¡¯t enough seeing that Harold¡¯s haughty manner of speaking still hadn¡¯t reduced, the instructor handed Harold a lengthy sword that wasn¡¯t normally used for form practice. Since the blade was long, due to its weight and the centrifugal force it would produce, handling it would become extremely difficult. With that body where his frame and muscles still hadn¡¯t developed, just swinging it properly would be difficult.


    But that was only common sense. Including the instructor, everybody that were present here were starting to vaguely sense that Harold was an exception that didn¡¯t adhere to that kind of common sense. Maybe paying attention to the others, Harold took some distance from them after accepting the longsword, and probably wanting to confirm the sword¡¯s center of gravity and the burden it would give off, he swung it freely as he pleased. The way he freely handled the sword looked as though it was a dance.


    It was at that time. A gust of wind blew. It wasn¡¯t strong enough to be called a gale, but it shook the trees and scattered their leaves. The green leaves in midair were led by the wind and flowed towards Harold. The moment the green leaves passed in front of his eyes, Harold unleashed multiple sword slashes. Since the speed was astounding, to Isaac, the sword seemed blurred and he could only see afterimages. Most probably, it was the same for the others too.


    It was obvious that Harold¡¯s action of that wanting to cut the scattering leaves. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯, were their frank thoughts. To cut the irregularly moving leaves that get blown away by the sword¡¯s wind pressure would demand extraordinary skill and kinetic vision.


    But Harold was the type that could actually execute it. 6 leaves which were slashed by sword, tore. Cut vertically and horizontally like a cross, they became 24 pieces. The leaves that were cut were blown away by the wind and disappeared towards the horizon. Without paying any attention to them, who were watching that in a daze, Harold stared at the longsword seriously.


    ¡¸Humph, not bad¡¹


    He was just trying out the sword. It was only a trial, and it was natural that he could do it. Harold¡¯s attitude indicated that.


    Including the longsword, the blades of all weapons that were generally classified as swords were heavy. Cutting leaves fluttering in midair like before was difficult. If it were to be done, then only the part of the sharp tapered point, of a few mm, used to pierce opponents should be used.


    Only the point of the hard to wield and heavy longsword could accurately cut an object with irregular movement which was literally light enough to be blown by the wind and limp enough for its shape to easily change. If the slashes missed by even a single mm, if the gap was different by even a single hair¡¯s width- it was a move that couldn¡¯t be accomplished if even just slight differences like these occurred.


    How high was Harold¡¯s ability if he could easily accomplish such a thing. The rumors that they had heard about how he easily overpowered a few dozen senior knights were most probably true.


    Every single person in the 94th term understood. Harold was at a level where they couldn¡¯t possibly reach. They realized it instinctively. It was close to the momentary instinct a wild animal held against its natural enemy. An absolute rank as though it were already determined at the time of their birth.


    2 days after enlisting, Harold seized every single person of the 94th platoon by showing his overwhelming ability.

 Chapter 34

    Waking up at sunrise, the new recruits would do the morning training for about 2 hours. After breakfast, they would do miscellaneous jobs within the chivalric order, and depending on the situation, they would patrol around the city following behind their seniors like ducklings. And after lunch, they would do nothing but train. When it was actually done, it was quite a hard schedule.


    It had already been more than about 2 weeks since he had continued this lifestyle, but there had been no changes with Harold. This was true for both himself and his surroundings. To start with, with regards to either stamina or ability in training, he had no troubles. No matter how much he moved, his stamina limit wasn¡¯t found, and he could finish any training no matter what it was.


    On the other hand, due to his mouth that continued to throw out rash remarks towards his superior officer as though he had no idea about the concept of TPO, it was troublesome since supplements kept on being added to his training menu. Although he had a body that could easily complete the increased training, thinking about how the instructor¡¯s impression about him was crawling on the ground, he was fearful everyday thinking that he might be asked to leave before long.


    It was as usual with his surroundings, where he was avoided by his contemporaries and was always getting caught up with the anti-Harold force. By the way, he didn¡¯t know much about his roommates. This was because he was always training during his free time due to not being able to stand the silence in the room. It had completely changed into a room that he used only for sleeping. That is, other than his human relations being in a devastating condition, there were no particular fatal troubles for now.


    And so, today, when he was going to find lunch in preparation for the afternoon training, he was abruptly called to the instructor¡¯s room. When Harold, filled with trepidation, went towards the instructor¡¯s room thinking, ¡®No way, am I really going to be dismissed?¡¯, without any preface, the instructor informed him.


    ¡¸Harold, you¡¯ll take the final examination of the basic training course¡¹


    ¡¸The final examination?¡¹


    ¡¸That¡¯s right. If you succeed, you¡¯ll openly graduate from a new recruit and be enlisted¡¹


    Thinking, ¡®Come to think of it, there was something like that in the code which consolidates the rules of the chivalric order¡¯, he dug through his hazy memories. If that memory was correct, then only those who had enlisted for more than 1 year were qualified to take up the final examination of the basic training course.


    ¡¸I thought that it still hasn¡¯t even been a month since I¡¯ve enlisted though? It seems as though the flow of time is different here¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s an exceptional case this time. It has been judged that your strength has already far surpassed the limits of the new recruits¡¹


    ¡¸That was already known at the time of the enrollment examination. Well, I¡¯ll praise you for your judgment to make an exceptional case¡¹


    Even towards his superior officer, he spoke in a condescending manner as though it were natural. For Harold, he couldn¡¯t help but think that it was mystery as to why they still hadn¡¯t chased him out with that crazy attitude of his. And he was also surprised at the sudden final examination. But he had no hesitation about taking it.


    The original work¡¯s Harold¡¯s official post was unknown, but thinking about he would sometimes bring his subordinates along, it could be guessed that he had some high position. Harold himself had no interest in position, but he would lose nothing if he could move around freely to some extent.


    ¡¸The final examination is in a few days. The content will be informed on the day of the exam, but make your preparations for going on an expedition¡¹


    ¡¸Is that all?¡¹


    ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s it. Wish you good luck¡¹


    ¡¸There¡¯s no use in wishing. Because the result is obvious¡¹


    Towards the instructor¡¯s encouragement, he didn¡¯t even honestly say, ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best¡¹. With this, if he were to fail, he would become a laughingstock. Harold renewed his conviction to at least strive to be sincere in his actions.


    4 days after that. Quickly, the day of the final examination arrived.


    While donning the noisy armor that also symbolized the chivalric order, he proceeded step by step. Bathed in the sunlight that was coming from the sun that was almost directly overhead, there were 9 shadows. It was a composition of Harold and the 4 from Cody¡¯s squad, 2 platoon leaders, a company commander and his aide.


    If the contents of the examination were to be summarized, it was field training. Currently, they were in the middle of marching towards their destination. This too was a part of the training, and they had roughly continued walking for about 3 hours.


    ¡¸How is it Harold, are you starting to get tired?¡¹


    While he was silently moving his legs forward, a voice came from behind. Rather than worry, that tone contained intentions of teasing him. Shido, who was the owner of that voice, didn¡¯t appear to be tired.


    ¡¸If I look like that to you, then go see a doctor. But it might already be too late¡¹


    ¡¸Aren¡¯t you quite composed? As expected of having participated in subjugation expeditions in your territory¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ Why do you know that? It was the same last time too¡¹


    ¡¸Last time? What are you talking about?¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t play dumb. You knew about Erika¡¹


    ¡¸Ah, Harold-kun¡¯s fiancee¡¹


    Cody emphasized the fiancee part. Harold had dug his own grave. It was foolish of him to bring that up. Feeling suspicious about Cody having obtained information about him for some reason, Harold, being in a disadvantageous situation with Cody at the front and Shido at the back, kept silent. It was the so-called tactical retreat. However, he received a pursuit from an unexpected direction.


    ¡¸That¡¯s interesting. Does Stokes-kun have a fiancee?¡¹


    It was the side-part haired1 company commander, Sakrith1, to whom suit seemed to be more suitable than armor. Behind that elite bureaucrat appearance, maybe he liked this kind of topic. And due to Sakrith leading on the topic, everybody¡¯s gazes concentrated on Harold. Frankly speaking, he was used to this, but still, he wouldn¡¯t feel right if he just ignored him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Yes, so?¡¹


    Without being able to deny it by saying it was just a front, the instant he answered, the tension shot up. Especially the aide, whose face immediately stiffened. As expected, talking informally with a company commander might not have been permitted. Resigning himself to just accept the admonishment here, he prepared himself and waited for the shouting. But, what came back was a faint wavering voice filled with sorrow.


    ¡¸Is that so, is that so¡­¡­.. Even a boy 20 years younger has a fiancee, but when it comes to me¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Sakrith started mumbling something. Cody and the 2 platoon leaders were peeking at that situation, where the aide was trying to cheer him up with a ¡¸It¡¯ll be alright!¡¹, while trying to stifle their laughter. It seemed as though the fault wasn¡¯t his disrespectful attitude, but that he had stepped on Sakrith¡¯s landmine. While thinking of how the members of the chivalric order who didn¡¯t have lovers seemed to have the same reaction, Harold glanced at Aileen.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll destroy you¡¹


    The moment their eyes met, he was warned so. He wasn¡¯t sure as to what she would destroy, but she was being quite unreasonable. It was a behavior where he could understand why she didn¡¯t have a boyfriend. No matter which part of the body, since it would be unbearable to have it destroyed, he turned forward and concentrated on walking. But that too was interrupted soon.


    ¡¸2 Hammer Treants! They are approaching in this direction!¡¹


    Robinson raised his voice. When they looked, trees of about 5 m tall were using 2 branches about as thick as their trunks like crutches and were drawing nearer. Naturally, they weren¡¯t normal vegetation.


    Hammer Treant was a monster in the shape of a tree. The huge branches that were used for movement were also swung around like cudgels to destroy their opponents, defense and all, which was why they were prefixed with the word Hammer. Since there were things like eyes and mouth on their trunks, they were also called human-faced trees. Without a doubt, they were vegetation, but it was possible for them to predate on animals using their mouths and turn them into nourishment. There were no exceptions even when humans were their opponents.


    ¡¸Hmm, it seems that we are the targets¡¹


    ¡¸Since there are still a bit distant, we could get away, but if they were to go down the hill behind us, the highway is there¡¹


    ¡¸Then we should bring them down here itself. Stokes-kun, you¨C¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t ask me to step back, alright?¡¹


    Harold declared his intention to fight while interrupting him.


    ¡¸Running into Hammer Treants was unexpected. It won¡¯t have any influence on the examination¡¯s results¡¹


    (It won¡¯t!?)


    Thinking that since this was field training, dealing with unexpected situations like this was also a part of the examination, and deciding to go all out, backfired. That said, it wouldn¡¯t look good if he were to withdraw now. And also, Harold still held a grudge against Hammer Treants for putting a crack his ribs. It was just right for a revenge match.


    ¡¸Like I give a damn about the points. That one is mine¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­..Understood. Just in case, I¡¯m sending Lukas and Selim to support. Don¡¯t force yourself¡¹


    With Sakrith¡¯s order, they split up in 2 directions with Harold and the 2 platoon leaders in one and the rest of them in the other. The Hammer Treants were also lured by those movements and split up. It was a chance to crush each and every person.


    ¡¸We¡¯ll be behind you. You can fight without any worries¡¹


    ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to seeing that rumored strength of yours. But as soon as you find it dangerous, immediately fall back, alright? Originally, that is a very pressing opponent for new recruits¡¹


    Lukas and Selim encouraged Harold by patting his back. They were extremely reliable seniors.


    (Come to think of it, these people have no hostility towards me. That itself helps me)


    But the person himself had enough complacency to think about such things. Although he called it a revenge match, he felt no particular emotion. Even during that day when he was injured, if he hadn¡¯t tried to protect the soldier, it would have been an opponent that he could have defeated without much trouble. Much less when it was an unexpected situation that occurred during the examination. He wanted to defeat it quickly without needlessly wasting any time.


    Without even drawing his sword, he walked towards it with unfaltering footsteps as though he was taking a stroll. In contrast with him, the Hammer Treant switched to attacking. It raised it¡¯s right branch¨C hammer, and struck down towards Harold.


    ¡®Dogoon!¡¯- with a heavily destructive sound, a cloud of dust rose up and the ground shook. Harold evaded that attack by leaping up.


    But with him floating in midair, he became the perfect target. In a flash, the left hammer attacked Harold. It was a timing at which he couldn¡¯t avoid a direct hit. But Harold did a quick spin in midair, and with his right leg clad in something that looked like a violet aura, he kicked the attacking hammer down.


    ¡ºArtillery kick¡·¡»2


    Similar to Heavy Palm Knock, it was a heavy strike technique in unarmed combat. It was a kicking skill also called as ¡ºAxe kick¡·¡» among the players. Originally, artillery kick was a skill that was inserted in the middle of a combo, but differing from Heavy Palm Knock, its power was reasonably high even when it was used on its own. But still, since the attack¡¯s reach was short, it wasn¡¯t used much on its own. By the way, he didn¡¯t quite know what the violet effect that was generated like in the game was, but since it naturally appeared even when he thought it wouldn¡¯t, he just convinced himself that it was something like that.


    The Hammer Treant¡¯s hard branch and Harold¡¯s right leg clashed. It was a collision of Harold, who weighed about 50 kg, and the Hammer Treant that weighed about a few hundred kg. The level of the masses were too different, and normally thinking, the lighter one would be blown away. But even accepting that, the original work¡¯s characters were existences that their opponents would feel as though they would bring about results that were to the extent of being called irrational.


    The moment they clashed, a shrill sound resounded. The one that was defeated was the Hammer Treant. Not only that, but with a thud, the edge of the branch was buried in the ground. The hammer was crushed, and at the part that had been kicked, the bark was ripped off.


    Lukas and Selim were looking at that scene in a daze. Even the others that had been fighting the other Hammer Treant were gaping at this scene, but for now they gave higher priority to bringing it down. Using the buried hammer as a foothold, Harold approached the trunk, and after finally removing his sword from the scabbard, he stabbed it deep into the Hammer Treant¡¯s mouth. And then, without even giving the it the time to cry out in pain, Harold ended the fight.


    ¡¸¡ºFlame Sword¡»¡¹


    Flames erupted from the sword that Harold was gripping. But the pain of its insides being burned directly, for the Hammer Treant, it lasted only for an instant. Harold cut straight upwards with the sword still thrust in its mouth. Due to that, the Hammer Treant was cut right in half from the inside by the flaming sword, and was burned to death.


    The close to 5 m tall body separated into 2 parts, and in the blink of an eye, it was wrapped in flames. While blazing, the Hammer Treant fell down to the ground. It was a battle that didn¡¯t even last a single minute. The fight was literally an instant-kill.

 Chapter 35

    Without coming across any large-scale monsters after encountering the Hammer Treants and without any particular problems arising, the field training continued without any delay. A large part of the final examination was combating monsters. And the monsters that were to be fought against were already decided beforehand while taking the new recruits¡¯ strength into consideration. Mainly, it was from small-scale monsters that could be defeated individually to mid-scale monsters that could be defeated using coordination.


    But there was no way they could conveniently encounter the monsters that they were aiming for, and in those cases, it wasn¡¯t rare to camp around the living habitat of these monsters for a few days. Therein, not only combat ability, but also stamina, resilience and also the ability to coordinate with comrades were observed. This time, since only Harold had appeared for the final examination as an exceptional case, although the progress rate was considerably fine, it was unavoidable that it would take some time while they were on alert or when they were searching for monsters.


    Eventually, the final examination completely ended only after 3 days from its start. At the end, by the time the Basilisk had been defeated, it had already grown dark. While Harold and the others were making preparations to set up camp on the riverside, Sakrith looked back on events that had occurred in these 3 days.


    The basic training curriculum¡¯s final examination held in a hurry with its only participant being the boy of hot-topic, Harold.


    There was the fact that his age was only 13 years, but the most surprising thing was the fight against the Hammer Treant. If only new recruits had to defeat large-scale monsters like that, it would be difficult if more than 4 of them didn¡¯t fight together.


    That was why Sakrith had sent the platoon leaders Lukas and Selim as support, but Harold had easily defeated the Hammer Treant without borrowing their strength. He could declare that even for him, it would be impossible to slaughter a Hammer Treant at that speed. An absurdly high combat ability. He was made to realize what kind of people those outstanding talents that could carve their names in the history of the chivalric order were.


    Since Harold had so much strength at this age itself, it might be obvious that it was the cause for his arrogance. Sakrith thought that this was the cause for his overflowing confidence, snappy attitude, and his words which disdained people.


    But looking at it the other way, it could be tied to selfishly taking independent action. Because the more one was like Harold, who were confident in their strength, the more they tended to disdain cooperating with their comrades. No matter how strong one was, there were limits to what they they could do alone. Getting worked up thinking, ¡®If he isn¡¯t able to understand that, he won¡¯t be able to pass so easily¡¯, was only for a short while.


    When the time came for him to cooperate with Cody¡¯s squad, he handled it without any flaws. At first, there were parts where their coordination wasn¡¯t smooth, but as the number of times they did it increased, those parts also improved. And when it was the 3rd day, it even reached a point where they could display stable combination. And that was only possible because Harold had adjusted his level to the members of Cody¡¯s squad.


    If only individual strength was considered, then Harold was above Robinson and the other 2. If they tried to adjust to Harold¡¯s skill, then they would be nothing more than baggage. Only because Harold had held back his strength was it possible for them to coordinate smoothly.


    Although he was abusive from beginning to end, his conduct was one of trying to make use of his comrades¡¯ strength and erasing their weaknesses. Even though he had higher strength, without having anything to do with him looking down on them, he respected them and even excelled at working with them. He was a boy whose speech and conduct wasn¡¯t in gear at all.


    If he really looked down on his comrades as worthless existences, then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to coordinate this well. Although he thought so, on the other hand he couldn¡¯t help but think that Harold¡¯s strength was high enough to do even this no matter what his true feelings were.


    All throughout the examination, he wasn¡¯t able to grasp Harold¡¯s true nature. That said, Harold¡¯s results were so good that there was no way for him to fail Harold even by mistake. However, he felt an indistinct sense of discomfort.


    While he was being bothered by that, the examination ended and they started moving so as to return to the Royal Capital by the next morning. They departed at 6 in the morning, and if nothing were to happen, they would return before the day came to an end. Forming ranks in the same way as they had come, they had lunch en route and progressed without any delays. Eventually, by the time they had traversed more than half the distance from the Capital, that happened.


    ¡¸What is that?¡¹


    The one who noticed it first and raised his voice, was Lukas. To that, everybody¡¯s gazes concentrated towards the front. A few hundred meters from Sakrith and the others, a dark red something was squirming.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ Is it smoke? No, for it to be that, it¡¯s color and movements aren¡¯t normal¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s somewhat hazy though¡¹


    ¡¸Perhaps, a monster of some new species?¡¹


    Each of them voiced their speculations, but it wasn¡¯t as though they were able to ascertain it¡¯s identity. Since it was on their way, for now, they decided to approach it for confirmation, but among them, Harold¡¯s face was grimmer than usual. The ones who noticed it were Sakrith and another person.


    ¡¸Harold-kun, do you know what that is?¡¹


    Cody asked in a whisper. Only Harold and Sakrith were able to hear it.


    ¡¸Who knows. But if you don¡¯t feel anything from it, then you bastards have lost quite your edge¡¹


    Being questioned, Harold answered without moving his gaze away from the dark red body. He didn¡¯t know why the boy was feeling so much danger from it. But he would soon come to know that Harold¡¯s senses had hit the mark.


    Becoming distinct after they neared it, the dark red body was like mist. Its form was similar to a column, and as though it was oozing out from the ground, after it rose to about 150 cm high, it was dispersing. But other than that, they weren¡¯t able to find a single clue that came close to finding out the dark red mist body¡¯s identity.


    ¡¸Is something buried?¡¹


    The instant Shido bent his knees and tried to lean over, the mist swayed greatly. That part transformed as though it possessed a will. Simultaneously, Harold¡¯s sharp voice flew.


    ¡¸Get back!¡¹


    ¡¸Eh? Uo!¡¹


    The formed sickle bent like a whip and attacked Shido. The one who pulled Shido, who wasn¡¯t able to deal with the abrupt change, by his nape to evade the attack was Harold, who had leapt while shouting. It was precisely a hair¡¯s breadth. If he had been late by even an instant, then Shido¡¯s head would have been cut off by the mist sickle.


    His bangs, which seemed to have been cut by the mist sickle, fluttered down. Understanding what had occurred, Shido, with a somewhat blue face, expressed his gratitude towards Harold.


    ¡¸Y, you saved me¡­¡­¡­ Thanks, Harold¡¹


    ¡¸That doesn¡¯t matter. Stand up immediately, you blockhead¡¹


    It was a very harsh manner of speaking to someone who had just almost lost his life, but that was how pressing the situation was. That was because before they knew it, a few more dark red mist bodies had appeared.


    ¡¸We¡¯re surrounded!¡¹


    ¡¸What the hell is this?¡¹


    The mist bodies had appeared as though to surround them. The 6 mist bodies, including the ones that had newly appeared, uniformly formed sickles and started moving as though drawing a circle. Looking at this bizarre and unreal spectacle, everybody tottered.


    There was a single person who didn¡¯t waver at this creepy scene in front of him. After a single breath of time, Harold started attacking the mist without any hesitation. It was a speed which he hadn¡¯t shown in the examination. Sakrith was astonished by his seemingly endless ability, but meanwhile, Harold cut the enemy using that untraceable speed.


    The mist body that was attacked looked as though it was dispersed¡­¡­. but immediately, it became the same as before. After repeating it for a few times, Harold returned back towards them.


    ¡¸Physical attacks don¡¯t work. Even if the blade comes in contact, the sword just goes through. Also, we probably can¡¯t defend¡¹


    ¡¸On top of that, their attacks are effective, huh¡­¡­..¡¹


    Looking at how Shido¡¯s hair was cut, there was no mistake. Attacks were ineffective against the enemy, and they were exposed to undefendable attacks.


    ¡¸T, there¡¯s no way we can win against something like that¡­¡­..¡¹


    ¡¸Won¡¯t it be fine if we just run away!?¡¹


    Robinson and Aileen, whose experience in falling into unexpected situations was shallow, were flustered. Shido too hadn¡¯t recovered from fear. With their conditions, combat would be impossible. When he was about to make them fall back temporarily, Harold rudely remonstrated them.


    ¡¸If you have the time to be flustered, work your head. If you don¡¯t want to die, draw your swords. ¡ºBolt Lance¡»¡¹


    With a crackling sound as though the air was being ripped, an enormous lance of lightning was fired. That lance which boasted more than enough power to kill the enemy directly hit one of the mist bodies. Due to that, the mist dispersed, but once again, it immediately returned back to it¡¯s original state. But as though he didn¡¯t even care about that, Harold consecutively fired magic.


    ¡¸¡ºFlame Column¡»¡ºAqua Slash¡»¡¹


    The effect immediately became visible. The mist body that was engulfed by Flame Column regained its former shape as though nothing had happened, but the one that was hit by the Aqua Slash dispersed, and as though drifting towards the sky, it disappeared.


    ¡¸Water attribute magic is effective, huh?¡¹


    Harold fired Aqua Slash towards the mist objects in rapid succession. Every attack made a direct hit, but only a single one disappeared due to the magic. The other 4 were same as before. The answer that could be derived from this was¨C.


    ¡¸Only magic of a specific attribute is effective, huh¡¹


    ¡¸The attribute that is effective changing depending on the specimen is a problem¡¹


    ¡¸Are you bastards morons? Before complaining, hit each and everyone of them with magic¡¹


    ¡¸You are quite right¡¹


    Harold, Cody and Sakrith simultaneously fired magic. Lightning rained down incessantly, massive flames surged and winds blew violently. The grasslands which were green turned into scorched earth before their eyes.


    After all the dark red mist bodies disappeared, Sakrith, after somehow escaping danger, was relieved, but instantly became cautious of the surroundings and confirmed their safety. Thinking, ¡®It seems as though there are no reinforcements¡¯, he regained his composure.


    ¡¸Is anybody hurt?¡¹


    ¡¸W, we¡¯re fine¡­¡­..¡¹


    None of them were injured. Sakrith was relieved at that, but that too was thanks to Harold¡¯s instant judgment and finding the clue to solve the situation. If, for example, were he to be in command, would they have gotten through it in such a fast yet accurate manner, and also without anyone being injured?


    He couldn¡¯t help but think that it would have been difficult. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid Shido getting fatally injured. It was as Harold had said.


    ¡ºIf you don¡¯t feel anything from it, then you bastards have lost quite your edge¡»


    In spite of being warned, not stopping Shido from approaching it unprepared, was without a doubt his fault since he was the current leader of this squad. He had almost let a person die right in front of him. Sakrith bowed towards Harold.


    ¡¸Thank you, Stokes-kun. And forgive me. The cause of this crisis was my judgmental error¡¹


    ¡¸Don¡¯t count something of this level as a crisis. But don¡¯t make the same mistake again¡¹


    With this, it was unknown as to who the superior actually was. But still, Sakrith engraved those words in his mind, and gave a reply showing his resolution.


    ¡¸I¡¯ll bear it in mind. For sure¡¹


    ¡ó


    Sakrith¡¯s gratitude hadn¡¯t reach Harold¡¯s ears. He was shaken to such an extent that he could do nothing other than reply mechanically. Looking at it from a distance, he was suspecting that it might be possible, but when he understood that they were the real thing, Harold¡¯s frank mental state was ¡¸Why is this here!?¡¹.


    Dark red mist, its official name in the original work was Eerie Cloud. It was an enemy on whom physical attacks were ineffective and which could only be damaged by a randomly predetermined magic. There was no need to give a special mention of its offensive ability or stamina or resilience, but the troublesome point was that it was impossible to defend against Eerie Cloud¡¯s attacks. There was no way other than to somehow evade them and hit them with magic.


    Due to that, he fought against them while deducing in front of Cody and the others. In the game, there was an item called ¡ºSearch Glass¡» that could confirm an enemy¡¯s stamina and weakness, but for some reason, it didn¡¯t exist in this world. He had thrown away his thinking about how each and everything was the same as in the game a long time ago, and the non-existence of Search Glass was a huge aid to that.


    But what was important wasn¡¯t that. Eerie Cloud was a monster that had a deep relation to the progression of the story, and originally it was a monster that appeared near the middle to final stages of the game. More clearly, their appearance was proof that the Last Boss, Eustace¡¯s plan called Earth Encroachment was progressing steadily.


    That which should have appeared 5 years from the start of the game had appeared at this stage. No matter how he thought about it, it was too fast. There was a possibility that in the produced game, they hadn¡¯t appeared until the story had progressed to a certain point and had actually existed from the start. But if he were to assume the worst, then it could be thought that Eustace¡¯s plan had sped up compared to the game. If that were the case, then the original work¡¯s events might accelerate, and it might develop into a direction unknown to Harold.


    Not each and everything was the same as the game. In spite of thinking that, why had he been so conceited as to think that the story would progress like in the game. The promulgation of the medicine in the Sumeragi territory and his own enlistment in the chivalric order. If said, even those were ahead of the original work. It was Harold¡¯s fatal mistake to have taken the speeding up of the original story lightly.


    (Wait, wait, calm down. It isn¡¯t sure that that is the case¡­¡­..)


    He quietly adjusted his breathing and somehow maintained his calm. The thought just now was only assuming the worst case. The story might not necessarily have sped up. But there was a need to confirm it.


    Eustace Freund.


    Outwardly, he was a scientist who was praised as a genius. But his true nature was that of one who would fine in even destroying the world for his own ambitions, a lunatic. And he was also the perpetrator who had guided the original work¡¯s Harold to his death.


    If Harold wanted to follow the story, then making contact with him was unavoidable, but Eustace was such a dangerous existence that he was considering what he could do to avoid him. If he himself didn¡¯t approach the other party, he wouldn¡¯t be able to gain information. Even for avoiding a development like- being too late by the time he realized it, he had to take the risk.


    And so, with a new and extra-large anxiety factor budding up, Harold¡¯s final examination came to an end.

 Chapter 36

    After finishing the examination and returning to the Royal Capital, Harold continued living busy days like before, working on the miscellaneous tasks and training, while waiting to be informed of the results and also racking his brains on how to get in contact with Justus. Justus¡¯s laboratory existed within the Royal Capital and in the game he had also come to the Royal Castle. If he thought of making contact, then he could do so.


    But if the condition of not making him vigilant was added, then the difficulty level skyrocketed. But Justus¡¯s plan was a covert one and an absolute secret, and even if he were to include someone in the process to use them, he must have done the core part of it alone. More than anything, Harold had a complete grasp of this plan which was supposed to be an absolute secret. There was the danger of him seeing through that truth from Harold¡¯s behavior since he was a genius. And if that happened, he might use any and all means to seal Harold¡¯s mouth.


    ¡¸Ha¡­¡­.¡¹


    Then he might as well take him by surprise and arrest him, but again the risk was high. The main concern was the degree of completion of Earth Encroachment. Even if it was possible to arrest Justus, if the Earth Encroachment plan had progressed, then at the current stage the only one who might be able to stop it was the person himself.


    ¡¸¡­¡­.rold¡¹


    But Justus himself stopping the plan was absolutely unlikely to happen. Even if he had to throw away his own life, Justus would try to fulfill his desire. On top of that, if he were to awaken ¡°that power¡±, then it was unthinkable for him to be able to defeat him alone. If it went wrong, then even before Ryner¡¯s party took any action, the continent would fall.


    In the first place, there was not enough evidence to arrest Justus. Even if he were to frankly give the whole picture of the plan to Vincent and the others, it wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine that they wouldn¡¯t pay any proper attention to it since it was too crazy. Who would believe some nonsense like Justus turning the world into a vessel to fulfill his desire to revive the dead.


    ¡¸Harol¨C¡¹


    ¡¸Shut up¡¹


    He interrupted the repeated calls for him that had been coming from a while ago. With his name being called so persistently, there were limits to ignoring it. Stopping the arm that had been swinging the sword, he reluctantly turned towards the owner of the voice, Shido.


    ¡¸What, you noticed, huh¡¹


    As though it was unexpected, Shido said that. Unfortunately, since he was practicing in a place where not a single person was around, he could immediately know if someone came. A dim place under the shadows of a thicket and a dilapidated building that seemed to have been a stable, it was the best spot to be alone. As to why he was practicing in such a place, it was because recently, he had started to get into quarrels even in the training grounds. They must have thought of tormenting him overtly in the name of practice. He had judged that in the worst case, even if he got into a quarrel here, they wouldn¡¯t be a bother to the surroundings.


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that obvious? I was just ignoring you¡¹


    ¡¸Isn¡¯t that worse?¡¹


    Really, that was exactly right. That said, since this mouth couldn¡¯t even gloss things over, he couldn¡¯t help but give up. Harold ignored Shido¡¯s comeback and continued the conversation.


    ¡¸So, what do you want?¡¹


    Being shown interest, Shido suddenly bowed vigorously. It was a deep bow with his torso bent in a right angle. Towards Harold, who was inwardly bewildered at this sudden action, Shido made a request.


    ¡¸Please train us!¡¹


    Harold lost his words for a bit. Sure Shido still couldn¡¯t be called first-rate, but still he had endured harsh training for a knight for 3 years and had improved his strength. And he had requested Harold, who was a newbie and moreover 6 years younger than himself. It was quite unexpected to the one who had been requested.


    ¡¸You¡¯re being an eyesore, raise your head. To begin with, who are you indicating by saying ¡°us¡±?¡¹


    ¡¸Me, Robin and Aileen¡¹


    As expected, the request seemed to be from the usual trio. Listening to that, Harold sighed without even trying to conceal it. The feelings that were in it was ¡°these guys too, huh¡±.


    ¡¸Where did those 2 go?¡¹


    ¡¸They¡¯re in the middle of patrolling the city. That¡¯s why, only I have come to request this of you, but all of us agree¡¹


    Being requested like this to train them, he couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed. Because most probably, there was no technique that Harold could teach them. It went without saying that Shido and the other 2 had a deeper understanding of the basics for the members of the chivalric order, and being relied on to such an extent, he could only be baffled.  He was just trying to reproduce movements from the game without having any reliable basis for techniques, and in that condition what could he possibly teach.


    And those were his true thoughts. But it wasn¡¯t as though there were no merits in working out a way to increase their strength. There was a possibility of the 3 of them, Shido, Robinson and Aileen, losing their lives in the battle 2 years later. And Harold still hadn¡¯t decided whether to save them, resolving himself for the destruction of the original work, or not. In the first place, he didn¡¯t even know whether it was an event where he could do something to save them.


    It would already be more than a month since meeting the 3 of them. There had been many chances for them to deepen their friendship, and if possible he didn¡¯t want them to die. For it to also not become a situation where when he made the resolve to save them, it was already too late, it shouldn¡¯t become useless if he were to strengthen them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ Alright then. Tomorrow, bring the other 2 also here¡¹


    ¡¸Okay, thanks!¡¹


    After worrying for a bit, Harold decided to accept. No matter how it went in the future, it should be helpful in dealing with the situation. And he also had another purpose. Even if he used them, it wouldn¡¯t a problem.


    The next day after giving a reply smeared with self-interest. In that desolate and gloomy space, 8 people, quite a number, were gathered. They were Shido¡¯s group of 3 and the 5 members of the 94th term 7th squad including Harold. The mood had become awkward because Shido¡¯s and Isaac¡¯s groups weren¡¯t acquainted, but Harold ignored that and started speaking.


    ¡¸Then, let¡¯s start¡¹


    Without any preface or explanation, all of a sudden, those words came out. To that, the other seven each exchanged glances and became baffled.


    ¡¸You say start, but first what should we do?¡¹


    ¡¸Draw your sword. All of you simultaneously come at me¡¹


    ¡¸Haa!? No matter what, that¡¯s underestimating us too much!¡¹


    The owner of the voice was the only female, Aileen. Though it was a queer unfeminine voice. Although he could understand that feeling of reflexively reacting like that, his mouth wouldn¡¯t come along in explaining each and every reason. And above all, to make them understand various things, it would be faster to actually fight them at least once.


    ¡¸Don¡¯t talk back¡¹


    He didn¡¯t know what kind of change occurred, but his irritation at not being able to explain came out as wrath. Thereupon, everyone¡¯s face¡¯s instantly became pale. ¡®I¡¯m so scary that just by threatening them a little, this happens, huh. Even for me, I feel doubtful¡¯, thought Harold. If that was the case, he could understand why people usually didn¡¯t approach him. The person was troublesome enough since he quarrels with his seniors, and if such a person were to give off an intimidating air, then it was natural for normal people to avoid him.


    ¡¸Small fries should act like small fries and attack in a group. I¡¯ll teach you that even if you do so, I¡¯m an existence that you can¡¯t reach¡¹


    While reflecting upon his solitude, this time he provoked them. This 1 vs many situation was exactly what Harold desired. Until now, he had fought against multiple monsters alone, but he hadn¡¯t fought against multiple humans. For the future, he wanted to accumulate experience of fighting against a large number. Since at any rate, there was a possibility of him having to face-off against the protagonist party alone.


    ¡¸I¡¯m going to make use of you bastards as my stepping stones. If you want to become strong, then learn from fighting against me and try to steal my techniques. Well, I think that¡¯s impossible though¡¹


    As an insurance, he also ridiculed them.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ Bring it on!¡¹


    Shido glared at Harold as though wanting to intimidate him and drew his sword. Following him, everybody took their battle stances. No matter what, all the people who were in the chivalric order were exceptional ones. Being made fun of to such an extent, there was nobody who wouldn¡¯t get mad.


    ¡¸That¡¯s good. Struggle as much as possible to entertain me¡¹


    With those words as the start, a melee with 8 people jumbled together started.


    ¡ó


    ¡¸¨CAnd that¡¯s it for the report¡¹


    Sakrith finished giving the report about this time¡¯s final examination held as an exception. Listening to it, the people who had been gathered here to decide the result of the examination would voice out their impressions. More than a few people must have been surprised at the report that had been given just now. Almost all of it was about Harold¡¯s high ability and the existence that seemed to be a monster they had met in the middle of their journey. There were even some of them who were skeptical about the contents of the report. In front of these people, Vincent started speaking.


    ¡¸Each of you must have your own opinions, but as you¡¯ve all heard, Harold might be young, but if it¡¯s only about strength, then he surpasses the company commander class. And we can also see that even in commanding abilities he is rare, so if we officially assign him to a squad early on and foster his actual combat experience, it should be possible to increase his strength more¡¹1


    ¡¸I understand Vincent-kun¡¯s thoughts. Even I think that that training plan is logical¡¹


    The one gave that reply was the person who administered the composition of the corps of the chivalric order, Maelstrom2. When he narrowed his eyes, his age could be felt from how the wrinkles around his eyes deepened. It wasn¡¯t a sharp gaze which could pierce through a person, but still, with a oppressive air, Maelstrom asked Vincent.


    ¡¸But on the other hand, I feel that it is somewhat fast. With Harold¡¯s nature that I¡¯ve heard about, without a doubt he¡¯ll raise waves in his relationship with his surroundings. He¡¯s still young and it won¡¯t be too late even if we take some time to teach him about those matters, right?¡¹


    ¡¸What you are saying is exactly right. And because I have the perfect squad for that kind of rectification, this time¡¯s plan is the result¡¹


    ¡¸Let¡¯s hear about it then¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. I think that Maelstrom-dono doesn¡¯t know, but¡­¡­¡­¡¹


    Vincent explained the circumstances that were presently surrounding Harold. Harold had overwhelmed his seniors one after the other in a fight held in the name of enrollment examination. Due to that he was being resented by a part of them and kept being attacked persistently. And because of this, many people were keeping away from Harold, isolating him. In this condition, it might be difficult for him to get involved with his surroundings.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­. I see. Quickly inserting Harold into a squad that bears no ill will towards him, huh. In that case, even if it¡¯s only within the squad, he might able to build a relationship¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. And the one I¡¯m suggesting, Cody, excels at understanding humans. Especially building relations with subordinates, there¡¯s no other person who¡¯s better than him. And moreover, Cody was the one who invited Harold, and he also seems to be acquainted with the members of his squad since he has been seen having friendly conversations with them¡¹


    He was exaggerating a bit. From what Shannon had said, it seemed as though Shido would obstinately get involved with Harold, who was basically always frowning, and Robinson and Aileen would watch over them while being exasperated at times or while smiling wryly. But still, since Harold hadn¡¯t show any stony kind of behavior, it seemed as though he too had somewhat opened up.


    ¡¸Nevertheless, it¡¯s sad. Although Harold¡¯s behavior is also at fault, to think that there were insolent people who would play dumb to their own short-comings even in the chivalric order¡¹


    ¡¸It is my lack of care. As soon as I identify those who attacked him, I¡¯ll hand out the proper punishment. And also, since there seem to be people who are instigating others to act against Harold, I¡¯m in the middle of confirming it¡¹


    ¡¸Since you are taking action, I won¡¯t say anything more. And so, getting back to the topic, assigning him to a squad is to get him to accumulate experience, rectifying his personality and also for it to act as an obstruction to the animosity shown towards him from the surroundings, right?¡¹


    ¡¸Yes. I¡¯m saying this even though knowing it isn¡¯t admirable, but I don¡¯t mind if you think of it as a measure to avoid destroying Harold¡¯s ability¡¹


    To his words, everybody in that place became unsettled. The him who was famous for being just and upright in regards to his duties and who would be an impartial judge towards anybody, was openly saying that Harold should be given special treatment. And they understood. That Harold was an existence who possessed such extraordinary talent that it was enough to even make Vincent back him.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ He has so much talent that it has even charmed Vincent-kun, huh. Then I won¡¯t say anything anymore. Then, I approve of him officially enlisting into the squad¡¹


    ¡¸Thank you for understanding¡¹


    There was nobody who objected Maelstrom¡¯s decision. Harold joining Cody¡¯s squad had been officially decided. Until now, it had all gone according to Vincent¡¯s plan, but at the last moment an unexpected interruption came.


    With a snap, the door to the conference room opened. Without even any kind of acknowledgment and with just a ¡¸Pardon me¡¹, the one who appeared was a middle-aged man with a protruding belly.


    ¡¸You all, sorry for being so sudden. But it seems like a somewhat hopeful newbie has joined, huh¡¹


    ¡¸Right, thankfully. By the way, what kind of business does Harrison-dono have?¡¹


    ¡¸Since I heard that that kid¡¯s treatment is being decided, I was curious. I didn¡¯t mean to hinder it, but since I had a helpful suggestion right when required, I just unconsciously intruded¡¹


    While patting his stomach, Harrison, who had sat in a vacant seat without even excusing himself, laughed as though something pleasant was happening. It was an extremely haughty attitude.


    ¡¸Can we receive a concrete explanation?¡¹


    ¡¸It¡¯s a kind of patrol duty. It isn¡¯t like there¡¯s an emergency or that there¡¯s high risk, but the place is far. He¡¯ll have to go to the national border¡¹


    ¡¸That is again quite difficult¡¹


    ¡¸But if it¡¯s around the border, there should be people who are normally assigned to patrol duty though, right?¡¹


    Since only the headquarters at the Royal Capital couldn¡¯t quickly solve all situations, there were a few branches of the chivalric order established within the Kingdom. It was arranged so that when there was an emergency, they would all unite and take actions, but if the branches themselves could take care of a situation, normally they would solve it on their own and would later on send a report to the headquarters. Patrolling duties near the national border was a general duty of the branch.


    ¡¸A notification that they want reinforcements has come. Recently, it seems as though the Beltiz3 forest is turbulent so they want to make a serious investigation, but it seems like they don¡¯t have enough personnel¡¹


    ¡¸I didn¡¯t receive such a report though¡­¡­?¡¹


    ¡¸What, is that true? There must have been some kind of mistake¡¹


    Folding his arms, Harrison tilted his head. Although he looked barefaced, more than that, there was a word that couldn¡¯t be ignored in what Harrison had said.


    ¡¸By the way, if you¡¯re talking about the Beltiz forest, it¡¯s the region where the Star Reader ¡¶Stellar¡· tribe live. It won¡¯t be easy to enter¡¹


    Star Reader (Stellar) tribe. Also called as the people of the stars, they were the continent¡¯s oldest race. Even the people of the stars, who had been ruling the whole continent in the past, after exhausting their prosperity had their population reduced due to the many conflicts over power over a long period of time. The negligible amount of descendants who had survived until now were living as a small and closed-off community. They were a race which had many mysteries.


    Maybe because of that history, their hate towards other races¡¯ interference was extreme. If the chivalric order were to investigate the Beltiz forest, they would oppose quite strongly. If they tried to forcibly push through, there was a danger that it might even develop into battle. Towards Maelstrom¡¯s worried question, once again Harrison answered looking triumphant while shaking his belly.


    ¡¸We¡¯re currently in the middle of negotiations. Well, it isn¡¯t as though we will intrude into their livelihood sphere, so if we just tell them beforehand, there will be no problem. Coming to the real issue, I thought about having that newbie accompany them on this patrolling mission¡¹


    ¡¸¡­¡­.. The reason is?¡¹


    ¡¸No matter how outstanding he is, won¡¯t the risk be too much if we suddenly throw him into actual combat? As I¡¯ve explained, this time¡¯s patrolling mission¡¯s risk is low. If it becomes a long term investigation, he¡¯ll have more time to connect with the other members, and isn¡¯t it the perfect mission for participating in for the first time?¡¹


    Certainly, Harrison¡¯s words made sense. Even Vincent hadn¡¯t thought of putting Harold in a mission that required combat as his first one. But it was true that he wanted to send him out on missions from early on. Seeing through Vincent¡¯s plan, Harrison had called this suggestion as ¡°help arriving at the right time¡±.


    What he was worried about was as to why Harrison was being so cooperative. His official post was the supervision head, which was to bring together the chivalric order and the national army. In other words he was the person in control of this Kingdom¡¯s military.


    However, the chivalric order and the army were unable to cooperate. The main reason was because of the awareness that the chivalric order was above the army that was spread among the public. Originally, there was no above or below with the chivalric order and the army, and as organizations they were equal. Then as to why that kind of awareness had spread about was because of the huge difference in the chance to play an active role.


    The chivalric order would actively move out with regards to various situations, but because the army was passive since their main mission was defense, large-scale missions were scarce for them. The chivalric order which had many flashy activities was a flourishing job while the army was simple- this image had taken root. In reality, the number of people who aimed for the chivalric order but entered the army because of failing the examination was extremely high. They too perceived that the chivalric order was above the army.


    While being exposed to that tendency, Harrison had a history of climbing up to the supervision head while he had been affiliated to the army. Even from the time he was affiliated to the army, he had been competitive with the chivalric order regarding each and every matter that had come up. He had even narrated, ¡°I turned the resentment of not being able to enroll into the chivalric order into power and rose up in the world¡±. Although only he himself knew what his true motives were, taking his behavior until now into account, it could be seen that he was making the chivalric order out to be his enemy at each and every turn.


    It wasn¡¯t a good way of putting it, but he was suspicious. When he was being cooperative to this extent, more than a few doubts rose up in Vincent¡¯s head. That was how much unlike Harrison it was.


    ¡¸¡­¡­¡­ You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll take into consideration¡¹


    He was unable to read Harrison¡¯s aim, but since he didn¡¯t have any definite reason to refuse the proposal, for now, Vincent gave that reply. Hearing that, leaving behind ¡¸More than anything else, I was able to help you all¡¹, Harrison left the conference room. And a few days later, Harold¡¯s name was there in the list of members that would participate in that patrolling mission.


    TL-


    1. Vincent is speaking to his superiors so he is being very respectful


    2. Maelstrom ¨C ¥ß¥ë¥¹¥È¥é¥à (Mirusutoramu)


    3. Beltiz ¨C ¥Ù¥ë¥Æ¥£¥¹ (Berutisu)

 Chapter 37

    That day, Harold received a letter. After checking the sender¡¯s name, it turned out to be from Juno.


    ¡®Why would she send me a letter?¡¯ Harold tilted his head, remembering the exchange that took place between them when he informed them he was entering the Knights.


    The current management and representation of LP farming was still on track when he left, but they still had to send progress reports to Harold regularly.  So far, there didn¡¯t seem to be any problems because he always had the chance to check things in person, but that¡¯s changed ever since he joined the Knights.


    Instead, he went with the suggestion of switching to written reports to check on their status. Harold didn¡¯t really like this method, but it was an annoyance that he¡¯d have to accept.


    Though for the sender¡¯s name, they were supposed to use one that wouldn¡¯t raise suspicion on his relationship with the Sumeragi House, due to an event that will happen in the future.


    Tasuku was aware that Harold meant to discard his engagement with Erika later on. If this were to be exposed, the Sumeragi House would be put under a lot of scrutinies, so considerations like this were made to keep his engagement with Erika hidden.


    The letter with Juno¡¯s name on it probably wasn¡¯t Tasuku¡¯s idea, because this would only confirm the connection between him and the Sumeragi. Well, his engagement with Erika had already been leaked to Cody.


    Though this wasn¡¯t Tasuku¡¯s fault, from the beginning it was impossible to perfectly conceal this information, because there was no way his father, Hayden would keep quiet about it.


    As he recalled such a father, Harold opened the envelope with a sigh.


    The five parchments included inside displayed the profits gained from the LP farming method, all the contents and the numbers, such as business scales were completely written in minute detail. In addition to this, Harold realised that there was one more thing he needed to look out for, comrades.


    Unfortunately, the current Harold had no real expertise in management. The anticipation of this fact was another reason why he had ceded his position so early on to Tasuku, this way nobody would come for his opinion on matters he wasn¡¯t sure of.


    Though to only send back a blank letter with the words ¡°Do as you like,¡± written on it would be too irresponsible as the founder of LP farming.


    It goes without saying that Tasuku was doing a great job so far, but it wouldn¡¯t be good to settle in that mindset.


    Right now instead of making a profit, they needed to slowly spread it out to other nobles to gain apathy rather than hostility.


    For now LP farming is ¡®being developed¡¯ by the Sumeragi House, but is offering support to the Stokes House. The two houses have a monopoly on the technique, but their revenue in comparison to what they could be earning is average.


    It¡¯s that sort of thing.


    If they disclosed the technique by gradually selling it, instead of announcing it upfront to all the aristocracy in the Chamber of Commerce, they¡¯ll reduce the risk of more trouble developing later on.


    That said, one should take care to not become a shallow wit. Watch over what markets begin to develop while keeping track of the timing on how often the techniques were spread to the other nobles, etc. All of these were things Harold was confident in leaving to Tasuku.


    Though there was no way he was going to just spoon feed them this advice.


    After thinking things through on what kind of stance he wanted to take on this, Harold immediately took up his pen.


    As his pen silently ran over the parchment, his roommates tottered to the back of the room wobbly, while leaking out groans akin to zombies.


    Every day, since they asked for his guidance, Issac and the others, worked hard in continuous mock battles against Harold. Needless to say, it was Harold¡¯s landslide victory every time. He didn¡¯t even break a sweat clashing swords at close speeds. While on the other hand, Isaac and the others had become ragged on a daily basis. Their suffering didn¡¯t end even after they lost because they were forced to fight until their strength was completely exhausted. Falling down on his bed, Isaac turned his face towards Harold, who was currently sitting at a desk.


    ¡°Harold-kun, can you give me a second please?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been entrusted with a message from Captain Cody, ¡®Tomorrow, after you finish your morning training come to my room.¡¯ he said, and that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    Once Isaac had finished saying what he needed to, he immediately fell asleep, his breathing steady. There wasn¡¯t even any time to reply.


    Tomorrow will probably be when they announce how he passed their test. This was something that one was only supposed to receive after being here for a great deal of time, so when this gets out, along with his already infamous reputation, he¡¯d receive even more scorn than before.


    Little did he know it, but the reality that was waiting for Harold was even harsher than what he imagined.


    The next morning, he was called out to by Cody and the rest of the squad, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel like something bad was going to happen.


    ¡°What a coincidence! Good morning Harold-kun, how¡¯s your mood this fine day?¡±


    ¡°¡­terrible.¡±


    This was truly the worst, this group taking such showy actions towards him so early in the morning? Just what did he do to trigger a flag like this?


    In retrospect, maybe completing the exam they gave him was the flag to cause this ominous event in the first place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly then. Harold-kun, you have been officially assigned to my squad, so let¡¯s get along from now onwards, ¡®kay~¡±


    (¡­seriously?)


    Harold could almost hear something snap in his head. Out of all the squads that he could¡¯ve been selected to join, it just had to be the one that he wished not to be in the most.


    His mind was instantly flooded with depression as Robinson and the others added their greetings as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on Harold!¡±


    Shido went ahead and nudged Harold¡¯s shoulder against his own.


    Robinson and Irene chimed in unison, both welcoming him.


    ¡°It¡¯s encouraging to know that you¡¯ll be in the same squad as us, Harold-kun.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re the seniors here so make sure to drop that attitude and respect us a bit more, okay?¡±


    It would be a lie to say that he wasn¡¯t happy with this reaction. For the him that¡¯s always shunned due to the provocations that are always spoken against his will, normal contact with other people was a precious thing.


    However, this was the squad that would be wiped out in the future, leaving Cody as the only survivor, but this was an essential part of advancing the original ¡®storyline.¡¯


    The fact that he had just become a member of said squad, was akin to being sentenced to death. Before he could worry about saving Robinson and the other¡¯s lives, he had to figure out how to save his own.


    (Certainly, Cody¡¯s squad is destroyed four years before the start of the game, meaning one year from now. Can that be avoided if the squad changes enough before the event?)


    Before Harold could even begin pondering whether or not there was a way to avoid certain death, things had taken a turn for the worse.


    ¡°Also, one week from now certain squads are getting five days off to use as we like, and we¡¯re among the squads chosen.¡±


    ¡°Why now of all times?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting a vacation, shouldn¡¯t you be happy about it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because they expect us to go on an expedition afterwards, and since we were chosen to participate in it, they¡¯re giving us a few days to relax. Well, I wonder how much value they place on our talents to choose us.¡±


    The one that had answered his question wasn¡¯t Cody, but Robinson.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit harsh to just throw us into an expedition all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like too big of an issue considering the location, some place called the Forest of Beltiz.¡±


    The Forest of Beltiz.


    The moment he heard Cody speak those words Harold could feel his entire body go rigid.


    ¡ó¡ó¡ó


    The Forest of Beltiz, an unexplored land where the mysterious Star Aria race, the ¡®Stella¡¯ resided.


    The skirmish between the Knights and the Star Aria Tribe in the original game is the battle where Cody loses his entire squad, causing him to leave the Knights as a result.


    As to why they had to engage in combat, it¡¯s because soldiers of the enemy disguised themselves as knights, launching suprise attacks on both the Knights and the Star Aria Tribe respectively. Seeing how they were allowed to traverse the forest, the mastermind had taken this as an opportunity to break this trust in the worst possible way, leading to a deep fissure in the relationship between the two races for years to come.


    The mastermind of this incident wasn¡¯t the one who had attacked and framed betrayal on both sides, but Justus who had incited that person into doing so. His goal was to analyze certain traits unique to the Star Aria Tribe, and capture a number of them for research during the confusion of the battle.


    Robinson and the others died, Cody left the Knights, and Justus was free to advance his research with new test subjects as well. The battle that will take place in the Forest of Beltiz is only related to the game to a single item in it that relates to the game¡¯s main story. An intervention in this case shouldn¡¯t affect the world¡¯s future by too much, so that¡¯s why Harold didn¡¯t hesitated in wanting to help, but it was a whole other story if there was only this small margin of time left to prepare.


    In the meantime, he would have to think this through.


    What to do? Participation in the battle was guaranteed at this point, so how was he supposed to react to this situation?


    Harold¡¯s heart pounded in panic, it might¡¯ve been the first time he¡¯s ever panicked so much since entering the game world.


    His head could by no means be considered calm and clear.


    He was idly thinking, clinging to any idea that would materialize for hope of success, that was Harold¡¯s current state of mind.


    There were only five days off before the expedition.


    Without any clear reason as to why, Harold¡¯s feet seemed to be walking in the direction of the Sumeragi territory.


    Harold himself couldn¡¯t answer why this was happening, but he was pretty sure that anyone he could confide with wouldn¡¯t be able to put out a decent answer either.


    To end such anguish and just escape there would be a huge load off his mind.


    After about two months worth of visiting the Sumeragi House in his imagination. Without any warning, a man who belonged at the mansion he was just thinking about had entered the room.


    What greeted Harold was an old man, who if he remembered correctly was named Kiryu.


    ¡°Well what do we have here, Harold-sama. How is your day today? I would love to hear all about your time here.¡±


    ¡°Is it urgent? What does Tasuku want?¡±


    It may be nothing, but he wished that they had given him a warning before sending someone over.


    ¡°The master won¡¯t be able to meet you right now, but will visit at nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    Almost involuntarily Harold clicked his tongue. Half of it was because they had created this abrupt meeting all of a sudden, but the other half was due to the disatisfaction of learning the Tasuku was still absent.


    Although time passed in the guest room, it was unbearable to have to wait until nightfall before Tasuku¡¯s visit. All he could do was sit, and let his anxiety and frustration slowly rise.


    Even telling himself that he¡¯d be able to resolve some things after Tasuku came, still wasn¡¯t enough to stop his negative feelings.


    A kind of bloodlust started to build up inside of him as time past, almost impatiently asking him to just leave already, but after looking around, there didn¡¯t seem to be any valid means of doing so.


    The sound of someone appearing on the other side of the sliding door caused Harold to grind his teeth a little.


    ¡°Please excuse me.¡±


    It was a cool voice that seemed to calm Harold¡¯s heat tinged head.


    Suddenly speaking was a girl with gestures so graceful that they seemed increasingly similar to her mother Koyomi, maybe even surpassing her in some places, day by day.


    In various ways, she wasn¡¯t giving off the hard-hearted aura that she usually did.


    It was more than likely that visiting Harold was one of the things that she hated most in the world, so she was probably only here for business.


    ¡°¡­enter.¡±


    To this reply, the sound a breath being shakily drawn could be heard on the other side of the door. Apparently his response was a surprise to her.


    In a single breath, the door was slid open.


    ¡°It has been quite a long time, Harold-sama.¡±


    After sitting down with perfect sitting posture, she politely bowed her head until it touched the floor before raising it up again.


    Erika had arrived, dressed in a bright green kimono.

 Chapter 38

    It was very nosy in the mansion for some reason, when I asked why they had  said Harold had come. But if that all it was then, it wouldn¡¯t make the mansion this nosy.


    But the problem was that Father and Brother was not here when Harold had come to visit.


    I was told by Kiryuu that an urgent matter had come up and they had to take care of it fast. Erika when thinking why Harold had a uneasy feeling.


    ¡°Where is Harold-Sama¡±


    ¡°He is currently in the guest room¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kiryuu¡±


    After Kiryuu had left her Room, Erika quickly got up and got out of her room.


    Being always avoided, always treated with a cold attitude, those type of things now did not bother Erika, she not weak anymore, she had grown stronger and wanted to become even stronger to continue being beside Harold.


    In front of the guest room, Erika first sit down in a formal stature and open the door to the guest room saying,


    ¡°Excuse Me¡± (Erika)


    Like always a cold attitude but it maybe I was ignored, as expected, as Kiryuu said, he will say some very harsh words to you, but Erika expression showed that she would not back down now. But to Erika surprise, Harold reply to her was to enter the room. As I had permission to enter and opened the door and entered the room.


    ¡°It has been a long time, Harold-sama¡±


    Erika did a formal bow before Harold, but Harold just sighed and said


    ¡°What kind of plan do you have against someone like me¡±


    Harold, without a doubt in his mind was sure Erika hated him and since his plan was for Erika to hate him. Thus he is sure that Erika would not visit him just because she heard he was at her mansion.


    Erika also was sure without a doubt that Harold hated her and thus had choose her word quite carefully since the possibility of being kicked was close to 90%.


    ¡± I have absolutely no intention of bothering you, We do not always do things with intentions.¡±(Erika)


    ¡± Then for what reason have you come here.¡±(Harold)


    ¡°Harold is my fiancee and very important guest to the Sumeargi Household, since my parents are not home at the moment I am required to keep you company until they have returned.¡± (Erika)


    ¡°Uneeded, I do not want to your company when I am here¡± (Harold)


    Although she was denied Immediately, Erika does not falter. Though he was her fiancee and they were both connected by Sumeragi Household, She still needed to lay sensible reasons and use them to her advantage.


    ¡± I am sorry but due to the sudden visit, we are unable to do the proper preparations for the moment. But as a representative of the house of Sumeragi it is my duty to keep the guest company until the preparations are done, please forgave us and we thank you for your understanding¡± (Erika)


    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±


    Seeing that Erika has no intentions of moving from the room, Harold spoke no longer. He knows that it is also his fault for coming without any notice thus decided to be patient. Erika seeing that she has received his acknowledgement of being permitted to stay in the room, Starts the fireplace and begins to boil some water in a iron pot.


    Harold stayed silent and did not even look at Erika. Erika looking at Harold every now and then saw that he was somewhat different, His sour look was still on his face but the atmosphere of intimidation was weak or not there at all. Harold is a person who has not shown weakness once in front of her thus why start now wondered Erika.


    If someone saw Harold right now they would think he was no different than before but Erika who had seen him cry, harsh and cold towards her knew that he was different. Harold put on a arrogant behaviour as cover to hide that he is always alone thus was the reason Erika wanted to be his support.


    ¡°Here¡± (Erika)


    As Erika was conducting the traditional tea ceremony, Harold was thinking very deeply and watching her without any intention of disturbing her process. As Erika passed Harold the tea he spoke.


    ¡± You, how is your situation, is everything going well¡± (Harold)


    Harold asks in a very low voice, Harold is still not looking at Erika but she indeed hear the question that was asked of her.


    It was a question that was quite the opposite of Harold, he was the type of person that would not care about other people situation or pays any attention other than the future plans.


    Maybe this was question to his opponent or to himself but to ask this question might mean that he right now feels very cornered and chased right now. This worried Erika a bit but she answered without reserve.


    ¡°I am very satisfied with the environment I have been granted, I have absolutely no dissatisfaction to being born as the only child of household¡± (Erika)


    Depending on the reply, it may give Harold some relief. Erika did not know why she was being asked this but he is clearly has something he is worrying about. Erika who was sympathising with such feeling hoped to give some salvation to Harold.


    But Erika thought she did not want to see Harold like this, Harold was better suited to be always proud and overbearing, who carried himself though so much.


    She felt an anger within when seeing Harold like this but she was ashamed that she could suppress such as thought. If I could give him support right here than I could never hope to become his true support when it is truly needed.


    That¡¯s why Erika chose to forsake herself, If she can help Harold get back on his feet and keep him moving forwards. That¡¯s why she considered unnecessary kindness would have the opposite effect right now.


    ¡°Say the truth, I cannot imagine the pain of someone who would have to go through a marriage with a person they did not love or even care for¡±


    Erika thought, rather one of the main reason she was very satisfied with being born in this household was meeting Harold, and having him as his fiancee. But no matter what happens, she promised she would not say this aloud.


    ¡± I was born as a child of this Household, being raised in this loving environment and being loved by both my family and the servants. I am able to make any sacrifice to help my family¡± (Erika)


    This was Erika¡¯s lie within a lie, Even if Harold was worse than the Harold she knew before, she would still marry that person if it will save her family and the people of her domain.


    But Harold had crushed this resolve of hers in a good way, Harold who was planning on dissolving his engagement with her asking this was quite ironic.


    ¡± But are you not also someone who has to marry someone he does not love or care for, I am not that dense as to not realise when she is being hated or is treated coldly¡±(Erika)


    Hearing Erika answer his questions with such resolve and passion, Harold says in a very low voice.


    ¡± ¡­Then why are you able to stay smiling even though you have such a hard reality.¡±(Harold)


    It is for you.


    I wanted to scream this truth out aloud,


    I was always attracted to the life of protecting the things that matter even if you have to gave your life in the process without hesitation.


    I was fascinated by Harold who was strong and unwavering, and thus before I knew it I fell in love with you.


    That why I wanted to say that you being in such a weak state does not fit you, especially as a person who loves you wholeheartedly and wants you to always stay strong and brave.


    This was a mix of love and admiration which Erika suppressed as any further, she would say unnecessary words.


    But I could not do that, it would increase his worries even further and deepen his troubles. I try to say something that would change the topic and cheer him up.


    ¡± I think Harold-sama power is quite wonderful, to not feel envy or jealously towards such power would all be lies.¡± (Erika)


    I suddenly change the topic to his strength, which when mentioned, Harold showed both an expression of disgust and delight. It was quite the expression but very soon it returns to his normal sour look.


    ¡°Ha ha, I see that you are flirting with me now.¡±(Harold)


    ¡°It is just a feeling of admiration, Harold-sama power and skill is truly something anyone including is envious of¡± (Erika)


    Not just having power and skill, but also knowledge and intuition, knowledge that has slowed down the plague significantly and LP farming method. Intuition that looks into other future and predicts the right actions to take.


    Every time I think of this, I remember my father¡¯s words


    ¡°Harold-kun is excellent, but he is too excellent, a power without rival will lead the one to a lonesome road¡± (Tasaku)


    That¡¯s why Erika hoped she could become someone who is always beside Harold, someone who could provide to support to him.


    TLnote: So she wants to become a cleric like in the game


    That¡¯s why she was envious of his strength, as she is fully aware at her current self, she would be a burden.


    ¡°However, no matter the human, they will all reach a limit.¡± (Erika)


    ¡°¡­..¡± (Harold)


    ¡°Just because you can do it by yourself does not mean you have to do it yourself, Having someone support you or relying on someone can ease some pains.¡± (Erika)


    Harold, himself is able to do many things, this may why he does not want to rely on people but this may also have happened because there was no one to rely on. At the end of such a path may only lead to death? Erika wonder if that was the end he was looking for.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak as you know everything¡± (Harold)


    ¡°That is true, I am not knowledgeable as Harold-sama, but I believe there some I know that you don¡¯t know.¡± (Erika)


    ¡°What?¡± (Harold)


    ¡°Harold-sama does not know that there are people who spare no effort to cooperate with you¡± (Erika)


    Tlnote: she means that there people who will help him no matter what he does


    Harold has adapted to being always alone, He believes it is natural for him to be alone. It may be because he could not trust anyone beside thus he always acted alone. Erika wonders how painful it must be to live in such an environment, the very thought frightens her.


    But now was different she knew, at least Harold has her Father and Brother to trust and rely. Erika knows that her family is eternally grateful and wholeheartedly likes Harold. Harold may already trust other people other than himself.


    ¡°I ask of you this only once, Please look very carefully at the people around you¡± (Erika)


    Erika believes that if he does this, he will find others that he could rely on and support him. Erika felt a small tinge in her heart at the chance, she maybe one of the people who do not end up beside him.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Harold POV


    ¡°No matter how excellent a person is, they can only do so much alone¡± Erika


    Those words Erika had said ringed inside Harold mind. Though there was no Justification to the claim, Harold knew himself how excellent his body was and that only the mind inside the body was mediocre.


    His mind only had one technique that was useful, his memory of the game, the Original Knowledge that he possessed. It was only because of this technique he could beat those monster from before


    Other the hand, this technique which could also be called prediction of the future can lead him to many more enemies than right now.


    To not let anyone find out about the knowledge he has, the knowledge of the future, is the reason he must handle everything alone.


    But as Erika said before, there is a limit to how much one person can do, much less a kid like him. This was the reason he came to the Sumeragi household, as this can not be handle by him alone.


    As he fall down on his back, he starts to think of the past. Regarding rescue of Clara and the LP farming method, it would not have been possible without the help of Norman and the others. But to say he had full confidence in them is wrong.


    The reason he does not rely others is not only being afraid of letting people find out about the knowledge but also if he does actions that deviate too much from the future he knows too much. The only weapon he has to his advantage would become useless and gone.


    Harold feared this the most.


    (¡°But is it like that now¡±) (Harold)


    Harold thinking over his actions up until now, realised that it was a mess.


    Clara survived


    LP farming was developed


    He helped the Sumeragi with antibody drugs


    Joined the order three years earlier than original


    Most of these were to prevent the death flags that came with them.


    However, I was lost as to follow the original or change the flow with the matter corncening Robinson group. But I am forced to participate in that battle and for advice, I came to Tasaku but talking to Erika has cleared this up for me, and I feel much better.


    To avoid all the flags would be impossible alone. The whole situation, Harold Spirit, the actions of people who were not in the original work,  maybe are all solution that the world has come up with. Maybe with just defeating Justus can resolve the whole situation and allow the fundamental reorganisation of the story.


    Is this a foolish plan? That more I deviate from the original work, the more my disadvantage becomes.


    Moreover, the world has already deviated from the original work with just Justus plan being sped up. Maybe the liners will not make it but I have no desire of dying on that battlefield with the star race.


    (¡°¡­. If so then I am going all in, Robinson survival, Delay Justus, Liner¡¯s Strengthening, let¡¯s do it all at once!¡±) (Harold)


    Failure will mean death, But that is not important right now and besides ever since I became Harold the scythe has been behind me all the time. But if this goes all according to plan then I will have a much greater chance at clearing the game while avoiding my death.


    Man if I thought about clearly, there was no way a trainee like Harold could persistently avoid risk. I have to make this bet to get a chance at the survival route.


    I felt much better now than before. If I can¡¯t do it alone than rely on others for help. such a simple conclusion yet I was not able to find it.


    I will now stop trying to stop involve others and rely on people when needed.


    I felt like I had gotten a sudden revelation. I am thankful to Erika.


    ¡°However, no matter the human, they will all reach a limit.¡± (Erika)


    ¡°Just because you can do it by yourself does not mean you have to do it yourself, Having someone support you or relying on someone can ease some pains.¡±


    ¡°Harold-sama does not know that there are people who spare no effort to cooperate with you¡± (Erika)


    For someone who she hated, she really gave me some useful advice. She really is a gentle and attractive girl.


    As expected of someone who was always the most popular character in the game.


    I may have made a wrong move to be hated by Erika.


    Harold thought such thing with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 39

    (Tasuku POV)


    I had finally returned one sunny day, and instead of a greeting, I was promptly informed of Harold¡¯s visit instead. Probably because it¡¯s quite unusual for Harold to visit without telling us in advance, it was that kind of situation.


    Harold was wearing a yukata at the time because it was already getting late.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Harold-kun. How was your day today?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to talk to you about urgently.¡±


    Harold wasn¡¯t a person for pleasantries and cut straight to the point.


    I also changed my posture to one for listening.


    ¡°Hmm, let me hear it.¡±


    ¡°One week from now the Knight Order will leave for an expedition to the Blitz Forest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite far,¡±


    Blitz Forest was located near the border, it¡¯d take a month just to travel there.


    At the very least, they could shorten the trip by taking an airship to a nearby area.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that too dangerous as your first assignment?¡±


    ¡°On the surface, it¡¯s only a patriotic mission, but there¡¯s a chance that it¡¯ll develop into a skirmish against the Star Aria Tribe.¡±


    ¡°Wha-!¡±


    I unintentionally let out a loud voice.


    Harold just said that the Order and the Star Aria Tribe will fight, that there¡¯s a chance of his mission developing into an ethnic conflict.


    It would¡¯ve made a funny story if the person telling it was different.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a traitor within the top brass, who¡¯s planning to guide the negotiations towards war.¡±


    It was hard to believe how he talked about such a topic so indifferently.


    Well, the other party was Harold after all, he wouldn¡¯t say something like this without a reason why.


    ¡°¡­how so?¡±


    ¡°Their objective is the capture of the Star Aria Tribe, apparently they¡¯re the resources needed to conduct inhumane experiments and dissections. Basically, if one is captured, then that seals their fate to death.¡±


    ¡°If what you¡¯re telling me is true, then this is a problem that can¡¯t be looked by humanity itself.¡±


    But if there¡¯s no evidence to justify these claims, then I, no, the Sumeragi Family can¡¯t move.


    Even just putting in a request for a search of this scale will put the people involved at high risk.


    While it may be a despicable inhumane practice, you just have to close your eyes and pretend it¡¯s not there sometimes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t put out any evidence, it¡¯s not possible, there¡¯s no written reports or anything physical for me to procure.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you learn about this secret, Harold-kun?¡±


    It¡¯s only natural to doubt him at this point, this shouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain this information in the first place.


    Well, Harold always did have a mysterious information network, but is the information he received really credible?


    In the end, my hypothesis was right on the mark.


    ¡°¡®Giffelt¡¯, have you heard of this name before?¡±


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t understand what Harold had said, not because I haven¡¯t heard the name Giffelt before, but rather the opposite.


    When one speaks of Giffelt, there¡¯s nobody who wouldn¡¯t know this name.


    There¡¯s nothing in the world that he doesn¡¯t know, he¡¯s an information dealer who deals intel of all types.


    However, that person is a fictional character.


    ¡°The rumours say if you¡¯re willing to pay enough, you can get any information you want in the world¡­ from the fairy Giffelt.¡±


    Harold¡¯s face turned downcast at my remark, but when I shook my head a couple times in apology, he reverted back.


    ¡°Bastard, are you an idiot? To say you still believe in fairies, it¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re a weirdo, I don¡¯t know why anyone would call that thing a fairy in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Wait one second there, Harold-kun¡­ did you really meet, that ¡®Giffelt¡¯?¡±


    Giffelt was said to be an ugly being, similar to those talked about in urban legends. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t ask why he could say that he was its acquaintance with such a straight face.


    The thing is, this boy in front of me wasn¡¯t exactly ¡®ordinary¡¯ either.


    ¡°¡­hmm? What?¡±


    I really am an idiot, aren¡¯t I? Actually believing his story, but how else am I supposed to explain his information network?


    Just by talking to him like this, I can tell he has a tremendous network of connections.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about that and move on to the main subject,¡± Harold started again.


    I could already feel my head throbbing due to how he just dumped all this amazing information on me and still hasn¡¯t reached the main issue.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Harold POV)


    Using the name Giffelt brought out a bigger reaction from Tasuku than I expected. Giffelt was only a character from a fairy tale after all.


    I was somehow able to stop myself from laughing.


    There are a lot of stories that pass through gossip, and I¡¯ll use Tasuku to help spread the gossip on how ¡®Giffelt is real¡¯.


    ¡®Information broker Giffelt¡¯ is a character that has little influence in the game and is only there to give explanations on the game¡¯s mechanics, hints on how to obtain items, and other tidbits like that throughout the game.


    Although it didn¡¯t bring out any important information about clearing the game, it¡¯s a subtle character that can help you find rare high-level monsters in the forest dungeon, the hidden island in the middle of the sea, and the final area in the Last Boss¡¯ dungeon, earlier than normal.


    By the way, its real name, age, and gender are all unknown due to it mostly being covered by its androgynous appearance and its bulky hat.


    I¡¯ve never actually met it in this life, but apparently Giffelt actually exists in this world. I¡¯ve already seen countless existences in the game, and I already know it somewhat personally, so it should be fine to tell one little lie, right?


    Looking at Tasuku¡¯s reaction, I should be able to get away with using original knowledge as long as I use Giffelt as an excuse.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you believe me or not bastard, but you owe me so I¡¯ll give you this chance to pay me back.¡±


    Now it¡¯s time to negotiate. From a third person¡¯s view this might look despicable, but we¡¯ve already been doing this for so long that it¡¯s become normal for us.


    Though this might become a problem, right now I need to focus on proceeding the story.


    ¡°While I¡¯m still here¡­ prepare the Sarian Empire¡¯s military uniform for me within three days.¡±


    ¡°The Empire¡¯s? What do you need that for?¡±


    ¡°I just need to wear it under my armour during the expedition. Once the battle starts, showing a figure wearing the uniform to both sides might dampen their motivation to fight slightly.¡±


    If an officer of the Empire appears in the middle of the battle between the Order and the Star Aria Tribe, both sides will start to question who the real enemy is.


    The Empire¡¯s uniform is normally eye-catching by itself, but it should be even more conspicuous in the middle of a battlefield.


    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous, in the worst case both sides will begin to concentrate their attacks on you instead.¡±


    I¡¯m aware of what Tasuku is saying. If it was possible, then not just the battle, I would¡¯ve liked to stop the whole expedition itself.


    However, the reality is that I don¡¯t have the time or the means to take such measures.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh, as if they could put out attacks that could even scratch me.¡±


    As usual my mouth only lets out excessively arrogant responses, it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯d feel fear and anxiety in such a situation.


    But I can¡¯t back out now. I won¡¯t be able to obtain Tasuku¡¯s cooperation in this matter unless I show him an absolute resolve that this is something that I can accomplish, or else he¡¯ll never make a move.


    With the circumstances as they are, rather than a proposal to a plan, doesn¡¯t it look like I¡¯m blackmailing him into accepting?


    At worst, Tasuku wouldn¡¯t provide any support in this matter at all. Although I don¡¯t want to get into too much debt with the Sumeragi family, or else it¡¯ll get harder for me to separate myself from them in the future.


    ¡°¡­we still have time to think of alternative plans.¡±


    With a pensive look on his face, Tasuku gave an unclear answer. Perhaps he was only able to answer this way from speculating about what I said.


    I nodded, it was impossible to expect an immediate reply, rather, it was good luck that Tasuku didn¡¯t refuse him right out.


    Maybe he wasn¡¯t very suitable as a noble, but he¡¯s very likeable as an individual. Erika had probably inherited her gentleness from him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t answer me right away, you can ignore me or prepare alternative plans, but you absolutely must prepare the uniform in time so I can add the alteration I need.¡±


    ¡°I will arrange it immediately, but honestly I¡¯d rather not help send you to certain death. ¡±


    ¡°If that really is how you think, then do as you wish as long as you don¡¯t disturb me, bastard.¡±


    ¡°Good grief¡­ I guess I can¡¯t stop you, Harold-kun. You know I can¡¯t help but be amazed at how dazzling your youth is, but I also can¡¯t help but be worried about you as my future son.¡±


    What sly and embarrassing things is this old man saying?! Any bitter impressions I had left of him vanished the moment he referred to me as his ¡®son¡¯.


    ¡°¡­are you insane? Don¡¯t you remember that I¡¯m going to annul my engagement with Erika?¡±


    ¡°That kind of matter is only possible if both parties agree, don¡¯t you think? Although if that is the final decision the two of you come too, I will respectfully accept your choice.¡±


    That¡¯s surprising, I thought that he would eagerly annul it for Erika¡¯s sake, but apparently not.


    Well, if he¡¯s going to respect Erika¡¯s intentions, then the engagement will naturally revoke itself in time, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Anyways, isn¡¯t it about time you started calling Erika by her name? Since the day you met, whenever you called her by name you would always used the ¡®-san¡¯ suffix.¡±


    (No, no, I don¡¯t really need to¡­ do I?)


    The thing is, despite what he said, I can¡¯t recall a time I ever called Erika directly by her name at all. I¡¯d always refer to her as ¡®bastard¡¯ or ¡®you1¡¯, and even when I was referring to her when she wasn¡¯t in the vicinity, I¡¯d always use ¡®that person2¡¯. Although I don¡¯t refer to others by name often, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever referred to Erika by name at all.


    Well, I guess that¡¯s what happens when you try to avoid someone.


    It¡¯s been three years since we¡¯ve first met, and I haven¡¯t even called her by name once. It¡¯d be too awkward to start doing now.


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s idiotic.¡±


    Even though my mouth had said that, maybe it really would be better to start calling her by name.


    Well, whether this idea will actually be put into practice is another story.

 Chapter 40

    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    I can¡¯t exactly say that I¡¯m ready, but I¡¯m not going to get any more time no matter how frustrated I am. In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to think of any contingency plans and had to request Tasuku¡¯s cooperation.


    Even if I claimed that this expedition was a trap, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fully convince him unless I was able to present firm evidence. If there¡¯s anything else that I should do in preparation, then I should probably warn Cody to be cautious.


    There¡¯s not really any point in doing so, though.


    We were proceeding at the rate of horses that had their reins tugged while they were pulling a carriage full of rocks over a rocky area. I could swear that this craggy path was making my feet heavier somehow.


    ¡°Use the muscles in your shoulders more, Harold. I know you can do it because the muscles you use to keep your face stiff all the time must be at least five times stronger!¡±


    Maybe I looked more stressed out than I thought, because Sid, who was walking beside me, decided it would be fun to tease me a bit.


    Everyday since the first day of the expedition, without fail, Cody¡¯s unit had continued to say things of a similar sense to me time and time again. Perhaps they thought I was nervous, with this being my first assignment and all, and they were just trying to help me relax.


    Though there was no doubt that I was nervous in a different sense.


    Unfortunately, my various remarks such as ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t grow negligent¡± or ¡°Watch your surroundings¡± were all overlooked by the lack of tension. The majority of the veterans such as Robinson saw the expedition as a low-risk campaign that we shouldn¡¯t worry about.


    Sometimes I wonder if I should¡¯ve been more thorough with my preparations, but I still have plenty of time left. In a bad way, there wasn¡¯t any tension in the air at all.


    ¡°You bastards are taking this too lightly. If a battle starts, you¡¯ll be the ones to die first.¡±


    ¡°Who would we be fighting?¡±


    ¡°From the patrol guard on the border, they¡¯ve reported sightings of men who might be spies from the Empire.


    ¡°Well I guess that¡¯s something to be wary of, but if they¡¯re a reconnaissance team, they¡¯d only thirty people at most. While we¡¯re numbering a little over two-hundred, even if a battle were to start, we¡¯d be able to resolve it easily enough.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what answer I should give Sid, because I know this isn¡¯t going to be some small skirmish.


    It¡¯s only natural that a thirty-person unit specialized in reconnaissance would die in vain against a fully supplied and equipped opponent in enemy territory. So there¡¯s no way any veteran from the Order would conclude such a battle happening.


    But that¡¯s only the case if the prior information was true. There¡¯s a high chance that things will take a turn for the worse from that premise.


    Originally it¡¯s supposed to be a battle where many casualties are supposed to appear, it¡¯s more than likely that there¡¯s going to be ambushes and other surprises waiting for us in the forest.


    I wonder how Sid could be so calm and composed yet still meet his demise at the hands of Larry Cloud.


    While thinking about such dark things, I swore that I¡¯d stab a metal nail through him before that happens.


    If possible, I¡¯ll crush any chance of that meeting happening so that Sid can return home.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then you should prepare yourself to be battle-ready at any moment. Well, a bastard like you already knows that, no?¡±


    ¡°Yeah~ Yeah~¡±


    It seems like Sid, who had gotten used to my crude remarks, kept pushing for goodwill.


    I want to warn them of the future that awaits them, but there¡¯s just not enough evidence, instead of getting them to believe me, I¡¯m only cultivating unnecessary distrust and suspicion.


    At the very least, I tried to plant a sense of crisis in their hearts to no avail, and before I knew it, we had arrived at a town nearby the Blitz Forest. While staying there we were assigned to patrol the forest.


    (Ah¡­ what am I supposed to do?)


    Having arrived in the evening, and that the preparations for the next day were already completed, I decided it would be nice to try exploring the city dyed in the setting sun.


    Considering the time, there wasn¡¯t very many people in the streets. Well, I guess it wasn¡¯t a very big town in the first place.


    Even if you walk absentmindedly while brooding over a problem, you won¡¯t bother anyone on these deserted streets. Unbeknownst to myself, I had walked into a back alley by accident, most probably because I had directed most of my resources towards thinking.


    Then my feet stopped.


    When my thoughts had returned to me, I came to realize how lost I was. I had no idea where I had walked from.


    ¡®Just what am I doing?¡¯ I thought to myself, amazed. In such a dark alley, I caught myself from voicing those thoughts aloud.


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s far enough. Just how long do you plan to keep tailing me?¡±


    I put a lot of pressure into my voice, even though it looked liked I was speaking to myself.


    However, at that moment multiple personages appeared from the space that previously housed noone. Their figures were covered completely in black, as if to melt into the dusk, reminiscent of ninjas.


    To be surrounded by such an eerie group, my alertness level had risen to its maximum in an instant, even though I wasn¡¯t sure if they were the enemy or not.


    But contrary to my expectations, the ten black figures didn¡¯t move. Then, one of them stepped forward and removed the cloth that had previously hidden everything except for their eyes.


    ¡°It has been quite some time~ Harold-sama~¡±


    That drawling voice of hers didn¡¯t fit the tension. Although her wardrobe had changed considerably from the cook¡¯s apron she was wearing before. The person before me was definitely Yuno, Erika¡¯s attendant.


    A strong sense of relief swept through my body now that I knew that they were allies instead of enemies, releasing the tension.


    ¡°A message from Tasuku?¡±


    ¡°Yes~¡±


    After fierce negotiations I was somehow able to gain Tasuku¡¯s assistance. I¡¯m really grateful to know that he dispatched human resources for me as promised.


    But why send me Yuno? This is clearly a heavy burden for Yuno, who doubles as a maid.


    Or maybe the reason why she serves as Erika¡¯s escort is because she¡¯s that skilled, a brilliant way to keep a skillful personnel hidden.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll forgive you bastards for that greeting earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes~ By the way~ Erika-sama told me to ¡®Do as you will¡¯~¡±


    (Huh?)


    What Yuno just told me didn¡¯t register. You would think that someone who was in a master-servant relationship with Tasuku and Erika wouldn¡¯t talk about themselves that lightly.


    Those words were akin to her saying ¡®I¡¯m here because I wanted to come here¡¯.


    I had just learned something astonishing, but I couldn¡¯t afford to think about such things right now.


    ¡°Hmm, well, it¡¯s fine. Have you bastards heard anything new?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat~¡± Yuno slurred ambiguously.


    Although this place was uninhabited, it probably wasn¡¯t the best place to disclose this information.


    You never know where ears are lurking.


    ¡°If that¡¯s so, let¡¯s move to a secure location, and disclose the details there.¡±


    ¡°Over here~ We¡¯ve prepared a private room that¡¯s out-of-sight~~¡±


    As expected, Tasuku did his job thoroughly.


    In response to Yuno¡¯s words, the other black figures melted into the shadows, once again disappearing into the darkness. Does that mean that Yuno will be my guide?


    When I turned to Yuno and saw her face, I couldn¡¯t help but feel soothed by her smile.


    Towards her, I silently prayed that she¡¯d help support me when I needed it.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Cody POV)


    It¡¯s already been three days since we arrived at the Blitz forest. While performing our duties as a support force, I may have kept up my usual attitude on the surface, but the truth was that my heart felt like it was in the middle of a storm.


    The reason for this discord was the boy, Harold, who had just recently joined my unit.


    I¡¯m montering Harold due to the request of Vincent, the Knight¡¯s Second-in-Command, who also happens to be my old friend, but it¡¯s not a pleasant thing to doubt your own men.


    If Harold had only one mysterious point to be doubted, then this wouldn¡¯t be so awkward.


    Originally,  what caught my eye was his overwhelming fighting ability, but my doubts became clear with our run-in with that mysterious red-black mist that we encountered during the exam.


    An unidentified monster. Harold¡¯s response was one that could have only been made if he knew something about that foggy monster.


    He insisted it was just intuition and acted as if it was the first time he ever saw it, but that was obviously proven a lie judging by how he fought that thing.


    If Vincent hadn¡¯t asked me to do this, and I didn¡¯t have these doubts of mine, then maybe I could¡¯ve overlooked this mystery.


    There might not be any detrimental effects to The Order by doing this, but why go about it in such a roundabout way?


    (The ¡°Crimson-black fog¡± I really hope that you don¡¯t know anything about it, Harold.)


    I can¡¯t fathom his reasons why.


    I don¡¯t even know what that reddish fog is in the first place, but if I can clarify the identity of that mist, there¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll be able to see the true meaning to Harold¡¯s actions.


    But I can¡¯t say something with leisure now, whether or not he fights on the side of the Knight Order or the mysterious monsters, Harold knows fully well that he¡¯s been telling information that¡¯s impossible for ordinary people to know.


    When he was informed about his participation in the expedition, he was clearly displeased.


    And from the moment that the expedition started, whenever he opened his mouth he¡¯d let out repeated remarks akin to ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    As if ¡®he knew¡¯ that there was a need to do so.


    Besides, I can¡¯t help but feel anxious whenever I can¡¯t see his figure when I return to town.


    I can¡¯t wipe away that bad feeling of mine. Sure, members tend to grow nervous when being sent out on their first mission, but I know that Harold isn¡¯t just some little boy.


    I¡¯ll never be able to calm my heart if I can¡¯t even calm my mind.


    As I¡¯ve understood it, I¡¯m worried about Harold¡¯s persistent remarks.


    Should I purposely spread what I know? I don¡¯t think Harold will come clean, but if this is a crisis that involves lives, this may be the choice I have to make to protect my subordinates.


    (But¡­ Harold is an important subordinate of mine too, right?)


    This was my unwavering conviction, but at the same time it was the idealism that troubled me.


    I know that Harold isn¡¯t as bad a kid as he appears to be, now that I¡¯ve been in close contact with him for several months. He seems to be keeping some secret, but he hasn¡¯t done anything detrimental to the Order so far.


    I want to believe in Harold, it¡¯s only natural to feel that way as his supervisor.


    I¡¯m believing in him because I want to believe in him, but I can¡¯t talk about it. This unconditional trust of mine is equivalent to blind fool¡¯s.


    I exhaled a long, long sigh.


    Just thinking about it makes it more complicated.


    Having said so, maybe I should just walk up to Harold one day and say ¡°Hey there, morning Harold-kun, is there anything you¡¯re hiding from me you want to talk about?¡±


    There¡¯s always the chance that he¡¯ll spill everything due to being seen through.


    I immediately purged the thought, there¡¯s no way that would work!


    However, it might not be a bad idea to talk to him sometime. We might not have another chance if something happens during the patrol mission.


    And when I tried heading out to meet with Harold, a messenger burst in with the momentum to break down the door.


    ¡°There¡¯s a report that a patrol duty unit is being attacked by someone! There are numerous reports of injuries! They are requesting immediate assistance!¡±


    Each commander started moving with the message, but I was the one to move the fastest.


    As I opened the door to the room housing my Unit, there should be twenty people including Harold.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for work! Tell everyone to gather outside, and Robin-kun-¡±


    ¡°Y-yes?!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Harold-kun?¡±


    ¡°He was here just a little while ago¡­¡±


    I¡¯m too late, he¡¯s probably already heading over to the scene.


    My intuition told me so.


    ¡°From here on out the Cody-unit will follow the instructions of the Maric-unit! I¡¯ll be looking for Harold-kun, so I¡¯m counting on you!¡±


    ¡°C-captain?!¡±


    I ran out without listening to Robin¡¯s voice, and went to check the stables first. I didn¡¯t hear of anybody borrowing a horse, and their numbers didn¡¯t seem to decrease.


    Harold may have thought that a rookie member didn¡¯t have the authority to borrow an emergency horse.


    In other words, Harold decided to run to the Blitz forest on his two feet, I should be able to catch him if I use a horse.


    I, who had just borrowed a horse made a beeline straight to the forest. Within five minutes, I was able catch sight of Harold¡¯s back.


    Even so, what amazing leg strength. It took more time than expected to catch up.


    Slowing down the horse, I jumped off and stood in front of Harold.


    ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry, Harold-kun?¡±


    ¡°¡­bastard, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You mean with Robin and the others? I left their command to the other teams.¡±


    ¡°Go back. You may be a bastard, but you¡¯re their captain.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, then why don¡¯t we return together?¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Rejecting my offer to return, Harold decided to work alone.


    He has no idea the consequences this could bring, ignoring the command of a superior officer and acting selfishly to his own plan.


    Moreover, if he intervenes with the battlefield, he won¡¯t be able to avoid punishment. It¡¯ll be beyond the range that I can protect him from. At worst, he¡¯ll be discharged and imprisoned.


    But I guess that means the reason why he has to go is that important to him.


    The boy named Harold will never bend his own beliefs. He has the strength to make anything he intends reality.


    I can¡¯t persuade him with just words.


    ¡®Why do I have to have such a stubborn subordinate?¡¯ I thought with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Do you really expect me to return by myself?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, just go already!¡±


    ¡°And here I¡¯m telling you I can¡¯t do that! Do you really want to be convicted as a criminal that badly?!¡±


    And that¡¯s only the case if he survives.


    Just by looking at Harold eyes, you could tell how displeased he was. They were the eyes of someone resolved to dive into the jaws of death.


    I¡¯ve seen so many people that have had those eyes to the point that it¡¯s unreasonable, and more than a few of them are dead.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Do you really want me to say this?¡±


    There¡¯s no way I can send someone with such eyes to the battlefield.


    Although Vincent may be suspicious of Harold, I¡¯m different. When I first saw Harold, I could see it.


    The figure of Harold standing as a great knight that lead others.


    Some might say this is my selfishness speaking, and they¡¯re right. This is me working for my ideals.


    I know that Harold has the potential to reach heights that neither I nor Vincent will ever be able to achieve.


    Still, I don¡¯t want to die.


    I took in a deep breath, I can¡¯t afford to hold back in this fight, no matter what.


    Unsheathing my sword, I realized I was doing something that I might not be able to handle myself.


    Letting out my usual laugh with vigor, I declared,


    ¡°If you really want to get past here that badly, you¡¯ll have to go through me first! ¡­get it?¡±


    Translated by KuroInfinity. Written by Izumi (Ȫ).

 Chapter 41

    (Cody¡¯s POV)


    My evaluation of people can¡¯t be said to be very flattering, but by being an individual capable of achieving a position as captain at a young age, that much should be fine, that is what it means to be one that walks the path of the elite.


    However, in addition to having a bad attitude in general, my work attitude couldn¡¯t be considered serious at all, resulting in some friction to form between my colleagues who couldn¡¯t accept my personality.


    The origin of that personality forming can be dated back to the friendship between myself and the boy that would one day be known as the Knight¡¯s Deputy Captain, the one who¡¯s admired by everyone.


    Born and raised in the same rural village, we were so-called childhood friends.


    We both lived in common households and spent our early childhoods surrounded by nature, it was very peaceful life.


    ¡­and that peace was shattered when we were seven years old.


    Out of nowhere, the village was attacked by bandits, the people that we grew up knowing, killed or abducted. The food and money we had saved up, plundered.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough was it? Monsters swarmed in from everywhere, the barrier that once protected us destroyed during the pillaging. They probably caught the smell of the blood and food.


    It was impossible for us to prevent the monster invasion when we couldn¡¯t even exercise our defense measures properly.


    The smell of blood and the screams of the people echoed throughout the town as we were attacked by wave after wave of bandits and monsters, flames burning everywhere. It was hell.


    Although Vincent and I were somehow able to survive the onslaught, I lost my family and the town had been destroyed to the point of being irreparable.


    There was nothing left for us other than an inevitable sense of despair. For us two orphans, there was nothing we could do other than be sad.


    If that was the case then we might as well die, right? The me of that time seriously considered that option. How could I stay alive while the rest of my family was dead¡­


    But then I remembered, Vincent was still by my side, how the hell could I leave him all alone? He was small, a crybaby, and my best friend. The same friend who hid behind me all the time because he was shy. I had to live on.


    I at least wanted Vincent to live if I had to die.


    But if I died, a boy as vulnerable as he was wouldn¡¯t last very long.


    Well, even if I said that, we were still just children. The chances of us both surviving were low from the start.


    Still, there was no way I could abandon Vincent and choose death.


    So that¡¯s why I asked him, ¡°I don¡¯t care whether I live or die any more, but what about you? Do you want to die together with me or live on?¡±


    ¡°¡­I want to live. I don¡¯t want to die¡­ it¡¯s scary¡­!¡±


    That was Vincent¡¯s answer, even in a situation like that he was too afraid to die.


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t understand that feeling of his very well, I honestly thought that the easiest way to escape my despair at that moment was death.


    But for his sake, I thought it was fine. I knew that to choose such a path even after seeing his determination would only make me a coward.


    In truth, maybe it was the strength that Vincent showed at that moment to choose life over death that saved me at that time. Without it, I probably would¡¯ve chosen death at that place.


    At that moment, the two of us stood up, our hands clasped together. We had come to an agreement that didn¡¯t need words to be understood.


    The two kids who had no one to depend on did everything they could to survive.


    In the place that was our hometown just a few days ago, we pillaged corpses and fields for food, we stole from people for money, and in the slums that were now our home, we even killed people in self-defence.


    It almost felt like we were slaughtering the monsters that attacked us.


    Running through such death and despair, at the age of ten we began to mimic mercenaries, marching off to battlefields to engage in the suppression of monsters.


    Cowardly Vincent and I were steadily getting stronger, and it was around that time we started to see the changes.


    Vincent had a surprising talent for the sword, and every time we went off to battle, I could feel us growing stronger and stronger.


    We didn¡¯t live life to the fullest, we lived every day to just live another day. It really was a terrible life.


    Before I knew it, Vincent stopped laughing or crying, I didn¡¯t want to see my friend like this.


    I guess someone did die at that time, someone that was actually happy. I started to think so around this time.


    After about three more years of working as a mercenary, I received a minor wound due to a lack of concentration in a middle of a battle. Although it wasn¡¯t life-threatening, it was impossible for me to continue the battle with such a wound.


    But when you¡¯re in the middle of a war, nobody cares about such things. My opponent at the time saw that as an opportunity and raised his sword.


    I didn¡¯t have the power nor intention to avoid that blow at that moment.


    The sword swung down towards my eyes as I waited for my life to end, but right before the blade reached me, the flash of two swords swept by.


    The first sliced my opponent¡¯s arms off while the second cleaved into his waist, ending his life without even giving him time to scream.


    With blood dripping from his head from a wound he received earlier, Vincent turned back to look at me. The person dyed in blood in front of me and the person who I called my best friend looked completely different from one another.


    Silently, he lent me his shoulder, and we withdrew to the safety zone. I was finally able to catch my breath.


    ¡°Cody, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I am but¡­ that¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve had to protect me.¡±


    ¡°¡­is that so? I see¡­ well, it¡¯s not a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is?¡±


    ¡°The feeling of protecting my friend, I mean.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re so dirty¡­ are we really supposed to protect people with hands as bloody as this?¡±


    As he said so, Vincent clasped his fists. Was it in joy or regret I wonder? It was impossible for me to understand what he was feeling.


    Even so, for Vincent to only be thinking of protecting another at such a time had to be a sign.


    ¡°Well, why can¡¯t you protect them?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Vincent¡¯s showed a stupid expression for a moment.


    It was unbearably funny, but I forced myself to say what I could.


    ¡°If you join the Order, can¡¯t you protect hundreds, no, thousands of people, and not just me?¡±


    ¡°How could vagrants like us ever join the Order¡­¡±


    ¡°Its unreasonable, but it¡¯s nothing compared to the hardships we had to go through to survive so far.¡±


    ¡°Cody¡­¡±


    ¡°The hell Vincent, you¡¯re clearly stronger than me, but I can¡¯t be that weak.¡±


    ¡°W-what about our pasts?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! They won¡¯t care about things that happened so early in our lives like where we were born and raised! ¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Choose Vincent, will you keep living as you do now, or will go ahead and join the Knight Order?¡±


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s just like that time.¡±


    At that time, I asked him whether he wanted to live or die in front of a devastated town.


    If I recall correctly, it had already been six years since that time.


    ¡°Cody, I want to change this world where the weak are stepped on by the strong.¡±


    ¡°Change the world¡­ Hey, you¡¯re making a big deal again.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it alone though, there¡¯s no way I could achieve this dream without your power.¡±


    ¡°The knights aren¡¯t exactly my thing though. I don¡¯t really want to be above people, and I¡¯m lazy.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I want to do this with you. A place where children like us will never appear again, I want to make that kind of world.¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re going to be the death of me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about giving me your answer now, give me your answer after we finish this fight.¡±


    While leaving me with the relief staff, Vincent immediately returned to the front lines.


    Gazing at his back, for the first time in my life, my little friend who always hid behind me, had taken steps in front of me to chase his own dreams. I always thought I was the one protecting him, but even if I wasn¡¯t next to him, I sure that Vincent had the ability to make it.


    But surely that doesn¡¯t mean¡­


    He said with a serious face that he¡¯d change the world, and as I thought of that, I couldn¡¯t help but find myself laughing.


    With each laugh, my stomach hurt but I still didn¡¯t stop laughing.


    ¡°If I¡¯m with this guy, will my life ever be okay?¡±


    My misunderstanding that I understood as I looked at Vincent¡¯s back that day as he ran towards the front lines has been engraved into my mind forever.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Even if his mouth says so, there¡¯s no way Harold could really mean that judging by his appearance)


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m standing in front of Harold now.


    There¡¯s no reason or basis as to why, there was only a feeling and intuition that I had to do this.


    Harold looked exactly like Vincent did.


    A boy who had succumbed to absurd dreams.


    Oh, I¡¯m the worst. Without even considering Harold¡¯s feelings I¡¯m trying to help him one-sidedly.


    Worrying about him, when he doesn¡¯t want to be worried about.


    Such a selfishness as if I were entrusting my own daughter and best friend to Harold. I will take him back even if I have to beat him down to do it.


    I pulled my sword out and took my stance as the sound of sharp metal rang out.


    I always wondered what Harold would be like if he fought seriously. Speed, technique, magical prowess, Harold is far above anyone in the same year as himself.


    Although I was able to channel my fighting techniques into avoiding attacks with somersaults, swift kicks would deftly follow, aiming for my hands that I used for balance to cripple my movement.


    It was a way of fighting where you wouldn¡¯t be able to predict where the attack would come from. An extremely difficult technique to pull off.


    But I can¡¯t allow myself to be defeated here.


    I asked Harold as we exchanged blows at high speed.


    ¡°Harold, what are your dreams for the future?¡±


    It was a question with truly no context at all.


    But Harold returned my words without being particularly upset.


    ¡°I live for myself, that¡¯s it.¡±


    A brief answer that he lived for himself.


    The exact opposite of Vincent who chose the path of protecting others.


    But for some reason, I couldn¡¯t help but feel they were similar.


    ¡°Well then, here¡¯s another question: Have you ever thought of making friends?¡±


    ¡°Such things are unnecessary.¡±


    To avoid getting hit with the kick that he threw out during the exchange, I backed off a bit.


    Without making a fatal blow, I have to finish the fight. I have to win without hurting him too badly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything you want to do?! You should make use of your life to leave a legacy behind for others to follow!¡±


    ¡°Those are just the words of the weak!¡±


    I won¡¯t deny it. In the first place, humans are weak creatures. So we flock together and seek connections.


    It¡¯s fine because we¡¯re human, we can be weak.


    We can support, be supported, connect with others and be strengthened.


    But Harold cuts everything down. He tries to become strong himself without believing in anyone other than himself.


    It¡¯s too lonely. I can¡¯t imagine how much we ordinary people would have to cut down to obtain his strength.


    Harold has been walking a path that was different from Vincent and I. Perhaps he¡¯s still only halfway down his road.


    I don¡¯t know what his goal is, but he won¡¯t stop. Not until his life is exhausted.


    Even so, even if the circumstances were different, even if the place you¡¯re aiming for is the exact opposite of what we were.


    That appearance of yours that¡¯s trying to resist the world overlaps with the Vincent who intends to change the world in an impossible way.


    So I have to help you.


    ¡°A world where children like us will never appear again.¡±


    Because that is the oath I made with Vincent that day.

 Chapter 42

    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    While holding the sword, I asked myself.


    Why did Cody pursue me? Its because I was a member of his squad and I left.


    Why do I have to fight Cody? It¡¯s because he aims to bring me back with brute force.


    In other words, all of these are things that were caused by my actions, this is my fault.


    Although I assumed that somebody would try to obstruct me for taking action myself in an emergency, this is close to the worst situation possible for Cody himself to chase after me.


    More importantly, Cody isn¡¯t near Robinson right now. Even if they got caught up in a battle, I thought that if Cody was in the vicinity then that would be able to help to some extent.


    This is truly not the ideal situation, it was like I was reinforcing Robinson¡¯s death flag instead of destroying it.


    Now that I¡¯ve taken this moment in, I can¡¯t waste any more time here.


    I need to get through this quickly so I can meet up with Yuno and continue the plan, but it doesn¡¯t look Cody will allow that too easily.


    Even if I take advantage of my speed and make a huge number of attacks, all of my strikes that I thought were aimed at blind spots are prevented as if he had eyes on the back of his head.


    That said, if I forego attack and focus on defense, a sudden outburst of sharp blows will ensue. Although it¡¯s still at a level that can be avoided, even the smallest waver in concentration could prove fatal.


    As expected of a character who regularly joins the hero¡¯s party, albeit limitedly.


    What¡¯s even more troubling is that the weapon that Cody is using is different than what he uses in the original work. A longsword of the Order. Far different than the fighting style I knew.


    In the original work, Cody used different equipment, his Willow Katana and a Bow and Arrow.


    Although it¡¯s doubtful that such a combination could actually be useable in real warfare, in the game you could instantly change between equipment to respond to both close and long range battles.


    The current Cody is using a longsword and magic. It might sound easy to beat in the game, but all of my attacks are being perfectly dealt with. I can¡¯t grasp a single clue to what strategy I should take.


    Perhaps Cody won¡¯t attack me of his own volition and stay on defense to buy time and hold out until reinforcements arrive.


    If so, then I¡¯m checkmated.


    Even if I try to escape by fully utilizing my speed, he¡¯ll just catch up to me again by using his horse.


    In that case, I have to take him down here as quickly as possible.


    I released a spell as I started growing more impatient.


    ¡°<>¡±


    With a clap of thunder, the three bolts of lightning arc in a spiral towards Cody.


    A bolt of lightning that would easily incapacitate an ordinary person. However, Cody wasn¡¯t stupid enough to take the lightning for no real reason at all.


    ¡°<>¡±


    Still, I continued to fire my magic.


    This time, huge pillars of flame emerged at his feet, but with a quick leap backwards, his appearance disappeared behind the fire pillar.


    Immediately after, the fire pillar was dispersed as if it were nothing.


    ¡°Oh, how scary, <>¡±


    The magic he had cast was a light one.


    Wind Fang was originally an invisible spell, but it clung to the remnants of the flame and shot directly towards me, faster than ever.


    I decided it¡¯d be better to go straight with magic defense rather than avoid it.


    Commonly known as ¡°R-guard¡±.


    Activated when pushing the left and right arrow keys and square buttons for physical defense, while pressing the ¡®R¡¯ button to prevent magic damage while consuming MP.


    Of course, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m actually holding a controller, so it¡¯s not a technique that can be used as easily as pushing down multiple buttons at the same time.


    At length, it¡¯s the same thing as using magic. Form the image of a shield created out of magic power in my mind.


    One suddenly manifested in front of me.


    Colliding with the shield, the fangs released a large crackling sound before breaking down and disappearing.


    There was no damage to myself.


    But it was just a ploy to get me to stop moving, Cody had thrown away defense and started moving offensively.


    I let out a groan as I blocked his sword strike. It was heavy, definitely stronger than what I could do.


    Cody was pushing me back, and finally pushed me down, only to jump back unexpectedly, and quickly change back into a defensive stance.


    I thought he was going to take me back by force, but I misread him. Cody doesn¡¯t want to wait for reinforcements, he fully intends to overpower me by himself, to make me admit defeat.


    Is he that confident that he won¡¯t lose? Though in truth, I can¡¯t see how I can win.


    Cody¡¯s not weak enough that he¡¯ll be beaten with just speed alone. I need something else.


    (I¡¯m going to lose at this rate¡­!)


    I judged so.


    Taking my distance to focus on long range attacks, I jumped and did a flip in the air.


    ¡°Guh¡­!¡±


    Even though I was only doing this to build momentum with the sword, my bones still raised up squeaking sounds from the mere power I put in.


    Despite this, I managed to shrug it off and swing the sword down with power generated by using my whole body.


    ¡°<>¡±


    The ground rises up to flank Cody.


    It was a spell that focused completely on power rather than speed, but that much was obvious.


    I cast Grand Punisher again, my spells look like they¡¯ll hit dead on, the two hell-bent spells dead set on getting their prey, but Cody only brushed it aside like a joke.


    ¡°Do you really hate me that much? I¡¯m shocked.¡±


    ¡°Shut that stinking mouth of yours already!¡±


    My visibility is obstructed as the magic is released in succession, releasing dust everywhere. The ground is left hollow as if someone dug it out, and the path looks so rough that you can¡¯t even walk straight on it anymore. If I can¡¯t make use of my speed, this is the only way I can win.


    An idiotic plan almost akin to giving up any victory. A disadvantageous gamble.


    If I tried to shorten the distance, the fight would start to tip in Cody¡¯s favour.


    That¡¯s why I tried to keep my space, but even at a distance, it¡¯d be dangerous to consume physical strength for no real reason at all.


    I had no choice but to disable Cody like this, no matter how low the possibility.


    But after a couple more exchanges of sword swings, I dropped my sword. As I was now, there was no way I could beat Cody.


    ¡°¡­are you done?¡±


    ¡°¡­yeah.¡±


    However, that¡¯s only the case if I was fighting him ¡®one-on-one¡¯.


    ¡°-it¡¯s my win.¡±


    I declared my victory despite the desperate situation I was in. Listening to my words, Cody dropped his sword and raised both his hands in surrender.


    Behind him, there were three people completely covered in black clothes, with Yuno pressing knives against his neck and back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ¡®our¡¯ win~?¡±


    ¡°What are you mumbling about? You only came in at the very end.¡±


    ¡°I think Harold-sama should remember to praise people more straightforwardly~¡±


    Yuno is exactly the same as always. Asking me to give her words of praise the next time she helps me.


    At that moment, Cody, who was watching our exchange, burst out into laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you hit your head too hard?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you were all like ¡®I don¡¯t need any friends!¡¯ so I never thought that you¡¯d have someone out there to help you.¡±


    Thinking about it, I did say that, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want friends?¡± he asked me, so I replied in half-rage ¡°I don¡¯t need any!¡± I wondered why he asked that, but it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore.


    ¡°Did you do all those things because you didn¡¯t quite understand those girls magic and concealment abilities?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just because of that.¡±


    There was also the fact that during the battle I would shoot magic randomly in hope of Yuno noticing it.


    According to the plan, some of the black-clothed people would tail the patrol guards, and if an anomaly were to happen, they¡¯d immediately contact me so we could meet up at a place we decided beforehand.


    Since the meeting place wasn¡¯t too far away, I cast spells as a replacement for signal flares.


    It was a hit-and-run game that required lots of luck, but it was somehow able to succeed due to Yuno being an insightful person.


    ¡°Tie him up already.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t resist too much, I don¡¯t want to get rough~¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, the worst treatment, right?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just tie up his limbs and leave him here?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much?! I don¡¯t have a hobby of becoming monster food!¡±


    Cody became my captive without much resistance.


    Taking his weapon, we hung him who was tied up with ropes on a tree branch. There aren¡¯t any large monsters that live around here, so at this height he won¡¯t be in danger soon.


    After a while, the Knight¡¯s support unit should pass by to let him down.


    We also tied the horse to the tree so that the could be found easily. He won¡¯t be overlooked.


    ¡°What a comical figure, it suits you.¡±


    ¡°Are you just going to leave me here? What am I supposed to do while I wait?¡±


    Even in his suspended state, Cody called out to me.


    Apparently even looking like that hasn¡¯t broken his spirit.


    ¡°A bastard like you still has a role to play out, but for now you can just be shaken by the wind.¡±


    ¡°A role?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a captain, that¡¯s the position you need to fulfill right now. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I lost a lot of time, so after giving Cody those last meaningful words, I hurriedly made my way towards the meeting area in front of the Blitz Forest.


    It took around two hours on horseback to get there, and I finally arrived at the entrance to the forest.


    The situation was quickly explained to me by the black-clothed operatives that were working on reconnaissance.


    ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?¡±


    ¡°Harold-sama¡¯s expectation of the Sarian Army disguising themselves as the Star Aria Tribe seems to be correct. The Order and a mysterious group have begun conflict, and there have already been casualties.¡±


    Casualties. That word seemed heavier to me when he said it.


    If they just fought better, then they wouldn¡¯t have died but it¡¯s too late to have regrets.


    I swallowed.


    ¡°However, there¡¯s only so much one person can do.¡±


    At that moment I remembered the words that Erika had said to me that day. Since I have the original knowledge, it¡¯s necessary for me to throw away the expectation that all futures can be changed.


    Because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m strong enough to carry everyone¡¯s lives on my shoulders.


    ¡°We¡¯ve also confirmed battle between the Sarian army disguised as knights of the Order and the Star Aria Tribe.¡±


    ¡°So the worst situation possible, how about the battle between the Order and the Star Aria Tribe themselves?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the Order has been successfully tricked, as they are now preparing to invade the Star Aria Tribe¡¯s living area.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do~?¡±


    ¡°As planned, I¡¯ll expose myself to the Knights and the Tribe as a member of the Sarian Army and attract their attention.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else will head around towards the Star Aria Tribe, you¡¯ve memorized my instructions, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course~¡±


    Now I just need to get my job done. My future greatly depends on how I overcome this crisis.


    No, not just my future, but Cody, Ryner, and the Black-clothed group as well.


    ¡°¡­listen.¡±


    I quietly opened my mouth.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes concentrated on me, as I gave them my own powerful look.


    ¡°You bastards are here because it was Tasuku¡¯s order, and he told you to follow my command, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly correct.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    Its no good when you can¡¯t separate your personal life from business. When I return alive, I made up my mind that I¡¯d give him a good hit for ¡°putting more burdens on my back.¡±


    ¡°That means the lives of you bastards are now in my hands, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°You want us to die for you, Harold-sama?¡±


    ¡°You bastards sure are stupid.¡±


    I cut off that answer of theirs as idiotic.


    It was somewhat amusing how puzzled every one of the black clothed group looked when I said that.


    Then they should remember this. A weak heart is easily influenced, an easy kill for a bird of prey, so with a smile full of confidence and sarcasm I said,


    ¡°The lives of you bastards now belong to me, so you are not allowed to die without my permission, understood?¡±


    And so the curtain rises on the biggest battle I¡¯ve ever experienced since coming to this world.

 Chapter 43

    (Black Clothed A¡¯s POV)


    ¡°That was the boy we heard so much about?¡±


    On the way to the settlement of the Star Aria Tribe, we were running side by side when conversation broke out.


    ¡°Yeah, that was definitely the boy the master1 told us about.¡±


    He¡¯s very high-handed, or maybe arrogant?


    It wouldn¡¯t have been easy for us to leave our lives to Harold, though that shouldn¡¯t be a surprise considering all the things we¡¯ve heard about his personality beforehand.


    However, in that last scene we saw that Harold is actually a young boy full of kindness, he just can¡¯t be honest with himself in front of people. Otherwise, I¡¯m not sure if we would¡¯ve been able to commit ourselves to this.


    Receiving an emergency summons, I remember the day our lives were given to that boy.


    Our master Tasuku had a mysterious expression plastered on his face, as if a large scale battle was expected to happen soon.


    I¡¯ve already risked my life many times on missions, but I don¡¯t hate orders like this.


    Everyone could feel that the master wasn¡¯t his usual self. While thinking that, Tasuku began to explain the circumstances of the mission this time.


    ¡°This job is about a fight that will break out between the the Knight Order and the Star Aria Tribe, with the true culprit being the Sarian Empire. They¡¯re going to instigate the fight between the two groups.¡±


    ¡°¡­why do you think the Imperials are behind this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve received information that in the confusion they¡¯ll take the chance to capture members of the Tribe.¡±


    Certainly, this would be a big deal if it¡¯s true. If left unchecked, this could develop into a domestic conflict.


    However, something still felt off to me.


    ¡°Under such circumstances, wouldn¡¯t it be better to send actual soldiers instead of a unit like us?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough evidence to confirm these claims so we can¡¯t make any conspicuous movements. If it¡¯s true, I would¡¯ve preferred to avoid dispatching you as well. I wouldn¡¯t want to risk anyone making the connection between your unit and the Sumeragi family.¡±


    ¡°You would send us despite the risk being so high?¡±


    I just need to know, why?


    To my inquiry, a bitter smile floated up on Tasuku¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s not something to be proud off, but I¡¯ve been taking a lot of things that belong to Harold-kun.¡±


    Harold. That name sounds familiar to me.


    The daughter of the Sumeragi family¡¯s fianc¨¦, Erika¡¯s fianc¨¦.


    The information gathered on Harold after the engagement was announced wasn¡¯t very good. Not a lot of people are willing to bless their engagement.


    ¡°Why is his name coming up here?¡±


    ¡°Harold-kun is planning on going to this battlefield alone to stop this fight.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can only think of that plan as reckless, I would advise him to stop.¡±


    ¡°That child will not stop. All by himself, that child has been fighting alone for a long time.¡±


    Tasuku sadly murmured, it almost felt as if he were blaming himself when he said that.


    He was trying to support Harold, a boy who was planning to cut ties with the Sumeragi Family. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to convince people who were unaware of Harold¡¯s true nature to help him.


    ¡°Why would you go so far for him?¡±


    ¡°¡­if you wish to learn the truth, then you must promise to keep this a secret. I, myself intend to take this knowledge to the grave, so you should talk among yourselves to see who is willing to leave their lives to Harold, though what I reveal to you must absolutely be kept from others.¡±


    The temperature in the room felt like it just fell a few degrees. To the extent that I thought I could feel an incredibly intimidating feeling emanating from Tasuku.


    A cold sweat fell down our cheeks as if we had just passed through a near death experience.


    ¡°We pledge our loyalty to our master.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Well, who here knows the story about Harold killing his own servants?¡±


    ¡°We all know it.¡±


    Harold¡¯s wrongdoings had definitely been heard of by us spies. We all knew the story of him killing his servant.


    It was a big reason why many of us are still opposed to his engagement, actually.


    ¡°In truth, he didn¡¯t kill his servants. To the servants who were about to be executed by his parents, he saved them and took the title of murderer himself. The servant and her daughter are still living peacefully thanks to the gracious funding that Harold had provided on their escape.¡±


    Tasuku had just dropped on us an unbelievable story.


    It¡¯s always been said that Harold killed his servant three years ago when he was only ten years old. Truthfully, I did have my doubts as to whether a child could actually do that.


    ¡°Then why keep this a secret then? If you make this information public, you can silence all the people opposed to the engagement at once.¡±


    ¡°Harold doesn¡¯t want that. He¡¯d prefer the safety of the two girls he rescued and the title of ¡®murderer¡¯ rather than take praise and fame for himself.¡±


    So this is why Tasuku committed himself to take this secret to the grave.


    A ten-year-old boy made this decision¡­ I can feel my chest tighten a little when I think about it.


    Resolving himself to be despised by everyone who knew nothing of what he did, and still carry through with his choice.


    ¡­and besides, it was Harold who developed and offered us the antibodies for the miasma, and the LP farming method.¡°


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Everyone was shocked at this revelation.


    The antibodies that were manufactured with the specific ingredients from Tasuku¡¯s abrupt command. I can¡¯t imagine how many people were saved by that drug.


    Along with the revolutionary LP farming method, a new way of farming that had a great impact on the Sumeragi territory¡¯s recovery.


    Everyone in the Sumeragi territory sung praises to Tasuku for these things, ¡®As expected of our lord¡¯ we said.


    There wasn¡¯t even a trace of Harold Stoke¡¯s name in there. We thought everything was done by Tasuku.


    ¡°Yet once again, he asked that his involvement was left unknown. To prevent his parents from becoming the main developers and exploiting the interest rights, for if such a case came to be, he predicted that not as many people would be helped as they are now.¡±


    Throwing away all these chances to be praised and the like, only to gain hate and infamy in return.


    While protecting someone else in all earnest, he chooses to hurt himself instead. That may be in essence, what makes him Harold Stokes.


    ¡°It was Harold-kun who discovered this information. Even doing that alone was probably dangerous, yet he only asked me to ¡®prepare a military uniform of the Sarian Empire¡¯, but how could I do just that?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Now we understood why Tasuku cared about Harold so much.


    Harold is already part of the Sumeragi family in his eyes, and the savior of the territory. They have an obligation to him that cannot be repaid.


    And that very same boy was about to go into a battlefield alone to prevent a civil war.


    ¡°Harold-kun has gotten used to being alone. He¡¯s now someone who¡¯s very poor at relying on others, a very clumsy boy. Certainly, he has a foul mouth and an arrogant attitude, but in reality he¡¯s more gentle than anyone. I want to protect this child no matter what.¡±


    Tasuku¡¯s thought process was if Harold was actually his child.


    If that was the case, then it¡¯s our job to make those thoughts reality. It¡¯s our obligation to answer the sincerity of the man named Tasuku, and the Sumeragi territory he rules over.


    ¡°We accept your request.¡±


    Everyone bows their head in unison.


    For this dangerous mission that might cost us our lives, not a single person refused.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    I had already taken off the Order¡¯s armour and replaced it with the Sarian Empire¡¯s uniform. Weaving my way through the trees, I was moving through the roads that couldn¡¯t even be called roads at high speed.


    The black-clothed group was right behind me. I¡¯m not sure how strong they were, but it was truly amazing how they could keep up with my speed.


    (I was hoping morale would rise a little bit with what I said earlier but¡­)


    Casting skeptical gazes at them, I thought about such things.


    I know how late in the game we already are, but if possible I don¡¯t want any of them to die.


    Though there is a far higher chance of me getting attacked rather than them.


    I started to organize the information I knew before we reached our target.


    The Sarian Empire has about 150 people here. A hundred of them are engaged in battle with the Order near the interior of the forest, while the remaining fifty are attacking the Star Aria Tribe.


    Their number are about five times more than the information that was given in advance, but to be frank it was much less than what I expected. The Order has a little over two hundred dispatched this time. I thought that we¡¯d have the numerical disadvantage.


    This was the Kingdom¡¯s territory, it would¡¯ve been difficult for them to dispatch a large number of troops here in secret.


    Maybe this was the most they could do if they still wanted to be able to infiltrate us.


    In addition, there were about 120 knights on patrol missions in the forest, and on top of that, they were divided into teams of fifteen. If guided individually, there¡¯s always the possibility that they¡¯ll run into the enemy by accident.


    If so, even if it¡¯s not a great countermeasure, their disadvantages would be covered. They should be fine even in the event of a surprise attack.


    And even though in the original work the Order is decimated and Robinson is destroyed, the mastermind-Justus¡¯s main goal is to capture members of the Tribe and spread the word that ¡®The Star Aria Tribe attacked the Knights¡¯.


    There¡¯s no real need to destroy the Order.


    I wonder if Robinson was born under some unlucky star or something? To be forced into a scenario that he had to die.


    Ideally I would like to settle this before the support group arrives, but I know that¡¯s impossible.


    There¡¯s no choice but to accept that Cody will return to the front lines soon.


    ¡°¡­we¡¯re close.¡±


    Roars and screams entered into my ears. With every step forward they grew louder and clearer.


    We had finally caught up to the first group.


    ¡°Everyone spread out! Scout out the surroundings while I draw their attention!¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡±


    The figures of the black clothed group disappear into the forest while leaving words of consent.


    Speaking in terms of pure stealth, their abilities far outclass mine.


    If I can draw in the attention of both enemies and allies, then there¡¯s no way they¡¯d be caught.


    I donned a leather mask that covers the lower half of my face, including my mouth and nose. It should go without saying that I¡¯d run into trouble if my identity were to be exposed.


    At first I thought I should wear a mask that covered my whole face, but I abandoned the idea because the reduced field of vision could prove fatal.


    I was exposed to names of unknown colleagues who were conscious of sudden lightning strikes.


    Taking a deep breath, I kicked at the ground to increase my speed.


    To flaunt my existence as much as possible, I started firing magic towards the sky. Thunder clapped as lightning shot into the night sky, cutting down trees with it.


    There were only men of the Order there, the Sarian soldiers were probably in hiding to prepare their long-range attacks.


    This must have been another way for them to counter their numerical disadvantage.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that?!¡±


    ¡°Hey, over there!¡±


    The knights turned to the place where their comrade pointed at while yelling, and there I was. Standing over them on a tree branch overlooking their unit.


    I draw my sword to increase their alertness levels.


    However, it¡¯s not enough. This alone won¡¯t make them conclude the enemy actually the Sarian Empire.


    Showing off the blade, I do my best to play the part of a villain.


    ¡°Rejoice, knights of the Liberl Kingdom, you will now become the cornerstone for the Empire¡¯s glory!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®the Empire¡¯s glory¡¯¡­ don¡¯t tell me, are you here to start a war with us?!¡±


    (How the hell did you interpret it like that?)


    Right now I was dressed in the uniform of the Sarian Empire¡¯s military, and I didn¡¯t say anything about starting a war to expand territory or anything.


    I wonder what would happen if I exposed the truth and just outright told them the Empire¡¯s plan to attack the Order while framing the Star Aria Tribe.


    Though, I guess it¡¯s common sense if I think about it. If I don¡¯t do this properly, then I¡¯ll accidentally start a war between the Liberl Kingdom and the Sarian Empire.


    Now that I realised such a possibility, I could feel a cold sweat break over me.


    There was no way I could back out now though.


    Besides, Justus has nothing to do with the Sarian Empire. If the series of events were to be revealed, there¡¯s the chance that Justus¡¯s involvement will be exposed.


    I didn¡¯t think of the possibility of the genius running away by himself. I probably should¡¯ve prepared countermeasures so that when the Empire was discovered as the perpetrators the Kingdom wouldn¡¯t react too strongly.


    Then, I got an idea.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for dead men to know the truth.¡±


    I¡¯m a commander, I¡¯m a commander, act like you¡¯re a commanding the Sarian Army that¡¯s waiting in ambush¡­


    Even for the Sarian Army, I¡¯m an enigma that they don¡¯t know about. An irregular that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    But if you see an Imperial soldier suddenly declaring an attack on the Order, you obviously know he¡¯s one of the enemies.


    Furthermore, if you look at the medal that was hung on my left chest, you¡¯d see a lieutenant badge. To ignore my order would be the same as ignoring your commanding officer.


    It¡¯s my win if that¡¯s how they interpret it.


    ¡°Open fire!¡±


    And sure enough, it was my brilliant victory.


    Immediately after I issued the command, arrows started flying in from all directions. The Sarian army had executed my order.


    The knights dealt with protected themselves from the arrows in response, and fortunately, there were no dead or serious injuries among them yet.


    Even the position of the hidden Sarian soldiers was revealed.


    Around now the black-clothed group should be capturing the soldiers if they¡¯re following the plan.


    (Even if it¡¯s only by one second quicker, finish this already! Seriously!)


    Maintaining my distance so I could buy time, while carefully firing magic so I didn¡¯t hurt anyone, I started crying out in my mind.


    Translated by KuroInfinity. Written by Izumi (Ȫ).

 Chapter 44

    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    The magic that the knights released towards me was a direct hit ¡ª or so I made it seem, before hiding my figure.


    From behind my cover I could hear a voice cheering ¡°You did it!¡±, a standard ¡®you didn¡¯t really win¡¯ flag.


    I was almost tempted to reveal myself again and say something like ¡®These kind of things are fun, aren¡¯t they?¡¯, if it wasn¡¯t such an idiotic thing to do.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s not over yet, right?¡±


    While steadying my breath, I cursed while saying so to myself.


    I was somehow able to prevent that attack with the R-guard, but it wasn¡¯t perfect, and this is only the fourth battle.


    I¡¯ve been fighting fifteen-man platoons one after another as six black clothed guards follow me while capturing imperial soldiers.


    The Order is tough. One-on-one I¡¯m confident that in a hundred rounds of battle I can win a hundred times.


    But each one of them has refined their offense and defensive capabilities to around the same level as Robinson and co. If they didn¡¯t, then all their team battle training that they did with Cody¡¯s unit would¡¯ve been for naught.


    If I could fight back, then it would¡¯ve been different. It¡¯s hard getting through these battles while only sticking to evasion and defense.


    ¡°Harold-sama, we have completed the capture of the targets.¡±


    Finally, the report I was waiting for had arrived.


    The black clothed group seems to have sustained injuries in this battle. Seeing their figures, I swallowed the words I wanted to say.


    They¡¯re doing the best they can, it would be a mistake to reprimand them now.


    ¡°¡­let¡¯s withdraw.¡±


    After this, it¡¯s time to start interrogating the captured soldiers.


    I didn¡¯t have any special negotiation techniques or anything, but I didn¡¯t have to resort to violence either.


    By using the Original Knowledge, I acted as though had gotten information from their comrades, and threatened them I had other ways of getting more information.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time to interrogate all of them, so I chose the ones I thought would break the easiest, but five out of nine actually cracked pretty easily. I guess that they assumed that if they already had a traitor amongst them, then it wasn¡¯t so hard to betray their country themselves. There was no point in endangering their own lives to keep already exposed information secret.


    Honestly, most of the information they gave me I already knew, so I didn¡¯t really care too much about it. The important thing was getting them to confess what they knew. This way we can get the soldiers to stand in testimony and avoid the persecution of the Star Aria Tribe.


    Our main objective here today is to delay Justus¡¯ plan, even if it¡¯s only by a little.


    However, as I thought about such things, bad news suddenly came in.


    A black-clothed messenger came running in through the foliage.


    ¡°It an emergency! We have confirmed that the enemy has brought reinforcements in, their numbers have reached about two hundred, and they¡¯ve begun an assault on the Star Aria Tribe¡¯s village!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! What¡¯s the status of the battle?!¡±


    Hearing that the imperial army would decide to use such blatant actions was outside my expectations, I needed information on the battle to assess the situation.


    We had eleven black clothed personnel, including Yuno, on their way to the Tribe¡¯s village. They were giving support to the Tribe¡¯s members who would be fighting against the Sarian soldiers.


    ¡°We¡¯re currently holding them off, but we can¡¯t take much more! Their reinforcements are of Division Commander-class!¡±


    I know. It was impossible for them to beat the Sarian soldiers, but if they could just hold out until I get there¡­


    The personnel we have stationed there were just scraped up together at the last-minute, there¡¯s no way for them to hold out if the enemy received reinforcements.


    Moreover, to be hiding a unit of Division Commander class until now, there¡¯s a chance that this might¡¯ve been their goal from the very beginning. The fact that it¡¯s led by a Division Commander only further rectifies that as the truth, since units led by any officer from Lieutenant General to Major General are usually used to fight on the front lines.


    I wonder if this was Justus¡¯ doing. A dark premonition was crawling up my spine.


    There was a possibility, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to think about it.


    ¡°Bastard, lead me to them. Keep us at a pace that¡¯ll make it hard to be tailed so we can make it to the front lines of the battle.¡±


    Still, there should be about a hundred knights there. Though that number should be cut a bit with some being incapacitated from injuries.


    I would¡¯ve preferred to have the Sarian soldiers eliminated in secret but it¡¯s too late. If I don¡¯t act now, Yuno could be killed.


    In the worst case, the power of the relief team that Robinson is a part of will be necessary.


    A bitter feeling was welling up inside me from how this was developing. I felt impatient, helpless even, at this sudden change.


    I kicked at the earth again to increase my speed.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Yuno¡¯s POV)


    I¡¯ve been wandering for a long time.


    That moment when Erica found out about Harold¡¯s true intentions three years ago¡­ was Harold truly not aware that Erica was hiding in the room?


    I don¡¯t think that Harold, who was aware of me spying on his training, would overlook Erica hiding nearby. Just the other day, he even detected our presence that we tried so hard to conceal that evening.


    It can¡¯t be a coincidence. He would¡¯ve been more careful with what he talked about if he wanted to keep what he said a secret. Therefore, it¡¯s only natural for me to think that Harold leaked that information on purpose.


    I can¡¯t read his true intentions, which only strengthens my reasons to doubt him.


    Thinking about it, maybe Harold wanted me to grow suspicious of him from the very beginning.


    Because it was that very suspicion that led me to eavesdrop on his discussion with Tasuku at that time.


    Perhaps even that information was released only because Harold intended to do so.


    The moment the words ¡°Star Aria Tribe¡± left his mouth, my entire world was shaken.


    At that moment, all of Harold¡¯s actions which I felt were suspicious until now, all became connected by a single line.


    He might¡¯ve known about my true birth and past. That of a half-breed who was abandoned soon after birth, someone whose life couldn¡¯t even considered ¡®humane¡¯ anymore¡­


    Harold cannot be measured with common sense, for if he could, I wouldn¡¯t be so surprised.


    What if he knew everything and led me here on purpose?


    (Maybe I should be grateful¡­)


    I can bear tears from how happy I am now. If I wasn¡¯t saved by the Sumeragi family all those years ago, it would¡¯ve been impossible for me to live like this.


    But there was still one thing I regretted when I left my previous life.


    Even if they didn¡¯t mean anything to me, even if it was for a job, I took the information of where the Star Aria Tribe lived and sold that info without hesitation to a man who would exploit them. I still have nightmares about it even now.


    As a result, the hidden village of the Tribe was destroyed.


    For selling out my home, I received a meager pay that was barely worth anything, and when I looked into what happened, I learned that many children and youth had died in what ensued.


    I am one of the worst human beings, I won¡¯t deny it. I have the consciousness to accept that much.


    After entering the Sumeragi Family, I went and visited orphanages whenever I had spare time, and began to provide support to help the lives of all the children there. It was one of the only ways a criminal such as myself could atone for what I did.


    But those thoughts didn¡¯t disappear. Selling myself as a beast only to serve others, I truly wondered what was the point of being alive¡­


    Then I heard the news of how the Knights and the Tribe were going to get caught up in a huge battle, and Harold¡¯s plan to stop it.


    This was something I never would¡¯ve found out unless I suspected him, and there¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve ignored this.


    I went straight to Tasuku afterward and asked him, begged him for permission to join the personnel that was to be dispatched. Erica, who knew about my past sent me off with mixed feelings since she knew the danger of the mission.


    ¡°Make sure you come back, okay?¡±


    Erica¡¯s words were so cheerful that it was hard for me to notice any difference from her usual behavior.


    This is the place I truly belong, I really felt it at that time.


    (Those two are surprisingly similar, aren¡¯t they?)


    I thought about such memorable things in a haze.


    Erica, who pushed me to come back alive.


    Harold, who ordered me not to die without his permission.


    I¡¯m so sorry that I can¡¯t follow through with your words.


    Erica will surely cry.


    I don¡¯t know how Harold will react though, maybe he¡¯ll just laugh it off sarcastically like usual? It almost felt natural, in a way.


    Perhaps Harold had grasped signs of this raid incident happening while he had his suspicions about me three years ago. I feel like that¡¯s the case.


    I was probably just moving in the palms of his hands, securing the foundation of them.


    At least I¡¯ll fulfill my role in them to the end. This is the only way for me to atone for my past.


    I held myself, doing my best to put power in my limbs as I glared at my opponent, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn¡¯t move my arm for some reason.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that rebellious look of yours? You don¡¯t seem to understand the situation.¡±


    Standing before me was a giant of a man, wrapped in gorgeous armor that was decorated with gold. An unnecessary decoration for the battlefield.


    The men standing around him were probably his subordinates.


    Opposing him was myself and one other member of the black clothed group. Everyone else was dead.


    This battle had grown into a hopeless situation.


    The giant approached while cracking his neck, and pulling a large sword from its sheath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have some hidden spell or something to stay that cocky, but with those hands of yours like that, it¡¯d be best for you to just give up resistance now and accept a quick death.¡±


    The giant, who until now overpowered us by using magic that we couldn¡¯t possibly cast, decided to use a much simpler and easier weapon for the finishing blow.


    There¡¯s no way for me to survive if I were to be slashed with that. Far from a flesh wound, I¡¯d be cleaved into pieces.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do that~ ¡­because I have a mission that I was told I had to fulfill until my last moments~¡±


    ¡°How admirable. Now return to dust.¡±


    And so the giant¡¯s sword descended on me at full force.


    But the attack never reached me. Right before it happened, someone got in between myself and the sword at a speed that almost felt like teleportation.


    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened, that I had just been protected. Stunned, his name unconsciously fell from my lips.


    ¡°Harold¡­ sama¡­¡±


    His timing was perfect, as a shield for the weak, this was truly the way heroes were supposed to be.

 Chapter 45

    (Yuno¡¯s POV)


    ¡°They keep springing up one after the other¡­¡±


    The words of the big man stopped, his gaze turning toward¡¯s Harold, or more precisely- his uniform.


    The Crimson military uniform he was wearing clearly belonged to the Sarian Imperial Army.


    ¡°Are you a Sarian soldier? Why stop me?¡±


    ¡°Ha~ If you really think that I¡¯m your ally in this kind of situation where I¡¯m obviously against you. Your brain must really be tiny in comparison to your gargantuan figure.¡±


    Harold¡¯s pre-emptive attack, ¡°foul-mouth¡± was released. At any rate, it was the same as usual, but it was only at times like these that it was actually reliable.


    The nose of the man he just laughed at flared.


    So as to not miss that opening he gave, Harold pushed him back from their conspicuous position and threw out an intense kick against the upper-half of his armour.


    Although it didn¡¯t look like he did much damage, the man who didn¡¯t expect such a kick retreated backwards while staggering.


    ¡°¡­did they die?¡±


    He asked me without turning his eyes away from his opponent. He probably saw their bodies on the ground as he ran here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re dead or alive, but they¡¯re seriously injured.¡±


    This was a dangerous place to stop and think, surrounded by enemies on every side, it doesn¡¯t look like we have a good chance of surviving here.


    Despite that, his response was insensitive no matter how you looked at it.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Three words, that was it.


    But there was a silent yet definite undertone mixed in there.


    He threw some recovery items towards me, this was the medicine we prepared for healing wounds and recovering magic power.


    ¡°Do you know healing magic? Heal as many people as you can, even if you have to use it all, and that guy over there isn¡¯t really dead, just give him a good slap.¡±


    ¡°¡­you really are something, aren¡¯t you~?¡±


    I took in Harold¡¯s figure while responding with an unusually light tone, surprising even myself.


    There were lacerations in some places, while some parts of the already deep red military uniform had been darkened and discoloured, blurred from his blood.


    They weren¡¯t light injuries, and yet, he still didn¡¯t intend to use the recovery items for himself.


    Silently moving behind the scenes, only expressing his true feelings in funny ways like this.


    ¡°I told you bastards that you weren¡¯t allowed to die without my permission, and I don¡¯t remember giving you permission.¡±


    Now that was a strict boss. There was probably no personnel in the world that would be able to satisfy him. Severely strict to all others, he was definitely the incarnation of a Spartan.


    ¡­and yet despite the situation we were in, I could feel a bitter smile growing on my face.


    ¡°Wake those guys up from their pitiful state already, or I¡¯ll crush them while they¡¯re on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Sure, right away¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say, but it¡¯s kinda hard for me to withdraw right now, you know?¡±


    Although the number of soldiers led by the general is light, they still have at least thirty people. It wouldn¡¯t be realistic to break through such an encasement with numerous injured people in tow.


    My conclusion can¡¯t be considered a mistake.


    However, that would only be the case if the exceptional existence known as Harold wasn¡¯t here.


    ¡°I never expected a bastard like you to do anything about them in the first place, I¡¯ll wipe out these annoying soldiers myself.¡±


    Harold just said something reckless.


    He just announced that he¡¯d take on over thirty enemies by himself. Not just me, but everyone here doubted their ears.


    ¡°As if you could do that, brat! Just try if you can!¡±


    Harold¡¯s exhilarating remark could¡¯ve only been seen as big words. Although he had hidden his face with a mask, it was easy to tell that Harold was only a boy from his voice and physique.


    A grown man cannot possibly lose to a single child.


    It was a legitimate allegation, a natural assumption, and a well-backed confidence.


    But at the same time, it was a lethal arrogance.


    ¡°Oh, I planned to do so.¡±


    From my point of view, it was as if Harold had just disappeared, but immediately afterward a dull, metallic sound rang throughout the forest.


    Harold¡¯s figure was still missing, but the ring of metal and the sounds of screams continued to echo out from different directions.


    He had grown a lot faster within the past few months.


    The trees had grown thick so visibility was bad, but even if that was taken into account, my eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with him at all.


    The soldiers who had surrounded me moments ago were now lying on the ground.


    While amazed at the marvel happening before me, I quickly snapped back into reality.


    Harold is using himself to open up a way and buy time, so I have to fulfill the role he gave me while I can.


    There were some who were cut with swords, shedding blood, and those who were burned by flames, skin scorched black. I turned my head away from their unsightly figures.


    While I still couldn¡¯t use my healing magic, I quickly started helping out two others by giving them first aid and making them drink the ether.


    The battle which should¡¯ve begun with an overwhelming advantage had begun to tilt in the other direction, making the frustrated general shout out,


    ¡°He¡¯s tough for a brat, so what?! Hurry up and get him already!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too fast! We can¡¯t keep up with hi-!¡±


    The soldier was blown away while in the middle of saying something. The armour at his side was smashed to pieces, and he himself had fainted while convulsing.


    It seems that even a sword can destroy armor if tempered well. The damage dealt to the insides of their bodies should be considerably high even though they weren¡¯t cut.


    One enemy soldier had cut down ten men in an instant. The situation that should¡¯ve been hopeless was taken care of in less than a minute.


    An enemy hero who bathed in darkness. Their enemy was the reaper or devil himself.


    With the war situation changing at an unbelievable pace, the enemy general moved as his paralysis wore off.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll burn him to ash! <>¡±


    There was a flurry of raging flames, and engulfed in those flames was Harold and a man who should¡¯ve been his ally.


    From somewhere I thought I heard someone say ¡°Eh?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t certain if he actually did that. The enemy soldier might¡¯ve said something, but it was all overshadowed by the whirl of flames. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t even alive anymore.


    The general had attacked Harold while harming his companions.


    ¡°¡­bastard, what did you just do?¡±


    Harold, who had avoided the Flame Burst surprise attack, asked the general as he landed a ways away.


    When I heard his voice, I felt as if my spine had been turned into ice.


    Far from passionate, it was low, heavy voice that was unbearably calm. To me, it sounded like the calm before the storm.


    ¡°He was an incompetent piece of trash who couldn¡¯t even catch you, is there any problem with killing those who can¡¯t even serve as decoys?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s reasonable, delivering judgment to the incompetent is totally fine, because there¡¯s nothing more troubling than having to watch over garbage.¡±


    Harold praised the man¡¯s inhumane actions. He unexpectedly agreed with the enemy general.


    However, contrary to his words, Harold¡¯s eyes looked down on his much larger opponent.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to denounce it, what you said is the truth, you bastard. I despise my own inferiority.¡±


    Harold, who was willing to risk his life to help a dying comrade.


    And the general, who killed an ally to get to his enemy.


    As the person standing above, the difference was clear.


    Harold, who looks at himself so disdainfully, must be disgusted with anywhere he looks, his patience exceeding its limits.


    ¡°It seems like you really want to die! Fine then! Imperial Army Major General, ¡®The Magician¡¯ swear on his name ¡®Ritzert¡¯, to cut you down!¡±


    ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t look like a magician with that figure of yours. Is that muscle you have there just for decoration? That¡¯s what those big swords you¡¯re carrying around are for, right? Well, it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re capable of using your head in battle much anyway.¡±


    At such a man ¨C Ritzert¡¯s fury was like a gust of wind., yet Harold still said such sharp things, albeit briefly. The tension in the air seemed to stretch, and after a brief moment of silence, the wind ruptured as their battle began.


    Ritzert was admired as a Major General. Adept with magic, there¡¯s no doubt that he earned the title with his skill.


    Could Harold really win against such an opponent? Such anxieties grew in my chest.


    If I had known about the outcome of this battle, I would¡¯ve stopped Harold by force.


    But there was no way for me to have known that.


    I could only sit there and watch, as the cruel fate Harold had chained himself to began to unfold.

 Chapter 46

    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    I had just received the slash that was meant for Yuno, somehow I was able to make it in time, but my relief was short lived after the figures of the black-clothed group entered my sight, all of them gravely injured.


    The scent of blood was in the air.


    It was obvious who was the cause of this disaster.


    The giant with the bad taste in armour who just tried to kill Yuno, and the Sarian Empire soldiers who were his men. They would be the reinforcements the messenger was telling me about.


    The moment I understood the situation, I felt my heart beat with a ¡®thump¡¯. Not from fear or anxiety, it was something else¡­


    It felt as if all the blood in my body was boiling over. An intense anger that surged up from the deepest parts of my very being.


    My mouth spouted out some foul words as usual, but my mind didn¡¯t have the intention to stop it at all.


    It was impossible for me to act rationally at this point. Save Yuno. Annihilate the enemies in front of me. I couldn¡¯t think straight.


    When my anger towards Ritzert had reached it¡¯s climax was the moment I felt him appear. ¡®Kill him¡¯ thoughts like that flooded into my mind like a tidal wave, I was overcome with a sudden lust for bloodshed.


    I thought that it felt abnormal, but this was just how I supposed to be¡­ wasn¡¯t it?


    How could I not give in? It was unbearable, holding these feelings inside me, they had to get out.


    I threw out another provocation, I decided it would be better to just defeat Ritzelt in a duel.


    Although I wanted to beat him, wasn¡¯t I using a bit too much strength? I could feel the blood rushing to my head.


    A flurry of flames shot towards me. I jumped out of the way to avoid a direct hit, only for spears of ice to come flying towards the place I landed at.


    But easily I swept them off with my sword.


    He had a fast magic invocation speed. One after another spells were launched towards me without leaving an interval. Each spell¡¯s accuracy and power first class.


    It looks like his title of ¡®The Magician¡¯ wasn¡¯t a lie.


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure I could cope with it with my sword skill, but I was still able to avoid his magic with evasive maneuvers. It was probably due to the distance, but conversely, that meant that I couldn¡¯t narrow the gap if I wanted to.


    I did have a way of stopping his ¡®tricks¡¯, but even so, it¡¯d be useless if I couldn¡¯t even advance a step.


    I had tried jumping straight towards his chest before, but Ritzert intercepted my charge with magic. It¡¯s only natural to assume that something similar would occur if I tried again.


    So what if I restricted his actions with magic?


    Changing my strategy, I switched to attack magic, but it was useless. My opponent was more familiar with magic than I was.


    But I had to make use of what I had.


    Neither of us were able to land any fatal attacks.


    We were just repeating moves over and over again. The thing was, I was specialized in close quarters combat, which meant I needed a moment to close the gap to Ritzert, who was a magician.


    Moreover, I was already fatigued and injured from the previous battles, while he was in almost perfect condition.


    It was obvious who was at the disadvantage here.


    And that wasn¡¯t even everything, I still had one more thing holding me back.


    Ritzert unexpectedly lowered his hand, releasing the magical power he gathered there as he gazed at me in disgust.


    ¡°Did you choose to fight me despite the obvious result? You can not win against me.¡±


    ¡°By all means, keep sputtering fatass1, and I¡¯ll slit that neck of yours.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t understand the situation you¡¯re in? But I guess that¡¯s what makes you brat.¡±


    An ugly smile broke out on his face, and I felt a chill run up my spine.


    Ritzert released a rain of icicles towards me, but I wasn¡¯t his only target, they were sent flying towards Yuno as well, who was still treating her colleagues.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Cursing, I swept off the icicles while releasing the spell <>, and for those that still got through, I destroyed by swinging my sword at high speeds.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough, I couldn¡¯t block them all.


    Fresh blood splattered onto Yuno¡¯s face.


    Her expression twisted in shock as her face was dyed vermillion. After confirming that she wasn¡¯t hurt, I pulled an icicle out of my right shoulder.


    I lost a lot of blood.


    Intense pain ran through my arm, I wouldn¡¯t do this normally.


    But the blazing anger I could feel burning throughout my body made it hard for me to think straight.


    Ritzert. That guy, kill him.


    That thought, I couldn¡¯t get it out of my head.


    Maybe this was how he would¡¯ve answered¡­


    (That¡¯s right¡­ you¡¯ve been with me since the beginning, haven¡¯t you, Harold?)


    I had lost a lot of blood, so it was amazing that I could still think as clearly as I was.


    Ever since the moment I first entered this world, all those times my body moved without thinking, all those times my mouth said things I didn¡¯t mean to say¡­


    (That was you, wasn¡¯t it?)


    Its no wonder my mouth was so foul. I always found it weird how I was able to reproduce the movements from the game so easily.


    For better or for worse, I was being influenced by the will of the original Harold. Maybe this is why the mediocre existence known as Hirasawa Kazuki2 could adapt to this world so easily.


    So what will happen to the consciousness that¡¯s in control right now? Will I be swallowed up by the original Harold, or will my personality overwrite his? Or will a new persona be born from our two identities mixing together?


    (I don¡¯t know about such things, and I don¡¯t care.)


    I don¡¯t have the time to think about things I don¡¯t know about. There¡¯s not even any proof that this hypothesis of mine is correct.


    However, if Harold truly is still alive within myself-


    (Harold Stokes, lend me your strength! You¡¯re the reason why your body is hurt now, your plan didn¡¯t go the way you wanted it to, and it¡¯s all that guy¡¯s fault!)


    That is Harold Stokes. A selfish, arrogant, piece of trash bastard you could find anywhere.


    Someone like that would never forgive someone else for saying this even if they were in the wrong. His pride was hurt, so Harold won¡¯t give up until Ritzert is dead.


    ¡°Oh? Have you given up? It¡¯s only natural that this result would come to be, but you¡¯re only a brat, so how about this? If you apologize and swear allegiance to me, I might forgive you.¡±


    Was he so convinced of victory to make such a proposal? Even if the situation wasn¡¯t the way it was now, there¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯d accept that offer.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather choose death than become your subordinate, I follow no one.¡±


    ¡°¡­so you were a foolish brat after all.¡±


    My vision was blurry, and I couldn¡¯t steady my breathing. I was bound to collapse if I kept pushing my body the way I was now.


    I have no choice but to settle this with the next attack.


    Behind me more and more people were starting to get up after having received healing magic.


    ¡°Get out of here already, you bastards, you¡¯re nothing more than obstacles in my way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself, Tasuku will be troubled if your identities were to be found out.¡±


    Yuno was silent for some reason. Perhaps she was weighing which was more important between myself and the Sumeragi family.


    Isn¡¯t that stupid? There was absolutely no comparison between the two.


    ¡°¡­understood, but please, at least accept this.¡±


    Yuno accepted with a bitter face, but before leaving, she used what was left of her magical power to cast healing magic on me. I think I heard her mutter something like ¡°I so sorry Erika-sama, but¡­¡±


    To be sorry for healing my wounds, she was probably apologising to Erika because this action was the equivalent to ¡®abandoning¡¯ me.


    She must¡¯ve really hated me for making that order.


    Well, it¡¯s fine. That¡¯s just what it means to be Harold Stokes.


    (¡­that¡¯s why, I beg of you. Harold, ¡®you¡¯, please lend me your strength!)


    Even with all the training that I¡¯ve done until now, my success rate of doing this was less than twenty percent. It wasn¡¯t something ready to be used in an actual battle.


    Still, it¡¯s the only skill I have that even has a chance of beating Ritzert.


    My body felt lighter, it was if the healing magic that Yuno cast on me was pushing me on from behind.


    I¡¯d rather not die, but if I lose to Ritzert and meet my end, I¡¯m sorry.


    I started running, ignoring the blood that was violently flowing from my wound.


    I didn¡¯t know how this charge would end, but even so, I couldn¡¯t stop now! While receiving Ritzert¡¯s cold gaze from the front, I continued to push forward.


    Magic was released to intercept me. Jump forward! Jump over! Icicles descended in the places I just was moments before.


    And in the middle of the jump, icicles were shot at me for the nth time, in a position where I couldn¡¯t dodge them.


    That is, ¡®if I couldn¡¯t move in mid-air.¡¯


    I had seen it many times in the game. I had even used this technique many times with my own character.


    Imagine an invisible scaffold in the middle of the sky.


    My body leaned forward unnaturally in the air, in a direction that was impossible to achieve. Ritzert¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t seeing things. I had kicked off of nothing.


    I passed through his raid of icicles, accelerated by the kick. And once I was clear, I kicked off of nothing and pushed forward yet again.


    <>


    Exactly like it was named, it was a technique that allowed one to accelerate while in mid-air. It allowed you to run in the sky, and was an indispensible skill needed to connect combos.


    If you made a mistake in the timing of its usage, you¡¯d just run straight into the enemy¡¯s attack, but if used correctly it could be used for combos as well as evasion.


    And in Harold Stoke¡¯s battle style, it was an absolutely indispensable technique.


    Changing the direction I was traveling by pushing down on my foot at top speed, my bones started raising squeaking sounds in complaint, while my muscles made loud ripping sounds as if they were about to break.


    I clenched my teeth, raising my voice while also trying to muffle it, enduring the load that just attacked my whole body.


    An irregular multi-chained acceleration in mid-air. I don¡¯t think that even Ritzert, who had experienced multiple battlefields in the past, had ever seen anything as spectacular as this.


    Faster than it was even possible to react to.


    I flew behind him before he could even blink.


    Ritzert tried to turn around, but it was too late. I had my sword in mid-swing while I was accelerating.


    His right arm was sent flying, leaving only a fresh feeling resounding within my hand.


    By cutting through his armour, I lowered my sword, but by using my foot as a pivot, I used the leftover momentum from the dash to throw out a roundhouse kick and send him flying.


    But I wasn¡¯t done yet.


    Sword raised, towards the him who was suspended in mid-air, I let out a <> from only a few meters away. A distance which was then instantly covered with another <>.


    From there I slashed, I punched, and I kicked. Again, and again, until I was finished.


    Ritzert¡¯s brilliant armour was a shadow of its former self. It was dented, covered with dirt, and stained with blood. While the person wearing it himself was in a condition worse than the armour.


    Ten seconds. In that miniscule amount of time, fifty attacks were made.


    Ritzert was launched to a height so high by then you could already call it the sky, and from a position higher than even that, there I was, descending faster than a large bird of prey, while I slashed down on his abdomen with all my might.


    ¡°Farewell.¡±


    Something similar to a crumbling sound resounded out, and Ritzert fell. I, right behind it.


    The moment he crashed, a dull sound rang out, while I landed next to him.


    It was silent. I could only hear a harsh breath that I couldn¡¯t recognize as my own breathing.


    That¡¯s when I saw Ritzert¡¯s fingertip lifting up in the corner of my sight.


    He was still breathing after that attack. He was tougher than I thought, it looks like those muscles of his weren¡¯t just for show after all.


    But he was still alive. I didn¡¯t kill him, I had to finish the job.


    With my consciousness in a haze, I put strength into my sword arm to strike Ritzert. All I had to do was pierce his neck.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Harold¡­?¡±


    It was a familiar voice. It was the voice of the person that I was trying to save.


    Looking back, Robinson, Sid and Irene were standing there in shock. If I looked closely, Cody was there too.


    Everything I did payed off. They were safe, the moment I confirmed that, my body just seemed to¡­ give in.


    But how did they know it was me? The mask that was hanging from my ear fell off as if to answer my question.


    (Oh¡­ in the midst of the fight it came loose¡­ so that¡¯s why¡­)


    I wonder what they thought of this situation.


    Wearing the military uniform of the Sarian Empire, wounded all over, and there¡¯s also the fact that I acted alone in the middle of the battle between the Order and the Tribe.


    What did such a figure convey to them?


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing¡­?¡±


    Cody asked, uncharacteristically unsettled, but I was too tired to say anything but the truth.


    ¡°¡­this person is a Major General of the Sarian Empire, Ritzert¡­ This raid is the work of the Empire¡­ they needed to capture members of the Star Aria Tribe¡­ and the mastermind is-¡±


    I reached my limit. My consciousness was gone, I wasn¡¯t able to kill Ritzert, and I crumbled on the spot like a doll with its strings cut.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (3rd Person POV)


    Inside a room, in a research facility room full of gowns and equipment that released heavy noises. There was a man sitting there while reading a report full of intrigue.


    His long gray hair had already grown to his back without being particularly groomed, while his cheeks were so thin they gave off an unhealthy impression. His skin was so pale you¡¯d think that he had never been outside before, and unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look like he had received a decent amount of sleep. The bags under his eyes easily stood out among the rest of his unhealthy complexion.


    Appearance wise he was a man living a very unhealthy lifestyle, but his face was distorted pleasantly.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ so this mission was a failure? Though, I did secure enough samples, I¡¯m more concerned about that boy¡­¡±


    The possibility of failure was supposed to be almost zero, but there were uncertainties in the world.


    No matter how much you increase your chances, you will never reach a hundred percent.


    So the fact that it failed, wasn¡¯t a big problem in itself.


    But why did it fail?


    It was because this time there was an irregular he didn¡¯t account for. Harold Stokes, a thirteen-year-old little boy.


    The youngest to ever join the Order in history. Who was desperate to break military laws on his very first mission. And when everybody thought he disappeared, there he was, dressed in the military uniform of the Sarian Empire.


    It couldn¡¯t have been betrayal or a mere espionage mission. They discovered detained Imperial soldiers when they found him, even a person of the Major class.


    Harold¡¯s aims were unclear, but it was obvious that he was aware of the attack on the knights in advance.


    He thought that the possibility of being compromised was low, but Harold was still able to get this information from somewhere.


    It was even fairly accurate, just what sort of information network did he have?


    ¡°¡­you truly are an interesting boy, Harold. I wonder, are you going to become my strength, or will you stand in my way?¡±


    He burst into a laughter that filled the halls, a quiet but insane smile creeping up his face.


    Then, as if to interrupt my laugh, the door was knocked.


    ¡°Director, its time.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll leave right away.¡±


    As if a mask had just been put on, his facial expression changed to expressionless in an instant. All his liveliness from before, gone.


    But who knows what was reflected in the eyes of his assistant, who was used to seeing him.


    ¡°Did something good happen? The Director of today seems to be more cheerful than usual.¡±


    ¡°¡­well, I seem to have found an interesting test subject.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but we¡¯re almost at the end of our current research project, so make sure not to push yourself, okay Director Justus? ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know.¡±


    Justus Freund seemed to be looking at someplace far away as the lights in his eyes faded.

 Chapter 47

    (Erika¡¯s POV)


    Many of those who had returned from the mission were injured. Some of them needed long-term care, but it could be said that they were fortunate none of them died.


    And all of them said that Harold was the reason why they were still alive.


    Yuno said that in order to buy time for their escape, Harold had challenged the Imperial Army¡¯s Major General to a duel despite being wounded all over. Once I was told so, I was suddenly driven by the urge to visit Harold as soon as possible.


    I wanted to see him with my own eyes, I wanted to convey to him my gratitude.


    But Harold doesn¡¯t want such things, he¡¯d only see it as a bother.


    Still, I wanted to at least convey the gratitude I had towards him for saving the people of the Household, including Yuno, himself.


    However, I wasn¡¯t allowed to follow through with those actions immediately.


    Only those who were at the scene at the time knew how severely Harold had been injured. It wasn¡¯t impossible for me to visit Harold myself, but first I had to wait for the Knights to return to the Royal Capital.


    If I went and visited the expedition group myself, I¡¯d only cause problems.


    So that¡¯s why I headed to the Capital ahead of them and decided to wait for Harold¡¯s return.


    That was the decision I made when I arrived at the Capital a month ago, but from the time that The Knight¡¯s finished their expedition and returned, two weeks had already passed.


    ¡°¡­am I not allowed to see him today either?¡±


    I could feel my face twisting into a pained expression.


    Yuno was stood beside me, her soft smile was the same as always, but there seemed to be a shadow over it. Although she returned as my handmaiden due to not having been injured too badly, she wasn¡¯t the same, our master-retainer relationship was filled with a discouraged feeling.


    On the day the information of the Knight¡¯s return from the expedition became public, I tried to set up a meeting with Harold at their headquarters, but was denied entry. I¡¯ve been visiting them every day since to no avail. He seemed to be alive at least, or else why would they interfere for this long?


    Although I¡¯m relieved to know that, the time where I¡¯m not allowed to see him without a good reason only stretches longer and longer.


    During the expedition, Harold was said to have been donning the military uniform of the Sarian Empire. I suspected that the fact that he was found like that became a bug issue within the Order, developing into a troublesome problem.


    Because if Harold who was supposed to be a knight of the Kingdom was indeed wearing the military uniform of the empire, it was inevitable for them to doubt him.


    Perhaps it was taking a long time to prove his innocence.


    While thinking about what hardships Harold was going through, I went and visited the Order¡¯s Headquarters again today.


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re here again?¡±


    After seeing Yuno and me, the soldiers at the gate made tired faces.


    Every day for two weeks straight, I¡¯ve been begging them to let me see Harold, and although I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve pestered them for that long, it¡¯d probably still be tiring to deal with.


    I¡¯m sorry for having to put you through this again, but I have to,


    ¡°Good day Lowry-san, would it be possible for me to see Harold-sama today?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Just like what I said last time, he¡¯s not allowed any visitors.¡±


    Today is also no-good.


    It would be inconvenient if I stayed here any longer. After all, Lowry is just doing his job.


    But as I was turning around to leave, a man called out to me from the side.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? Is there something wrong?¡±


    The man who had gotten all of our attention when he walked in had a facial expression on that could only be described as giddy.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just Cody, what¡¯re you here for?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought I saw Lawry-kun bullying an innocent little girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I have done no such thing!¡±


    ¡°Joking~ Joking~¡±


    The man named Cody broke out in laughter.


    After seeing such an interaction, it was probably safe to say he was Harold¡¯s superior officer. A man whose very being could be described as ¡®loose¡¯, from his expressions and clothes to his warm atmosphere.


    Even if she had had her face hidden at the time, Yuno still had contact with him before, but luckily there¡¯s no indication that he¡¯s noticed. Despite this, Yuno decided to play it safe and not talk in front of him, just to make sure.


    As I thought about such things, Cody turned towards me while ending his conversation with Lowrey.


    What he said next was unexpected.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Cody said so while pointing at the Order¡¯s Headquarters. In other words, he was saying it was okay to enter.


    ¡°Hey, Cody!¡±


    ¡°Is it really okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! I mean, you¡¯re Harold-kun¡¯s fianc¨¦e, right?¡±


    ¡°On paper, yes, that¡¯s how our relationship is. How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°I know because I¡¯m actually Harold-kun¡¯s boss, and he always boasted about how proud he was of yo-¡±


    ¡°Please excuse me for interrupting, but that¡¯s a lie, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ um, yeah.¡±


    I cut-off his explanation mid-way, but I didn¡¯t feel bad, I knew that Harold wouldn¡¯t say such things.


    Cody, whose words had been obstructed, obediently admitted his lie.


    ¡°Well, the fact that I¡¯m his boss is true, so is there anything you want to know? If I can answer you, I will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it, Cody-sama.¡±


    I already knew, so I didn¡¯t have to worry if he was lying or not. Lawry seemed to decide that it¡¯d be best if he just pretended to not be affiliated with us, ¡°If something happens, take responsibility for it yourself.¡±


    After this Yuno and I were taken by Cody to a reception room used for visitors. He said that we should wait here while he prepared some tea, quickly leaving us alone.


    Barely after I sat down on a chair, there was a knock on the door, was he back already?


    But before I could answer it, the voice of someone I wasn¡¯t expecting came out.


    ¡°I¡¯m entering.¡±


    The moment the owner of the voice saw me, he quickly grew stiff from shock. It seems that despite his usual calm facade, he does have times when he can be surprised and show more emotions.


    ¡°I heard that you were hurt, but it looks like you¡¯re fine, Harold-sama.¡±


    ¡°Haa~ Really?¡±


    Sarcastic remarks came flying the moment he recovered from his rigidness. Same as usual.


    Though he seems to be a lot healthier than when I exchanged words with him last time in the Sumeragi Household.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am, now what do you want?¡±


    Harold was now face-to-face with me. This wasn¡¯t good, but I couldn¡¯t just turn away from him!


    I revised my posture and dropped the tone of my voice to make sure nobody could listen in from outside.


    ¡°You safety has now been confirmed, I thank you for your assistance on this matter.¡±


    I sent my line of sight towards Yuno who was at my side. Picking up on that she smiled and bowed her head in thanks.


    Thankfully, Harold seems to have planned for everything.


    ¡°Unnecessary¡­¡±


    ¡°I apologise, although I was aware of how inconvenient this would be for you, I just wanted to see you and confirm it myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Harold was silent.


    All of my worries and gratitude were just to fulfil my selfishness. Harold didn¡¯t have any obligation to receive it, and I don¡¯t think he will.


    But it¡¯s fine. Just being able to see Harold¡¯s healthy state was enough of a reason to visit the Royal Capital.


    It¡¯s true that I don¡¯t want to bother Harold, but my feelings are my first priority. So as to satisfy my desires, I made him explain everything to me, even though I didn¡¯t really care about what happened. The very fact that he was having a conversation with me put me on cloud-nine.


    On the other hand, I felt depressed at how immature of a person I was since I¡¯d never be able to support Harold like this.


    ¡°Is that everything you wanted to talk about?¡±


    ¡°N-no I¡­ nevermind.¡±


    I tried to stop Harold, who was already standing up to leave, but caught myself. I didn¡¯t have any more words to say to him.


    That¡¯s just how it was.


    I answered facing downwards, my gaze still locked onto Harold. I¡¯ve always been chasing it, but his back constantly seemed to be out of my reach.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s finish this already. I won¡¯t be able to act freely as long as you¡¯re here, bastard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting us use up your valuable time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me if you understand, and next time try not to get involved with that stupid man.¡±


    ¡°Of course, next time I¡¯ll¡­ huh?¡±


    Next time? Does that mean he expects me to come and visit again?


    Then why? Why did he keep me away this past while?


    He only said two words, but I couldn¡¯t think straight anymore, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯d very happy if I just started spouting out questions.


    Whether he was aware of my feelings or not, what he did next blew away all my expectations.


    As if it were a passing whim, Harold put his hand on top of my head. He didn¡¯t stroke it or anything like that, it was more like he just placed it on my head with a light pop.


    His hand, which I had just felt for the first time, was very warm.


    ¡°That scolding of yours from before was somewhat helpful, so I¡¯ll commend you this once¡­ Erika.¡±


    That request I made to Harold back in the mansion, asking him to rely on someone. That desire I wanted for him.


    I wonder if my feelings had supported him back then, even if it was only a little.


    Without minding the me who was still too stunned for words, Harold left the reception room. I came to my senses once I heard the door close with a bang.


    ¡°¡­just now, he said my name?!¡±


    Once that realisation dawned on me, I felt like my heart was going to explode. My body temperature rose to the extent that I swore I could feel steam coming out of my ears.


    Harold had touched me with his hand. He touched me of his own accord.


    He called me by my name for the first time. Not ¡®you¡¯, or ¡®bastard¡¯, but Erika.


    I held my mouth with my hands, crouching down on the spot to hide my face.


    There was no way I could show this face of mine to Yuno, who was like an older sister to me. This face of mine that was dyed redder than the sunset, with tears of joy travelling down its cheek.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    ¡°Wanting to talk more just because you haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time. Don¡¯t you know guys who move too quickly are hated?¡±


    The one speaking was Cody, the mastermind who had led me to the room Erika was waiting in before running away.


    Like hell I needed him to do that!


    Mentally, I was the same age as Cody, but physically I was still a child. There wasn¡¯t much I could do against such an opponent.


    When I threw a kick upwards towards his crotch, he was regrettably able to prevent it before it landed.


    ¡°Bastard, that¡¯s your idea of helping me? Don¡¯t do unnecessary things.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have let her in normally, you know? For the past two weeks, she¡¯s been requesting a meeting with you at the front gate every day, we couldn¡¯t just leave her.¡±


    Two weeks had passed since the expedition troops had returned home. Although it was safe to say it was all over, it only truly hit home after Erika visited to say her thanks.


    If more people in the world were like Erika, then the world would surely be filled with compassion.


    Although the probability of my death would also spike along with it.


    ¡°Leaving sweet Erika-chan all alone like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up already. In the first place I¡¯m supposed to be in house arrest, I shouldn¡¯t have been able to meet her.¡±


    ¡°Usually you are, but today¡¯s the day your verdict is decided.¡±


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t hear about any of this.¡±


    ¡°Of course, because I only told you right now-¡±


    This time I threw out a high kick to his face, but this one was blocked as well.


    I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°Tell me about such things sooner, idiot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. I properly explained everything at the conference room, about how you successfully defeated the Empire¡¯s army alone, drastically reducing the number of casualties among the Order as a result.¡±


    Instead of a punishment, won¡¯t you be receiving a reward? Cody cheerfully added.


    But in reality, I could only see that as a flag statement.


    (Idiot, don¡¯t start planting flags right after I worked so hard to avoid one.)


    At that moment when I retorted in my head, I had received my flag in a record time.


    A voice called out to me from behind.


    ¡°Hey, kid!¡±


    ¡­bastard, who¡¯re you?


    ¡°I¡¯m the representative from the conference room, and you¡¯re Harold Stokes, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I was told that you were under arrest.¡±


    ¡°This was only temporary, I¡¯ll be returning immediately.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s no longer necessary.¡±


    The man from the conference room told me to wait where I was.


    He then took out a parchment from a cylinder container that had a string hanging from its bottom. Opening it up so that I could easily see it, he read out its contents.


    A desperate situation was written there.


    ¡ºHarold Stokes, the aforementioned is sentenced to execution by beheading. On suspicions of being a foreign spy, and for withholding information on the Imperial¡¯s raid, you shall be punished as a traitor as one who let down the lives of those who could have been saved.¡»


    ¡°This is the official decision of the conference room. The punishment shall be carried out one week from now, and until then you shall be detained in the prison held beneath the conference room.¡±


    After overcoming the biggest crisis I had ever experienced, an oversized death flag was waiting for me.

 Chapter 48

    Located in the northwest of the Ribel Kingdom there is a by no means large town called Attis. Although not quite a rural village, it has lush greenery and in one sweep of the eye one can see a lake spread out before a mountain range several thousand meters tall in all its beauty in the refreshing sun.


    In that Attis, there is a small restaurant in the corner of the town. A little past noon, during a time that where customers are sparse, a lone girl raises her voice bitterly.


    ¡°Aah, Why can¡¯t I pass!?¡±


    Sitting at the counter, although not quite drunk she kept repeating the same complaint.


    Maybe because he couldn¡¯t overlook her, the owner called out to the girl.


    ¡°You seem pretty mad, Jou-chan.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m mad! Even though I came all this way, how could it be blocked off right before my eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°Blocked off?¡±


    ¡°I want to go there.¡±


    The girl points outside the window at the symbol of the mountain range, Mount Giran and answers.


    The shop owner reacts almost too surprised to that answer.


    ¡°Eeh!? Jou-chan, you plan on entering Mount Giran?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Give up! I don¡¯t know what your objective is but there are a lot of monsters in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a restriction to entering the mountain. For that reason I hired those guys to come with me¡­!¡±


    As she remembered, her anger returned.


    Mount Giran exceeds 4000 meters with the last 1000 meters is always covered in snow; it¡¯s the largest mountain in the Ribel Kingdom. Adding onto just the difficulty of climbing it, the snowy mountain is dominated by powerful monsters.


    That¡¯s why she hired 5 mercenaries to act as her guards. It seemed favorable until they arrived at Attis, but when she told them they were climbing Mount Giran they scattered in all directions.


    Just that proves how dangerous it was, but she couldn¡¯t accept it. She paid half up-front but the journey didn¡¯t have many perils so she couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was ripped off.


    At any rate, for various reasons the girl ¡ª Lifa was angry.


    ¡°The capable people in this town also turned me down¡­¡±


    With no spirit Lifa spits out the words as if they were poison. Seeing that a bitter smile appears on the shop owner¡¯s face. Because they live in Attis they all deeply understand the dangers of Mount Giran.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. You need permission from the Knight Order to climb Mount Giran anyway.¡±


    TL Note: I believe the Knight Order is the Chivalric Order from the previous translation but I¡¯m not sure so I¡¯ll leave it as is.


    The ones that give permission to enter the mountains is the Knight Order that are currently blockading the mountain range. They won¡¯t give out permissions to someone with superficial strength.


    For that reason Lifa hired mercenaries, but since they ran away the problem is she can¡¯t receive permission.


    Coming all this way and not being able to do anything.


    ¡°Is there anyway I can enter~¡­¡±


    Rifa fell down on the counter table.


    When she did that, the bell for the shops entrance rang as it opened.


    Then a little after it opened surprise spread in the shop.


    Sensing the disturbance Rifa turns around.


    The first impression is black. A young man who¡¯s atmosphere was filled with indifference stood there. Looking at all the customers with distant eyes he mumbled something to himself. It couldn¡¯t be described as a good atmosphere.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Being caught by the surrounding customers tension Rifa asks the shop owner in a small voice. But the answer came from a different place.


    ¡°He¡¯s Harold Stokes. He carries the nickname ¡®Knight Killer¡¯ and is the country¡¯s strongest swordsman. Before he was called ¡®Bad Boy Harold¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ And, you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a humble traveler.¡±


    Sporting grey hair and honey color eyes with an androgynous face and voice. The traveler had a large inflated yellow hat that stood out.


    Although the traveler seemed to about Rifa¡¯s age she could not tell if the traveler was a boy or a girl.


    ¡°Before that, Harold Stokes is quite an infamous name. Do you not know it?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately his infamy hasn¡¯t reached where I¡¯m from.¡±


    More accurately, Rifa was a bit of an eccentric and was isolated in her hometown so learning something by hearsay is completely impossible.


    She hungrily pursues her own interests, but anything else is shutout. It¡¯s her first time hearing about someone with the dangerous nickname of ¡®Knight Killer¡¯.


    But for Rifa that kind of thing didn¡¯t matter. The important matter was the next point.


    ¡°You said he was the strongest swordsman in the country. Is that strong?¡±


    ¡°Of course. To the degree that he could take on the several tens of the elites of the Knight Order and come out unharmed. His strength could be said to be near the current head of the Knight Order, Vincent.¡±


    TL Note: It is the same order looks like but I¡¯m too lazy to change it. So it will now be Knight Order!


    ¡°So he¡¯s in the strongest class of humans then.¡±


    Rifa¡¯s pupils glittered suspiciously.


    If he¡¯s that strong then he could probably get permission to go to Mount Giran.


    ¡°Oi oi, Jou-chan, it can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Seeing through her intentions the owner tried to stop her but his voice fell on deaf ears.


    Standing up with vigor she quickly walked until she was standing in front of Harold.


    The 140 cm tall Rifa looks up at the 180 cm tall Harold. However there wasn¡¯t a speck of hesitation in Rifa.


    ¡°Got a minute?¡±


    ¡°¡­Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Rifa. You¡¯re Harold right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Harold doesn¡¯t confirm or deny. Just silence.


    But his face warps in distaste. From the previous talks it seems he¡¯s famous, but it looks like he doesn¡¯t like that.


    Feeling that Rifa continues the conversation.


    ¡°I have a request that suits your capabilities. Of course there will be a reward.¡±


    ¡°Request, is it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I want you to climb Mount Giran with me as my guard!¡±


    ?


    Walnut colored hair done up in braids. A blouse with red as its base, a miniskirt with a check pattern, and knee-high socks; a set of clothing full of cleverness. Above all, her characteristic white robe that went down to her knees.


    Rifa Goodridge.


    Harold encountered the self-styled genius inventor that could be said to be the head of the loli department in the hero¡¯s party. Moreover she asked him to be her guard.


    (I just wanted to get some food, how¡¯d it become this¡­)


    Rifa isn¡¯t from Attis but rather Weiss village. Harold isn¡¯t sure why she¡¯s here but since he¡¯s in the middle of a job he has no obligation to listen to her request.


    He doesn¡¯t but strangely their destination is the same Mount Giran.


    Although they¡¯re only separated by 3 years he looked down at Rifa who had a height difference with him that was closer to a child and an adult.


    With a confidence that didn¡¯t match her stature she gazed back at Harold. From the top of her head 2 antennae-like strands of hair stood up proudly.


    ¡°A little brat like you wants to climb a mountain? Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡±


    TL Note: Although ¡®kisama¡¯ is normally translated as bastard I think it sounds a bit awkward calling girls that. The literal translation of kisama is just a very rude way to say you, so I¡¯m going to take some liberties.


    ¡°Even though I look like this I¡¯m 15 years old!¡±


    I knew that. Compared to her age, including her height, various parts haven¡¯t grown well but it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s around 15 years old.


    That was the setting of her profile, too.


    ¡°In the first place what¡¯s your objective? That mountain doesn¡¯t have anything like toys or amusement parks.¡±


    ¡°I want to get data on the body of a Hydra. If possible a sample too.¡±


    On Rifa¡¯s words, not only Harold but everyone in the store lost their words.


    The Hydra is Mount Giran¡¯s chief. In short it¡¯s a boss monster. Mercenaries and knights would only be lambs to the slaughter at most.


    In the game if the party fought it around level 20 they¡¯d probably win. But that¡¯s only assuming they challenge it in a group. For Rifa to challenge it alone there¡¯s the danger of her dying.


    In the first place just getting to the Hydra alone is dubious. The encounter rate of monsters in Mount Giran was high.


    Considering that it was the right choice to ask Harold to be her guard.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any obligation to listen to your stupid request?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you. I¡¯ll ask others.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think such a suicidal guy can be found easily though.¡±


    ¡°¡­a month or half a year, I¡¯ll keep at it. I have a reason to go that far.¡±


    He could feel her obstinacy. If Harold refused she¡¯d probably keep looking for months like she said.


    But that¡¯s where the problem is. It¡¯s just before the start of the original work.


    Originally if Rifa who met Liner¡¯s group at Weiss village wasn¡¯t there, the original work¡¯s party was in danger of being very different. In the game, when she joined the party the ¡®compound¡¯ command became available.


    If handled poorly they might not be able to make items and weapons. At the worst they won¡¯t be able to obstruct the miasma breaking out in the Sumeragi territory or stop Justus¡¯ plans.


    Her magic and scientific knowledge were important to the continuation of the story as well.


    In short if Rifa is stuck at Attis the situation wouldn¡¯t be very good.


    Then it¡¯s better if he did his job along with taking the request and quickly send her back.


    ¡°¡­Fine. If you¡¯ll take my conditions I¡¯ll lend my power.¡±


    ¡°Eh, really!? Yatta-!¡±


    Without even hearing his conditions Rifa wholeheartedly celebrates. Looking at the girl in front of him he was definitely going to be dropped into a dangerous situation, thought Harold as he sighed.


    Then before the conversation could be settled an interruption came.


    ¡°What an interesting conversation.¡±


    A voice, like Rifa¡¯s, that Harold was used to hearing from the game.


    A casket cap and yellow overalls. Inside those clothes wearing nothing but a cotton wrap around the chest. And a packed shawl bag resting on the shoulder.


    A 15-16 year old boy or girl that could be said to be beautiful for either gender stood there while smiling.


    ¡°If it¡¯s alright, I hope I can come along too.¡±


    Before he knew it standing next to him was the information broker Giffelt who asked without breaking a smile.

 Chapter 49

    My death Flags show no Sign of Ending: 49


    Mountain Part Lifa POV


    It is the next day after my meeting Harold. I am standing in front of the mountain gate that is managed by the order.  Naturally, Harold and the other person, whose gender I cannot tell and whose name is Elle, are coming. Harold always walks three steps in front of me. We are stopped by a knight, and only after Harold takes out a piece of paper from his chest does the knight change his look. These knights seem to know Harold quite well, as even I can feel the hostility they are directing at Harold. I do not know what the paper Harold had given them was, but they do not stop us anymore after seeing it.


    Harold does not care for the knights that are giving him hostility, and goes up the mountain as if he already knows the way to the top. While I watch his back, a question pops into my head: why was he hated so much by the knights? From what I heard in the cafeteria and Elle¡¯s story, he is nicknamed the ¡°Knight Killer¡±.


    The reason I have to go up the Mountain is to obtain data on the dragon named Hydra. But now my interest in this person named Harold has sprouted greatly. I am not the type of person who can keep her mouth shut when she does not understand something. I ask him directly while we climb the snow mountains together.


    ¡°Hey Harold, why do they call you the ¡®Knight Killer¡¯?¡± (Lifa)


    ¡°I had nothing to do with it; it was a name those idiots put on me on their own.¡±(Harold)


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of the event of five years ago?¡±(Elle)


    Elle randomly comes into the conversation; it seems to me that she knows about Harold¡¯s past. Harold gives she a cold stare as if trying to tell her to shut up. It is an overwhelming pressure, and I feel every fiber of my body screaming at the amount pressure he gives off. This is called true bloodlust.


    But Harold does not utter any words.


    A roaring voice comes from behind the trees, and white wolves appear one by one. I wonder if we entered the pack¡¯s territory; the wolves are already ready to fight, for some reason.


    The white wolf itself is a beautiful wolf species that has pure, snow white hair.


    In contrast to their beautiful appearances, they are quite ferocious. One on one, any knight can take them down, but when they are in a group, it gets several times harder.


    I compile all the information regarding them in my head.


    We have data regarding most of the monsters in the Guillian snow mountains. I reach inside my lab coat and grab three tubes.


    I throw them randomly at the pack of wolves.


    None of them directly hit the wolves, and all the test tubes fall to the ground, smashing into pieces.


    The very next moment, a huge explosion occurs.


    The wolves are all blown to bits.


    The battle is over in a flash.


    ¡°What power¡­¡±(Elle)


    I nod in satisfaction at the explosion.


    This is an attack developed for the ice dragon up above; a few wolves stand no chance against it.


    ¡°This is the first time I have seen such magic.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Well, technically it is not magic, but to say what it is goes against company policy.¡±(Lifa)


    I put my hands on my waist and feel unstoppable.


    Whether this is in the field of magic or a production of science is not something I will go deeply into now. I am glad to be praised by Elle, but seeing Harold being indifferent towards me is kind of a shock.


    On the contrary, he gets irritated at me for some reason.


    ¡°Do not get so excited from your stupid toys.¡±(Harold)


    ¡°What did you say?¡±(Lifa)


    I cannot keep silent when my prized creations are being called toys.


    But, before I can even speak, my vision is filled with a blue light. It hurts my eyes really badly, and I cannot open them for a while. I can tell that something has passed by me, but I still cannot see it.


    It is immediately after I notice that thing passing by that I hear a scream behind me.


    A momentary flicker and it is all silent again. I look behind me and see a white wolf¡­¡­ burned to a crisp and dead.


    It seems the wolves¡¯ plan was a pincer attack and killing me first.


    I had not been able to detect the presence of this wolf. If Harold had not saved just now, I would have died.


    ¡°Even if you have superior attack power, once you let your guard down for a second, you will lose that neck. I don¡¯t care if you die or live, but die somewhere I am not.¡±(Harold)


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡±(Lifa)


    After that, Harold starts walking up the mountain again.


    I know I was being careless, so what he said is true. For some reason, Harold¡¯s words contain immense weight behind them.


    I wonder why his words have such weight behind them. If he lived a peaceful life, then there was no way he would have gotten the nickname ¡°Knight Killer¡±.


    Honestly speaking, though, he did call my attack superior. I was kind of happy about that.


    ¡°Are you curious? About his past, I mean.¡±(Elle)


    Elle whispers in my ear so Harold cannot overhear our conversation.


    If I were to say I am not curious, it would be a lie.


    ¡°Well¡­..umm¡­¡±(Lifa)


    This kind of reply is not like the usual me.


    I am interested in Harold¡¯s past, but I do not want to invade someone¡¯s privacy without their permission.


    This is a moral problem for me. I want to hear his secrets from himself if he is willing to tell me.


    ¡°I would tell you what I know, but what information I have of him is not really anything special.¡±(Elle)


    There seems to be many stories and rumors about Harold according to what Elle tells me about him, but whether or not they are true is a completely different story. All the things Lifa does not know about Harold have already been spread by rumors.


    In other words, anything Elle has said can be found out easily. Whether they are true is the problem.


    ¡°The degree of speculation concerning is him is quite high. Speaking of this, I always assumed that you were acquainted with Harold.¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°Nope, not at all. I am just like you. Met him for the first time yesterday.¡±(Elle)


    Elle declares as such, but I still have some questions.


    ¡°Well then, why did you come along?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°I actually have been interested in him for quite some time. Since I was presented with this unique opportunity, I took it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, such motivation. You even entered this kind of dangerous place.¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°I actually didn¡¯t think we would get past the gate. Even now, after that wolf attack,  I think I should turn back.¡±(Elle)


    Ahaha, Elle laughs as she finishes talking.


    It is remark said by a person who looks like they have absolutely no fighting ability.


    Elle has the appearance of small herbivore walking leisurely into the wolves den.


    I feel, though, that if I mistake her as such, something bad might happen.


    ¡°Well, what will you do about Harold? Will you ask him?¡±(Elle)


    ¡°(Well¡­.. I am gonna be here for a while, so I will ask him. Even if he does say no, it is not like I will lose anything.)¡±(Lifa)


    I tell myself this excuse in order to convince myself to ask him.


    ********


    Harold¡¯s Circumstances (Elle POV)


    The person named Harold Stokes can be always linked to this phrase: ¡°the youngest person in history to become a knight¡±. He was admired as a genius, but this period was short lived. The first mission he was assigned to was a disaster. Harold Stokes disobeyed the order of his superior officers and went to fight the enemy alone, deserting his comrades. In addition to this crime, he was caught wearing the Sarian Empire uniform, thus lead him to be suspected of committing treason.


    Harold Stokes was sentenced to being beheaded¡­¡­ That was what the punishment would have been if three factions had not interfered. First was, of course, his family estate, the Stokes family. They were adamant about their son¡¯s innocence. Second was the estate of his fianc¨¦e, the Sumeragi Family. They pushed much harder than his actual family, the Stokes, and went up to the top for the punishment to be discarded. The head of the family, Tasaku, is known to be a man of superior virtue. Thus, his words held immense weight as well.  The third was a faction of the Knight Order led by the man named Cody.


    After re-deliberating because of the opposition of so many people, Harold Stokes¡¯s punishment was that he would be transferred to a certain laboratory. He was to be a practical experiment subject of research and continue until he is cleared of suspicions. His cooperation would free him of a death sentence. Any and all misconduct or breach of conditions would lead him back to immediate death sentence.


    ¡°This is the common knowledge that is known by the public about the person named Harold Stokes.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°What the hell, from just that, isn¡¯t he the worst type of person?¡±(Lifa)


    Night falls on the mountain and we set up camp. Without light, it will be easier to get attacked by the wolves and other monsters.


    Harold volunteers for the night watch and positions his tent a bit farther from us, near a place where you could easily tell if enemies were approaching. Lifa and I are setting up a tent of our own and talking to each other.


    I know that I am a girl, but I do not think Lifa knows this yet, so her being so defenseless right now is troubling.


    ¡°Even though the Sumeragi helped him so much, he has already said to them that he plans to annul their engagement.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Ok, he is way worse than any human being possible.¡±(Lifa)


    As I tell Lifa about Harold¡¯s past, Lifa grows more and more angry, but I do not stop here and continue my story of the man named Harold Stokes.


    ¡°Well, now you understand why Harold Stokes is hated so much, right?¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Yep, to an incredible degree.¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°But actually, this story has many points that were left out.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Left out?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s because of those points I am interested in him.¡±(Elle)


    The first thought I had when I heard the punishment Harold got was, ¡°They are sentencing a very prominent son of nobility to death? This is something that has never happened before.¡±


    ¡°Harold has really only been charged with one crime, desertion of the battlefield. But this was his first mission, and it is not uncommon to have people who are scared during their first mission and run away.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it because Harold is an empire spy?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°No, he is only under suspicion of being an empire spy. This has yet to be confirmed.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°¡­.What do you mean?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°Harold was only caught wearing the uniform and nothing else. Why he was wearing the uniform is also unknown.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Does that not confirm it?¡±(LIfa)


    ¡°Well, if that did confirm it, then they would have announced that he is an empire spy. No need to be under suspicion.¡±(Elle)


    This entire things was very fishy from the beginning. The punishment for his crime is too heavy: even if he was a spy, the document should have indicated that. And even if that were true, the judgement was way too fast.


    ¡°The Stokes family is not that powerful, but they clearly are a long standing noble family. Sentencing the eldest son, in other words, the future head of the family, to death after just two weeks of debate is clearly suspicious.¡±(Elle)


    ¡°Well¡­ that is?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°Even if he was confirmed to be a spy, rather than sent to death, he should have been interrogated for valuable information.¡±(Elle)


    This incident was quite unprecedented.


    In this entire case, all reasons were secondary: the verdict had already been predetermined.


    No, even the verdict was just a pretense.


    ¡°Ok, I understand that there are a lot of suspicious points, but why is it that you are so informed? Are you really meeting Harold for the first time?¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°It truly is my first time meeting Harold, but since I am a traveler, my skills regarding the gathering of information is better than most people.¡±(Elle)


    Actually, there is a more precise reason.


    I impersonate many different personas: traveler, merchant, nobleman, newspaper reporter. I use all kinds of identities. I also used the information network of my company to get the information about Harold¡¯s current location.


    ¡°Well then, do you have any info from the people closest to Harold? I think if we look at that perspective, we will get more answers.¡±(Lifa)


    ¡°Ok, how about someone who was a direct superior to Harold?¡±(Elle)


    It was 3 years ago that I saw him. The man who went in first to protest Harold¡¯s sentence and was a close friend to the head of the Knight Order. Cody Luzial¡­. I remember his face that night.


    I met Cody at a bar, he was quite drunk at that time, so when I asked him questions. It was quite easy to obtain answers.


    ¡°I have seen many idiots in my life¡­¡­ idiots who are as stupid and stubborn as mountains¡­¡­ idiots who only care about themselves¡­.. and really stupid idiots who have strong senses of justice¡­ all the rest all just plain idiots¡­.¡±(Cody)


    When I asked what type of person Harold was, Cody started to list the many types of idiots he knew. He then picked up his glass and took a big gulp and named the type of idiot Harold was¡­¡­


    ¡°That guy is a new type of idiot I have never seen before¡­.. An idiot like me, I guess ¨C someone who does not care about himself.¡±(Cody)


    The curtains to the story of the true Harold have opened up now.


    This is the prelude to Harold Stokes¡¯s Struggle in his journey to repent in life.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    ¨D¨D Five years ago.


    It was the 933¡¯rd year of the Loiza calendar, in the Amagir kingdom.


    A few hours after it was decided that Harold would be decapitated and he was forced to the jail in the tribunal¡¯s basement, Cody was standing in Vincent¡¯s office.


    ¡¾¡±Why the hell does Harold need to be executed?!¡±]


    Cody pressed the question on the office¡¯s owner. His face was unusually sour.


    But even the one who was being pressed, Vincent, had a sour and distorted face, as if he had just eaten a bug.


    ¡¾¡±Except for me, everyone agreed with this judgement, including the commander, Mr.Cox. They haven¡¯t even checked the facts yet, the sentence is just too heavy¡­¡±]


    Harold certainly had some strange points to him and he was suspected of being a spy, too. But still, this time¡¯s judgement had jumped over too many steps, and it would be hard for anyone to say that it was very just.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..What you¡¯re saying is that someone put the squeeze on the judges?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s the case. To stop Harold¡¯s execution, we¡¯ll have to find that person.¡±]


    Although Vincent had his thoughts concerning Harold, he didn¡¯t think he committed a crime deserving of being killed. He gave Cody a rough report on the circumstances.


    His suspicions might not have been completely dispelled, but he still was against the execution.


    ¡¾¡±So the deadline is in one week¡­¡±](Cody)


    There was too little time. Asking him to look for the one pulling the strings in such a short time period was like asking him to find a needle in a haystack. Besides, finding the puppet master wouldn¡¯t necessarily stop him.


    However, if he didn¡¯t do it, Harold would die. Then, even if it seemed impossible, any plan was a good plan.


    Though Cody and his friends enthusiastically started making their moves, the situation took a turn for the worst the very next day.


    After his execution was decided, some bad rumors concerning Harold started spreading within the knight order and they reached the streets in no time. Moreover, the contents of the deliberations had been maliciously twisted, with no regard for the facts.


    From this, Cody was convinced that someone was trying to kill Harold. And so, the right atmosphere for the execution had been installed.


    Once it got to that point, Harold¡¯s bad reputation had naturally reached a certain girl¡¯s ears.


    ¡¾¡±I deeply apologize for my repeated sudden visits.¡±]


    Said Erica, Harold¡¯s fiance, with a bow. She had paid a visit to Cody once again.


    Her motives were clear. It was about the veracity of Harold¡¯s execution and the malicious rumors, the source of which was unknown.


    Honest as he was, Cody hadn¡¯t quite grasped the situation so there weren¡¯t many things he could talk about. Harold was sentenced to decapitation, that was the truth, but Erica was his fiancee and she was still a child, so he was extremely troubled over whether he should tell her or not.


    In the mean time, since she was a guest, he led Erica to the same guest room as the day before. Upon entering inside, her female attendant took position in a corner of the room without uttering a word.


    Sitting face to face with Erica, Cody immediately cut to the chase.


    ¡¾¡±How can I help you today¡­. you don¡¯t want to hear that, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. I¡¯d like you to tell me what is Harold-sama¡¯s situation and what has the tribunal decided¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..Frankly speaking, his situation is very bad. Do you still want to hear?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, if you please¡±]


    Erica answered without a tinge of hesitation. She had assumed the worst.


    An amazing reaction for a girl her age.


    ¡¾¡±First of all, it¡¯s no lie that the he was sentenced to decapitation. If nothing is done, in six days, Harold will be executed .¡±]


    With Cody¡¯s words, Erica closed her eyelids to gather her senses and she let out a light breath.


    Next, she calmly opened her eyes, and looked straight at Cody.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ ¡°If nothing is done¡±, you said, does that mean there is something we can do about it?¡±]


    The girl facing Cody had kept her calm and read through the real meaning hidden behind his words.


    As expected of Harold¡¯s fiancee, she¡¯s quite direct, he thought.


    ¡¾¡±Sorry for raising your expectations but I can¡¯t definitively say that there is. It¡¯s a very bad gamble.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It doesn¡¯t matter as long as there is even just a glimmer of hope of saving Harold-sama.¡±]


    She didn¡¯t understand the desperate circumstances but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t accept them. Even after taking on all the facts, she didn¡¯t waver and she only thought about saving Harold.


    Cody searched for presences in the surroundings to confirm that nobody was listening in.


    It should be all right to tell her.


    ¡¾¡±Normally, it would be impossible to overturn the tribunal¡¯s decision. But this time¡¯s deliberation is far from normal.¡±]


    Cody told Erica the details of the matter without concealing anything.


    He told her about how the judgement was too rushed. About how Harold¡¯s words and actions had been completely ignored while, on the contrary, the execution had been pushed forward.


    Listening to that, the faces of Erica and her attendant gradually became stiff.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ This is the situation Harold has been put in. There is definitely someone who¡¯s trying to kill Harold.¡±](Cody)


    ¡¾¡±Who is it?¡±](Erica)


    ¡¾¡±Sorry to say but¡­¡±](Cody)


    Cody shook his head left and right looking desperate.


    He was ashamed to admit it, but he really had no idea who it was.


    ¡¾¡±But we need to search for that person using the time we have left. However, even if we manage to find them, there is no guarantee that that will save Harold.¡±]


    If he had to be frank, they were actually in a state of checkmate. It was close to impossible to turn the tide at this point.


    But perhaps because she didn¡¯t know that, Erica did not give in to sorrow and despair.


    ¡¾¡±In that case, we need to start moving immediately. Cody-sama, who were the ones who held the discussions?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh? Well, if I¡¯m not mistaken there were six members of the tribunal, adding to that was the commander of the knight order, the vice-commander, and three commanding officers of the expeditionary units. Among them, only the vice-commander opposed the execution.¡±]


    The odd number of members of the deliberation were to be gathered, and to then vote after having multiple discussions. Nine people is the maximum number of members per discussion.


    A sentence being given after only two weeks for such a serious deliberation was abnormal.


    ¡¾¡±And what¡¯s your standpoint, Cody-sama?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±To be honest, it¡¯s in my principles to bet on the winning horse. But this time only I¡¯m ready to serve a losing battle.¡±]


    Cody smiled wryly in embarrassment. Seeing that, Erica displayed a light smile.


    Has she gained some faith in me? He wondered.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, would you please give me a list of those who agreed with the execution? It¡¯s enough if you give me their names, their posts and their careers.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I can prepare that but¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then please do. Yuno, go prepare the boat for boarding. I¡¯ll catch up afterwards.¡±]


    Erica gave her instructions without hesitation. Her attendant bowed her head and hurriedly left.


    As for Cody, he told Erika to¡¾¡±Please wait a moment¡±]and went back to his room. There, was a pile of documents among which was a list of the court¡¯s judges.


    He went back to the guest room and handed it to Erica.


    ¡¾¡±There you go. So, what are you planning to do?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.It¡¯s difficult for me to admit it, but I don¡¯t have the power to change the situation. I¡¯ll deliver this list to my father and I¡¯ll have him appeal for a withdrawal of the judgement and a retrial.¡±]


    The current head of the Sumeragi family, Task Sumeragi. Even among the people of the Royal capital, there are many who know the name. His influence is not to be compared to that of an average noble.


    If the Sumeragi family raises its voice loud enough, other nobles will follow suit. And to the question of whether that would enough to overturn the judgement, the answer is no.


    ¡¾¡±Also, in parallel to that, we¡¯ll do a background check on the members of the discussions. We have no other choice than to investigate as much as possible about who they had contact with before the verdict was given. The time will not be enough to trace back to the source of the bad rumors¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Leave that part to me. Because some stories are only caught by the citizens¡¯ personal information network. Even thought I might not look the part, I have quite a lot of influence among the town¡¯s people.¡±]


    Usually, during his daily patrols, the times he skipped on his work during what he titled as breaks, he would stop by various shops to get some gifts.


    Thanks to that, though he was never spoken well of, Cody had vast connections with the citizens of the king capital when compared to the other knights.


    ¡¾¡±The vice-commander Vincent will investigate the Commander. It¡¯s fine to leave it to him, he can do it.¡±]


    If they left it to Vincent, then he¡¯d somehow manage to obtain some information. Cody trusted that.


    Having likely perceived that, Erica also approved.


    ¡¾¡±So, Vincent will be responsible for the commander, and I¡¯ll investigate on the troops¡¯ commanding officers and the source of the bad rumors.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The Sumeragi house will put its whole into investigating and persuading the remaining members of the deliberations.¡±]


    At last, they had confirmed each other¡¯s roles. They had included Vincent who was absent, but Cody deemed it wouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as he got his ex-post-facto approval.


    In any case, the Rescue Harold Alliance had just been formed. And they weren¡¯t likely to get any sleep for a week.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, I must get going. Thanks a lot for your cooperation, Cody-sama¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah, hold on¡±]


    Unable to control his impetuous mood, Cody called Erica to a halt. Perhaps he was meddling in things that were none of his business, but this alone he wanted to do.


    ¡¾¡±It would be too much of me to tell you to not be impatient,  but still, don¡¯t be afraid. Even if things are still hopeless by the end, I¡¯ll just have to barge into the tribunal to save him, I¡¯ll attract the attention of those who have some leeway and sharpen their views.¡±](Tln: Not sure about the last part)


    ¡¾¡±If you do such a thing, won¡¯t you be removed from the knight order, Cody-sama?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If that happens, please employ me at the Sumeragi house. I am fairly confident in my sword skills so I¡¯ll be quite useful¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hehe, is that so? If that time does come, I¡¯ll discuss it with my father.¡±]


    She gave a smile that would enchant any observer regardless of age or gender. Cody might have managed to relax Erica¡¯s tension ever so slightly.


    When she was told about Harold¡¯s situation, only her face was calm, her hands were tightened to the point of turning white. She felt desperately hopeless and anxious of losing Harold.


    Her shoulders were faintly shaking, as well.


    It felt like she was going to madly rush ahead while closing her eyes in order to shake off her fear of attacking.


    However, she had to stay calm to save Harold.


    The means of escape were too narrow and awfully unreliable. Entrusting this to brute force would not cut it.


    ¡¾¡±Please hold on to these emotions¡±](Tln: And not sure about this either)


    ¡¾¡±Yes. Thank you¡±]


    Erica slowly bowed and withdrew from the guest room. This time, she had left for good.


    ¡¾¡±¡­She¡¯s a strong kid.¡±]


    Cody spontaneously let out those words in the room where he was left by himself.


    it wasn¡¯t an external kind of strength like the ability to fight, rather, it was the internal strength of a solid heart that goes through one¡¯s soul.


    One could only wonder how much care she had for Harold, and yet she tried to keep calm even when a person that dear to her fell in such an awful predicament. Or perhaps it was precisely because he was in such a predicament.


    It was hard to grasp for Cody.


    For Harold¡¯s sake and Erica¡¯s, he would absolutely free him. Such a thought boiled up in him. And if that meant he would be banned from the knight order, then it was all the better.


    There was something resounding in his heart, telling him to to confront the cruel reality without backing away.


    ¡¾¡±Well, helping children who try their best is what adults are for¡±]


    Could that be what being a parent felt like? Suddenly having such reflections, Cody had goosebumps.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    From such a trifling matter, Cody had just realized he was getting old, but he didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on it.


    After seeing Erica off, he immediately started making his moves.


    What came first was contacting the commanding officer of the expeditionary units, Finnegan. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t well acquainted with the man who once was his company commander.


    Therefore, Cody shifted through his relationships looking for a common friend between the commanding officer and himself, which made him think of Walsh, an acquaintance of Finnegan who held a position of equal standing as that of a company commander. He decided to ask for his help.


    He didn¡¯t make any grand request of him. Walsh was just asked to invite Finnegan to go to Cody¡¯s usual bar on that evening.


    Although Walsh had some doubts and specified that Cody would have to pay the whole bill as a condition, he accepted without prying too deeply. Perhaps he trusted Cody¡¯s character.


    In the mean time, Cody, who had cut a deal, immediately readied himself to make his next move before the appointed time, but he was called to a halt.


    ¡¾¡±C, captain Cody¡­.¡±]


    The three who stopped him were Robinson, Sid and Ellen. They were wearing thoughtful expressions, unfit of their usually lively selves.


    He had roughly guessed their purpose, but he still took it upon himself to ask.


    ¡¾¡±Hmm? What do you want?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­is it true that Harold is going to be executed?¡±]


    Said Sid nervously. And Cody confirmed his worries.


    ¡¾¡±It seems like it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..¨C!¡±]


    The three gasped together.


    It might have been for a short time but they had belonged to the same unit, therefore they were likely to have some thoughts on the situation. If it was only about Harold getting executed, they would probably have voiced their opposition loud and clear.


    However, they had seen him. They had seen him turn the major-general into a slab of meat while his own body was covered in wounds, and they had seen the cold-blooded eyes that he would turn at his enemies.


    A pair of eyes filled with pure killing intent the likes of which even Cody had hardly ever seen. Being affected by that, and memorizing the fear it had brought was unavoidable.


    Especially for Robinson and the other two, who didn¡¯t have much experience in actual combat.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ I don¡¯t want Harold to die. But I just can¡¯t forget the scene from that day¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The one we saw at that time was not the Harold that we know¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Tell us Captain, which one is the true Harold?¡±]


    The three didn¡¯t know how to face him.


    The usual Harold, and the Harold from the Vertice forest. Having faced the two versions, they couldn¡¯t be blamed for being confused.


    ¡¾¡±What? How would I know?¡±]


    However, that was Cody¡¯s reply.


    His answer was so casual that it threw off the three, leaving them with their eyes wide open, unable to add another word.


    Cody continued his words to instruct them.


    ¡¾¡±As if you could guess what Harold is like after knowing him for no more than a few months. That¡¯s quite superficial of you, isn¡¯t it?¡±]


    Perhaps his claim was too blunt and perfunctory.


    But his eyes were serious.


    ¡¾¡±So, you can only judge him based on what you¡¯ve personally felt and seen. If I told you to give up on Harold¡¯s life, would you consent to the execution? And would you stay true to that choice to the very end even when you¡¯re asked for help as sparks of fire fall on his body?¡±]


    Whether they resign to the judgement or they oppose it, if they make that choice under the influence of other people¡¯s words, there will be a time when they¡¯ll regret it.


    Robinson and the others are knights, before all else. They need to carry out their own justice.


    ¡¾¡±So, what will you do? And remember, the criteria here is whether having faith in Harold will allow you to have faith in yourselves or not, alright?¡±]


    While the three found themselves unable to say anything, Cody saw his chance to take his leave.


    There were no lies in the words he had just offered them. Sparing the ones who were not resolute enough from getting involved was his own peculiar way of being considerate.


    Whether or not that was carried across to them however was not certain.


    Well, it¡¯s probably fine, Cody told himself as he switched his mood. Sometimes you just have to get involved.


    Having parted ways with Robinson and the others, Cody headed to his usual bar where Walsh and Finnegan were supposed to visit. He asked the shopkeeper there if he didn¡¯t mind cooperating with something.


    It wasn¡¯t anything especially difficult. He just wanted an opportunity to spill a drug in a drink of his own choice. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to make someone drink poison or some other dangerous thing.


    It was a medicine that had some slight traits of a truth serum, with no negative effects on the body. By nature its effects are weak, but it¡¯s intended for making someone spill information after getting them drunk.


    However, although the one asking was his good friend Cody, the storekeeper did not bend easily, which was a matter of course since the request¡¯s contents were utterly suspicious. Cody told him it was for a top secret internal investigation that had to been done through forcible means.


    In the end, the shopkeeper was coaxed by Cody¡¯s eloquence.


    Afterwards, putting on a show of patrolling the town, he paid visits to people who were well informed about the local rumors and people who had intelligence networks in the king¡¯s capital. He asked them about any substantial information they might have had, like if anything unusual had happened in the surroundings of those who had participated in determining Harold¡¯s punishment.


    Meanwhile, the sun had made way for the moon.


    Cody temporarily returned to the troops¡¯ barracks. He threw away his inconspicuous armor, switching it with plain garments more fit of the streets, and he headed to the bar once again. He sat down on a suitable seat and awaited the arrival of Walsh and his friend.


    After that, within less than 30 minutes, Cody¡¯s expected visitors showed up. Their eyes only met for a moment but it was enough for Walsh to make an overall guess as he lead Finnegan to sit back to back with Cody.


    That way, he was able hear their conversation.


    Well, though he strained his ears to listen, at first they just kept on rambling.


    It¡¯s been a while since we he last had a drink together. The wife won¡¯t stop nagging me lately. Don¡¯t you have children yet? You should hurry and get married already. And so on.


    However, the calm atmosphere was inversely proportional to Finnegan¡¯s drinking pace. Perhaps he had some pent-up anger to release.


    An hour after they started drinking, Finnegan¡¯s articulation started turning clumsy.


    Seeing his chance to act, Cody parted from his seat and invited Walsh to follow him to the counter with a hand sign. There, he whispered to him while including the shopkeeper to the conversation.


    ¡¾¡±Alright, he should be drunk enough, let¡¯s start the plan.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hold on. What plan?¡±]


    Walsh, who was only told to invite Finnegan there for a drink, promptly interjected. He was seriously lacking explanations.


    ¡¾¡±Well, it¡¯s nothing difficult. I just want you to ask him a question ¨D¨D and make him drink this¡±]


    Cody unwrapped a paper he took from his breast pocket and stealthily dropped some white powder inside an ale that the shopkeeper had put on the counter.


    The powder melted without a sound.


    Walsh seemed to understand what it was.


    ¡¾¡±Hey wait, that¡¯s¡­.¡±](Walsh)


    ¡¾¡±Could you keep that to yourself and have him drink this? Oh, also,  please clear out the room¡±](Cody)


    ¡¾¡±Good grief¡±](shopkeeper)


    While sighing, the shopkeeper left the counter and went from seat to seat to inform the clients that he was closing up shop early.


    Though it was going to affect the sales, he would make up for it later with the help of his colleagues and subordinates.


    ¡¾¡±So, what is it you want to know?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is that one subordinate of mine who is likely going to have his head sliced off because of an inexplicable judgement. I want to learn the truth of the matter from the people who were involved in the deliberations.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even if you do that, you can¡¯t overrule the decision of the council.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m well aware of that. It¡¯s just some useless resistance on my part.¡±]


    If this didn¡¯t go well, he would have to seriously consider joining Erica, as she had half-jokingly suggested to him.


    He wanted to help Harold, no matter what it entailed, Cody¡¯s intentions were that genuine. Having felt that, Walsh did not attempt to stop him.


    ¡¾¡±But you could end up in some serious trouble, too. If you overlook this situation, you might get caught, you know? Don¡¯t you mind that?¡±](Cody)


    ¡¾¡±Hah¡­¡­ shut the hell up and mind your own business, will you?  I just have to ask him about that deliberation, is that it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh man, a friend in need is a friend indeed, am I right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Maybe I should go home after all¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Wait, I was just kidding!¡±]


    For Cody, getting Walsh¡¯s cooperation was the ideal scenario.


    And so, Cody told Walsh which questions he wanted him to ask.


    While they held that conversation, Cody and the others soon became the only four people left in the shop. But in his drunkenness, Finnegan did not seem to be aware of his surroundings as he inclined his glass little by little.


    The preparations for the interrogation were complete.


    Walsh, who had received the ale mixed with the medicine, placed it in front of Finnegan.


    ¡¾¡±There you go¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Thank you¡±]


    Finnegan sluggishly turned his eyes to the drink and tasted it without an ounce of suspicion. He drank a third in a single gulp.


    Then, after waiting long enough for the medicine to start taking effect, Walsh asked him.


    ¡¾¡±That thing the other day was really terrible.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..terrible?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You were commander of the expedition, right? Who could have seen that coming¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That thing¡­.¡±]


    He muttered, feeling terribly dispirited. He did not want to recall the events of the Vertice forest which had brought so many casualties.


    But even though Finnegan was slow of speech, Walsh had to strike while the iron was hot as the liquor and medicine were taking effect. It was too good of an opportunity to pass on.


    ¡¾¡±It seems like one of those recruits is going to receive the capital punishment for treason, but, what did the guy do?¡±](Walsh)


    ¡¾¡±I haven¡¯t actually seen it, but in the report it¡¯s said that he ignored his superior¡¯s orders and escaped in front of the enemy. He¡¯s also suspected of being a spy for wearing a military uniform from the empire.¡±](Walsh)


    ¡¾¡±Hmm. Well, disobeying the superior¡¯s orders and running from the enemy is not unusual for new recruits, so it must be the spy charges. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what lead to the decision of giving him the capital punishment¡±](Walsh)


    ¡¾¡±No¡­..¡±](Finnegan)


    While Finnegan was completely lost about what to answer, his eyes gradually turned blank under the effect of the medicine.


    ¡¾¡±No we didn¡¯t decide that¡­ But that person said Harold was dangerous. Therefore, so that he wouldn¡¯t kill my wife, for Cynthia¡¯s life¡­.¡±]


    It wasn¡¯t just the alcohol speaking.


    Finnegan¡¯s tone became uncertain.


    ¡¾¡±Who said it? Dangerous in what way? That has nothing to do with you wife, right?¡±](Walsh)


    ¡¾¡±¡­ah yes, it¡¯s not related to her¡­ But still, it¡¯s no good. Harold being alive is no good. I could have opposed the judgement, but my child will soon be born¡­.. So, I had to¡­.¡±]


    Finnegan¡¯s state rapidly turned odd. His words were incoherent, and his atmosphere was strange overall.


    Had the medicine worked too well? As Walsh wondered that, Finnegan suddenly stood up. The chair he was sitting on fell backwards from the power of his brusque move.


    And then¨D¨D


    ¡¾¡±¡­..ah, aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAH!¡±]


    Bizarre. As he let out a voice that could only be described as such, Finnegan started running. He ran up to one of the shop¡¯s supporting pillars, grabbed the massive log with both of his hands and began striking his head on it.


    As he raised his strange voice as loud as he could, he kept striking again and again until blood started streaming down from his forehead.


    Thereupon, Cody and Walsh finally came back to their senses and went to stop the sudden act of violence.


    ¡¾¡±Hey wait¡­!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What are you doing?!¡±]


    The duo pulled him from both sides to stop him from inuring himself. Even so, Finnegan was violently swinging his head left and right as he continued letting out that bizarre voice.


    Despite being restrained by two strong men like Cody and Walsh, he kept resisting for more than five minutes.


    However, that resistance suddenly ended. And Finnegan abruptly lost consciousness.


    Cody put the exhausted body face up and hurriedly checked his pulse and breathing.


    ¡¾¡±¡­He¡¯s alive¡±]


    The three let out deep sighs of relief.


    For the time being, they had to treat his wounds, so Cody instructed the shopkeeper to fetch some cloths and bandages in the shop. Nobody there could use healing magic.


    In any case, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him out today. Though his injury itself seemed pretty light, they didn¡¯t know about the insides of his head, so he had to be hospitalized for several days.


    The shopkeeper had gone out, and for a short while, no sound could be heard in the room. As if he couldn¡¯t bear this anymore, Walsh broke the silence.


    ¡¾¡±What just happened?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know. All I can tell is that it can¡¯t really be justified by the medicine¡¯s effects.¡±]


    There was no illusion or confusion factor in the medicine he made Finnegan drink. And drinking it with sake was fine as well.


    ¡¾¡±The Finnegan from earlier was nothing like his usual self¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I know right? It¡¯s as if he was ¡°possessed by a demon¡±.¡±]


    A demon. It was his frank opinion regarding Finnegan¡¯s actions.


    However, those words he so casually spoke, gave Cody a very bad feeling.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ and that¡¯s apparently what happened¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s scary! What the hell?!¡±]


    Lita, having heard Elu¡¯s story, was trembling while holding her shoulders with both of her hands. It was scary indeed.


    But that was the very reason Lita wanted to hear it.


    The bits and pieces of the circumstances surrounding Harold had a strong impression on her. She was brimming with curiosity.


    ¡¾¡±What happened next?!¡±]


    Elu had met his goal. He had managed to catch her interest.


    ¡¾¡±It should be enough for today. If you don¡¯t sleep soon, you¡¯ll doze off in the middle of the night watch.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Er¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Besides, tomorrow we¡¯re going to go up the mountain and fight against monsters, right? We have to rest properly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I know, I know¡­¡­¡±]


    Saying so while somewhat sulky, Lita lied down and rolled over. Before long, she fell asleep and started breathing peacefully.


    That has already been said before but, Elu still hadn¡¯t revealed his gender to Lita. And regardless of him/her being a man or woman, she should at least have felt slightly vulnerable being next to a complete stranger.


    Despite that, the sun still came up the next morning.


    Maybe from how effective the story from the night before was on her, Lita was fidgeting as she kept repeatedly looking at Harold to then avert her eyes.


    She was extremely restless. Perhaps her curiosity and self-discipline were conflicting.


    Harold was aware of that but he silently proceeded ahead.


    His destination appeared to be the top. The hydras were in the summit¡¯s vicinity so there were no doubts in Harold¡¯s steps.


    Most of the monsters that the three occasionally encountered were taken care of by Harold, who was walking in first position.


    He was doing well, but he wasn¡¯t one to chatter pointlessly so Lita couldn¡¯t find a chance to talk to him. As for Elu, he was observing the two with interest, therefore no one in the group uttered a word.


    Unable to bear the atmosphere and Lita¡¯s glances, Harold suddenly stopped walking and looked behind him.


    Then, he had a word with Lita.


    ¡¾¡±Hey¡±]


    ¡¾¡±W, What¡­?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve been a pain for quite a while now. If you have something to say, say it. If you don¡¯t, then stop stealing glances at me. It¡¯s annoying.¡±]


    His manner of speaking was quite overbearing. An ordinary person would have been pressurized by that, but Lita¡¯s reaction was the complete opposite.


    She went on to ask her question as if saying this was convenient for her. That¡¯s really something, thought Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Geez, I¡¯ll stop being a pain in your ass and just ask you then. Is it true you were almost executed?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s sharp eyes pierced into Elu.


    Lita, who did not know Harold the day before, was now asking such a question. There was no need to ponder over who gave her the information.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..How much did you hear?¡±]


    He didn¡¯t ask from who, but how much. He indirectly gave a positive answer with his question.


    At the same time, according to Elu¡¯s observations, the likelihood that some parts of the story were still kept secret had increased.


    If Harold was just making an affirmation, there would hardly be any need for him to worry about how much Lita knew. To put it another way, there was something he didn¡¯t want to be known, or rather, that he wanted to hide.


    Harold¡¯s answer, while confirming how much Lita heard, also served as a check on Elu who had shared the gossips with her. He wanted to ascertain whether he had hit on any inconvenient truths.


    Seemingly unaware of those intentions, Lita started telling the story she had heard from Elu in its entirety. Harold, who listened to her from beginning to end, looked displeased.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D and that¡¯s about it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And it¡¯s basically what happened. Now that you know, you better stop with those annoying glances from here on out. Otherwise, I¡¯ll cut both of your tendons and leave you on the mountain by yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You have some frightening ideas¡­.¡±]


    Having finished listening to her story, Harold gave Lita a warning but he still confirmed her inquiry once again.


    Although she was likely not completely convinced, Lita still withdrew regardless. She was thinking that, based on his wrongdoings which she learned of by hearsay, he might actually put his threats into action.


    However, Elu was paying close attention to Harold and did not miss the moments where he slightly reacted. It happened twice.


    The first time was when Cody¡¯s name came up, the second time was from the words ¡°test subject¡±.


    Judging from that reaction, Harold had probably noticed a strange point in the story. Moreover, he just confirmed it without pointing that out.


    In that case, there was a chance that he would come in contact with Elu.


    Elu was very much looking forward to how much information he could draw from Harold. He felt something close to the excitement of a treasure hunter finding himself in front of a treasure chest in a labyrinth.


    As Elu was getting excited within his innermost thoughts, Harold¡¯s steps did not slow down one bit. And then, around noon.


    The trio arrived at the peak of mount Giran.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ve arrived!¡±]


    Lita let out a delighted voice, as if she had forgotten her objective.


    Although the top of mount Giran had some noticeable rocky areas here and there, it was basically flat. The snow was scarce in the current season, but in winter all the rocks would be covered up.


    And, at the center of that flat summit, there was a crater of about 200 meters in diameter.


    Disregarding Lita who was savoring her accomplishment of reaching the top of a mountain, Harold approached the crater. Curious about what he was doing, Elu followed after him.


    As he looked into the crater, Harold located a place with a relatively gentle slope with many parts that could be used as footholds, and he jumped right down.


    Harold descended in a steady rhythm. Though there was no danger of him falling into lava since this was a dormant volcano, he had gone down by a whole 100 meters, and in no time at all.


    Harold who had arrived at the bottom of the crater took out some machine-like object. It wasn¡¯t really clear because of the long viewing-distance, but he installed it in the middle of the crater.


    Having finished working after no more than a few minutes, Harold came back the same way he went in, with a light jump.


    ¡¾¡±What an amazing athletic ability. There is no way I could imitate this¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hmph, I wonder about that¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So, what were you doing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s none of your business¡±]


    What a blunt reply. Well, I didn¡¯t expect him to talk easily.


    Maybe it¡¯s some sort of observation device from the research establishment that he belongs to, guessed Elu.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, you¡­¡­¡±](Harold)


    Harold¡¯s sharp eyes narrowed down even further. Is he going to ask about that strange point?


    The moment Elu thought that, there was a scream that split the atmosphere between the two. There was no time for their dialogue anymore.


    They looked for Lita and they found her at once. The problem was that she was facing a gigantic dragon wearing an armor made of ice.


    That was a hydra.


    Maybe because it had recognized her as an enemy, or maybe as a prey, the hydra was chasing Lita. She very narrowly evaded it, and threw some test tubes at him, causing an explosion.


    Though the attack had hit, it didn¡¯t seem to have dealt much damage. With the way things were proceeding, Lita was going to be defeated.


    When she accidentally looked at Harold, he was standing with his arms crossed. He seemed to be observing the battle between Lita and the ice dragon.


    ¡¾¡±Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I never intended to lend her my power from the get go. I¡¯ll let her handle it herself ¡¯till she reaches her limit.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So cold¡±]


    From Elu¡¯s point of view, the hydra being brought down by Lita¡¯s power alone was an unlikely scenario. Helping her was not a matter of if but when, and considering the danger Lita was in, it would be wiser to help her immediately.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ There is no way she¡¯d be at her wit¡¯s end against an opponent of this level.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean by that?¡±](Elu)


    Asked Elu having heard Harold¡¯s mutter, but his answer was silence. He was watching Lita¡¯s fight attentively.


    Elu gave up on asking anything at the current time as it seemed useless and he turned his eyes back on Lita¡¯s fight. For the time being, he prepared himself to assist her in case of an emergency.


    While evading the ice dragon¡¯s claws and ice breath, she once again threw some test tubes at him. However, they didn¡¯t explode, there was just some transparent liquid that flowed from them, wetting the hydra¡¯s body.


    Lita repeated that action several times, and next she threw a test tube in the middle of the space between the dragon and herself. Thereupon, in the blink of an eye, a white haze spread out.


    It was likely a distraction to snatch away the dragon¡¯s field of vision. That was a skillful aim. Due to the thick mist, the hydra lost sight of Lita and started going left and right in confusion.


    Not missing that opportunity, Lita took some distance to complete the magic-casting and shoot her spell.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D It¡¯s over¡­!¡º Flame burst¡»!¡±]


    Balls of fire rained down on the hydra like meteors. The moment they hit it, a deafening noise and a large explosion occurred.


    The blows¡¯ strength was different from the flame burst that Elu knew. Certainly, the spell consisted of innumerable fireballs pouring down like rain to then explode at the end and swallow the opponent in flames.


    However, it shouldn¡¯t have been that powerful. Just what on earth had Lita done?


    The flames rose up high. Lita, the one responsible for that, was gasping for breath while watching the insides of the flames intently.


    The shadow of the ice dragon was lying down on the ground. He was likely dealt some considerable damage this time.


    However, with a twitch, said shadow started moving. The hydra stood up with its neck up high, and it roared at the clear sky.


    ¡¾¡±No way¡­ this wasn¡¯t enough to defeat it¡­?¡±]


    Lita¡¯s voice was filled with despair. Despite her facing the dragon with her full power, it didn¡¯t go down.


    There was no mistaking it, this was her limit.


    The dragon spread its wings and flew to the sky. Its body that appeared from the flames was filled with many wounds that were anything but light.


    However, the hydra still had the intention and the power to fight.


    The hydra steadily rose up. As Lita thought it was going to escape, the dragon suddenly turned its gigantic body over.


    It proceeded to free-fall vertically from the sky. As he fell down, he obtained propulsive power from its wings and accelerated.


    Naturally, its target was Lita, and with her having run out of power, she could not deal with that attack.


    Being hit directly meant death. Even if she was grazed she wouldn¡¯t go unscathed.


    That kind of attack that could be called a certain killing blow was intercepted with a heavy sound of clashing metal.


    The hydra that was falling at a considerable speed was flipped over and sent tumbling while scrapping off one of the summits rocky areas.


    Lita, of course, and even Elu, who was far away, were completely bewildered. No, it can be said that it¡¯s precisely because he was far away from the action and was watching seriously that he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.


    The large body of the ice dragon that attacked from the sky weighted easily over 1 ton. And Harold knocked that down with only two swords.


    Fatigue, fear, surprise. From all of those, Lita lost her strength and fell down on the spot.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Such a pain.¡±]


    Harold said to himself. Following his line of sight, there was another hydra heading towards his position.


    Perhaps it had used its roar to call its comrades.


    Thinking normally, the situation was too critical. Still, Harold didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of escaping.


    In his right hand, he held a long broadsword.  A blue stream ran through its heavy dark-gray blade, a jade green crystal was embedded at the base of the sword, and its hand-guard was shaped like a burning flame.


    As for his left hand, it was holding a thin black sword. It was well suited for Harold in that it had no useless decorations, which made it feel all the more sharp.


    With the sword in his right hand being supported by his shoulder, and the sword in his left hand hanging low, Harold caught both of the ice dragons in his sight, the one who was raising its body while roaring, and the one who was coming over from the sky.


    Before long, those two were standing in line. They let out an intimidating air that would make one think they¡¯d have to lay down their lives to challenge them to a fight.


    Harold addressed those very same ice dragons.


    ¡¾¡±The only thing waiting for you is death. Be obedient and let yourself be killed without resistance.¡±]


    He was talking to monsters. The chances were that they wouldn¡¯t understand his words.


    Still, the hydras were angry. Maybe it was because of the wounds, maybe it was because their territory was invaded.


    But their anger did not last long.


    They felt a sword flash. They couldn¡¯t actually see it, but they were proven right within a moment.


    But the neck of the wounded hydra had already dropped down. It was too quick, without any resistance.


    Like a toy broken by a child.


    As Harold stood on the back of its companion whose cut neck was now spurting out dark red blood, the other hydra shot his ice breath at him.


    Shot by an attack that would freeze a person in the blink of an eye, Harold¡¯s figure disappeared for a second. And then, a shout rose.


    The dragon¡¯s right eye had been sliced right off.


    When did that happen? There was no time to think about it. Next, the dragon¡¯s three left claws were all cut off together.


    Unable to resist, the ice dragon opened its wings trying to escape from the sky and flew off for a few meters, but then, its wing¡¯s patagium was sliced and the beast fell back to the ground.


    Harold did not stop. He continued attacking again and again, left and right, leaving only his afterimages behind.


    This could no longer be called a fight. It was the brutal deed of an overwhelmingly strong man bullying a weak individual.


    Even though he had secured a field of vision which allowed him to overlook the whole situation, Elu¡¯s eyes could not catch up to Harold¡¯s speed. The nearby hydra was getting wounded, overwhelmed by sword attacks, as it most likely couldn¡¯t figure out what was what anymore.


    This was Harold Stokes.


    Was he a bad boy? Was he a knight killer? Was he the youngest genius in history to join the knight order?


    He wasn¡¯t a being that could be described with such words.


    With a splash, something stuck to his cheek. And Elu suddenly came back to his senses.


    He wiped that with his right hand, and it turned out to be the hydra¡¯s blood. That very hand was slightly trembling.


    So far, Elu had seen many people who were referred to as strong. He had heard exaggerated anecdotes in various places about strong men who accomplished prowesses beyond anyone¡¯s expectations.


    However, they were thoroughly overshadowed by him, his power couldn¡¯t be put in the same category as a human¡¯s strength. He was like a calamity that spread death.


    At this moment, what Elu and surely Lifa as well felt towards Harold, was fear.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    Two hydras were just killed in an instant. Witnessing such an unrealistic scene, Elu and Lifa could not let out a word.


    However, Harold himself did not seem to feel any fear, excitement or fatigue from the combat. Wearing his usual cold expression, he asked Lifa.


    ¡¾¡±What are you doing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh-?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Aren¡¯t you going to pick samples from the hydra? I think that one¡¯s corpse is the most suitable.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D Oh that¡¯s right!¡±]


    Lifa was startled for but a moment from Harold¡¯s world, and the next instant, she stood up energetically and turned towards the hydra¡¯s corpse while rolling her sleeves.


    Perhaps she had a fast recovery, or perhaps this was the work of her unflattering courage.


    Not very far from the two, Elu somehow managed to subdue his body¡¯s trembling. Before his head could get around what was happening, his instincts drove him into a sense of fear.


    He had a very hard time suppressing this.


    ¡¾¡±I had heard the rumors but to think they were true, that strength is really something. I¡¯m impressed]


    Pretending to be calm, he called out to Harold.


    In response, Harold¡¯s expression turned to contempt.


    ¡¾¡±The hell are you saying? As if the information you bastard caught hold on would be lacking in credibility¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Whatever do you mean?¡±]


    Elu transparently feigned ignorance. He was just interested in Harold¡¯s motives.


    From the information he had shared, it was clear that Elu was well versed regarding Harold¡¯s circumstances. He wasn¡¯t likely to think of Elu as some poor traveler. Moreover, so as to probe how Harold had recognized him, he dared to plainly dodge his claim.


    And Harold¡¯s next words were enough to catch even Elu by surprise.


    ¡¾¡±Cut the crap, Giffelt¡±]


    Harold casually revealed Elu¡¯s true identity as if it were no big deal.


    He hadn¡¯t given him his name. And he hadn¡¯t given him any information that would allow him to assert this.


    Although Elu thought he was just shooting in the dark, Harold seemed to be confident.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Giffelt? How could a kid like me be such an important person?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Giffelt is the family name that you and your people use. And you¡¯re qualified to be referred to as a member of the Giffelt family.  Am I wrong?¡±]


    An even bigger shock than the one before impacted Elu. Harold¡¯s words had hit the bull¡¯s-eye.


    Giffelt was not an individual name but a clan name. Be it men, women, children, adults or the elderly, anyone could use the name as long as they belonged to the clan.


    They all dealt in the information business and shared their intelligence within the family. By doing so, they made up the fictional but certainly real image of the information dealer, Giffelt.


    A law had been handed down within the family to keep their existence hidden. That secret that could be said to be the most important to them.


    Why does he know ? Even if he¡¯s acquainted with another Griffelt, I don¡¯t think they would disclose this information.


    However, Elu knew that absolutes did not exist. It was a fact that Harold knew about this, so there had to be a leak.


    ¡¾¡±Well, that doesn¡¯t really matter. Rather, how much do you bastard know about me?¡±](Harold)


    Harold continued talking, as if he considered the Giffelt family¡¯s secret to be no more than a story among others, but Elu did not perceive it that way. Harold had grasped the clan¡¯s secret, and it was up to him to deal with that information as he deemed fit.


    It was an awfully vicious threat. If Elu told a lie in this situation, what would happen when that lie came to light? He couldn¡¯t help but expect the worst case scenario.


    ¡¾¡±Would you believe it if I said I told Lifa everything?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Absolutely not.¡±]


    Harold immediately declared so.


    That was to be expected. He let Lifa know that he was suspicious of the tribunal¡¯s deliberation to lay down the conditions for Harold to come probing on his words, but still, the false truth he fed her was based on real facts. The actual truth, however, was that he had lied.


    The kingdom¡¯s tribunal held the position of a high-order state agency. Normally, even if a prestigious noble family raised their voice, there is no way they¡¯d overrule its judgment.


    And, for one who researched what happened behind the scenes beforehand, it was clear just how strange that one deliberation was.


    However, if Elu had stopped there, perhaps Harold wouldn¡¯t have bothered with it that much. The main cause behind his intervention was definitely the words ¡°Test subject¡±.


    Based on the official cover-up story, Harold was supposed to have escaped his execution by cooperating in a certain study.


    Since he could play an important part in one of the kingdom¡¯s projects, in the end he just obtained the position of a ¡°Servant¡± to atone for his crimes.


    (Maybe I rushed things a little¡­.)


    He thought that if he used the word ¡°test subject¡± and Harold was shaken, that would mean his own theory was not far from the truth. Therefore, he incited Lifa to do it in his stead.


    As a result, he was hit by a counter-attack that he hadn¡¯t seen coming.


    But, Elu thought again. The fact that his clan¡¯s secret was found out was certainly threatening, but now he knew that Harold knew. If he hadn¡¯t become aware of that, perhaps he would have fallen into a hopeless predicament someday.


    Now he had a chance to avoid that future.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll ask again. You better hurry and answer¡±]


    Being asked again, Elu steeled himself.


    How much did he know about Harold? The question was a little vague but Elu had an idea which answer he was seeking.


    Harold was likely asking him if he knew why he was called a test subject.


    And indeed, Elu knew.


    The information he had was unbelievable, but he was convinced it was the truth after bearing witness to Harold¡¯s strength.


    Would Harold kill Elu for knowing? It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he did.


    But he probably wouldn¡¯t act rashly since he understood the group structure of the Giffelt clan.


    Even if that information was important enough that he had to silence whoever had it, the one who had it was Elu, a Giffelt. Once it had spread among the clan, there was no stopping it.


    They were both holding bombs. And they could finish things smoothly as long as none of them let them out to the public.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­Looks like I can no longer hide it. I¡¯m concerned because I¡¯ve stumbled upon some quite troublesome facts concerning you and at I¡¯m at a loss about how to handle them.¡±]


    Come on, think about it Harold, thought Elu as he carefully put his words together. He had to make Harold think that there would be little meaning to killing him. He had to make him consider the risks it entailed.


    ¡¾¡±I mean, you¡¯ve obtained your powerful strength by cutting down your own life after all. It could be dangerous to mishandle information about such an inhumane weapon being developed.¡±]


    ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    In this world, Harold¡¯s game knowledge was an overwhelming advantage. It gave him the upper hand in most situations.


    Although he had met with many unexpected events, it was thanks to this gift that he had somehow managed to break his death flags.


    However, there were two people that he still feared despite having such an unfair technique.


    The first one was the genius mad scientist, Justus Freund, the last boss of¡ºBrave Hearts¡».


    And the other was the information dealer, Giffelt, who had access to the meta-knowledge of the game.


    He was especially concerned about the unknown numbers of Giffelts. Was the information held by the Giffelt limited to the scope of this world, or were they able to overlook the world from a higher ground like in the game?


    He didn¡¯t know if they were friends or foes, but there was a risk they would expose many of his secrets.


    While having them as friends would be reassuring to him, he still believed he should be cautious when contacting them.


    This situation was just the fruit of an unexpected development as he was carrying out a mission for Justus and he somehow ended up being asked by Giffelt to let him accompany him.


    And if he had to be honest, had he met Giffelt by himself, he might have turned him down, but Harold also had to serve as a buffer for Lifa, and he wanted to know how strong she was at this point in time.


    From there, Harold probed Giffelt with the ulterior motive of finding his opportunity with him.


    And just now, Giffelt spoke some decisive words.


    He told Harold about his sword, the one with a crystal embedded in it. He told him about how it was developed by Justus, ¡°the weapon that turns life force into mighty power¡±. As Harold was shocked in his mind, he admired Giffelt even more.


    (The name Giffelt isn¡¯t for show¡­ to think they had gotten this far¡­)


    The version of the story that Elu knew could be considered to be Justus¡¯ last line of defense, ¡°We don¡¯t need the weapon, but just in case¡±. That was the lie Justus had used to deceive the country¡¯s upper echelons so that he could move Harold as he wished.


    It was supposed to make it look like Harold had collaborated with the research using his own life as a form of payment so as to be spared from his execution.


    However, Justus couldn¡¯t officially announce a deal that allowed him to fiddle with a person¡¯s life, even if said person was a criminal, so only a handful of people were told the truth.


    But still, the Giffelts could be said to be quite the special group of information dealers, and seeing how they had the power to get information about national secrets, ones that concerned a weapon¡¯s development at that, their organization had surely reached a worldwide peak.


    And, the most dreadful part of that was that Justus had managed to pass under their radar. It would be considerably difficult to prevent such a man from becoming aware of a rebellion once it was put into action.


    However, Harold had assumed that from the beginning. And he wasn¡¯t over-confident enough to rebel by himself.


    As things were, it was difficult for Harold to move freely outside of Justus¡¯ directives.


    That¡¯s where his collaborators would usually come into play. And with Giffelt¡¯s information network, he could move them more efficiently. He wanted the clan to join his side by any means.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I see. So you¡¯re in that deep, huh¡±]


    Said Harold solemnly, seeming really serious. Faced with such an atmosphere, it felt like Giffelt¡ª Elu¡¯s face turned blue.


    Though Giffelt wasn¡¯t the expressive type in the game, this was convenient for Harold who could now read him ever so slightly.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve obtained information that only a select few are allowed to know in this country. I can¡¯t ignore that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. Then, are you going to kill me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, that would be the quickest solution.¡±]


    Elu couldn¡¯t breath. His face turned even bluer.


    ¡¾¡±However, I¡¯m not planning to do anything that foolish. It¡¯s not even worth considering.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You have some quite convenient abilities. Why not become my subordinate and put your talents to use?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Could it be that you¡¯re recruiting me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did you not hear what I just said? Are you deaf?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What you¡¯re saying is, if I refuse you¡¯ll kill me, or, or¡­..¡±]


    Elu murmured a line that Harold couldn¡¯t ignore. Even if he refused his offer, Harold had no intention to kill Elu at all.


    Certainly his phrasing could be interpreted that way, but he didn¡¯t want to force Elu¡¯s hand using such an extreme case of stress interview and make his impression of him even worse than it already was.


    ¡¾¡±It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you bastard live or die. If you want to refuse, suit yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Ooh. If that¡¯s true, then does that mean there is no risks for me if I refuse?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, that¡¯s not it. There is indeed a risk that you can¡¯t overlook if you decline.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, I¡¯ll explain. Don¡¯t you seek the¡ºStar memory¡»?¡±]


    Elu¡¯s facial expression crumbled like never before.


    It showed astonishment and doubt. It was hard to describe, a sort of mix between various emotions.


    ¡¾¡±H, how would you know about that.. don¡¯t tell me you¡­?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have no obligation to tell you¡±]


    He couldn¡¯t tell him that he had knowledge from the game. However, judging from his reaction, the Giffelts weren¡¯t cheat beings who held information about the world¡¯s Meta.


    Therefore it would be slightly easier for Harold to make contact.


    ¡¾¡±So, what will you do? Will you get one step closer to the Giffelts¡¯ dream? Or will you let that opportunity fly over your head?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­ I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s way too suspicious. I can¡¯t believe this because it¡¯s simply impossible¡­.. But it¡¯s certainly true that we¡¯re seeking that thing, no matter the cost.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, come confirm my words with your own eyes. There is no trust involved in the process.¡±]


    In the first place, as long as he proceeded as he did in the game¡¯s story, Elu would manage to obtain the¡ºStar memory¡»for sure. Harold was just talking big.


    Elu, who did not know that, agreed to Harold¡¯s negotiations after a short silence. He kneeled on one knee and bowed down his head.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll entrust you with my¡­ No, Giffelt¡¯s power. Please use it as you see fit, Harold-sama¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What I want from you is not good attitude, but results, nothing more.¡±]


    Said Harold, with his usual arrogance, looking down on Elu who respectfully kneeled before him. But in his mind, Harold was delighted.


    Giffelt had joined his side. If he combined that with his game knowledge, he just might be able to outsmart Justus.


    There were several months left until the time where the game¡¯s story began. And the foundations of his counteroffensive were steadily building up.l

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    ¡¾¡±Wait! What are you doing to Elu?!¡±]


    A voice forced itself in between Elu and Harold.


    Lifa, who had finished collecting the Hydra samples, dashed towards them in her white coat covered with red spots. In her eyes, Harold appeared to be bullying Elu.


    With just his right hand, Harold restrained her by grabbing her small head in what¡¯s commonly referred to as an Iron Claw.


    ¡¾¡±Nyaah !?¡±]


    Lifa let out a strange voice, surprised from the sudden shock and pain.


    The sight of a bloodstained person savagely approaching him roused Harold¡¯s revulsion.


    Though he wasn¡¯t one to talk as he was covered in hydra blood.


    As Lifa wriggled in resistance, Harold figured he couldn¡¯t keep this going forever and reluctantly released his grip.


    Lifa, now released from the iron claw, took some distance and threatened him.


    Just like a cat.


    Removing his eyes from her, Harold turned off his ¡°switch.¡± His excitement from the battle slowly died down.


    Harold called it a switch for convenience¡¯s sake, but in reality it was simply a method he had worked out to shift his consciousness to make use of the original Harold¡¯s power.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean Kazuki Hirasawa¡¯s consciousness was cut off. It was a kind of mind control technique which pushed forward the awareness of the original Harold¡­ or so he had perceived, but he didn¡¯t really understand the theory behind it.


    Based on his experiences in this world, he believed that the original Harold was sleeping in his body or his mind, but this was just Harold¡¯s conjecture.


    So he had started suspecting the circumstances that were forced onto him. Who was it that would take control of his body out to say and do things he hadn¡¯t intended?


    And the time he fought against Ritzert, where did the killing intent that poured from the depths of his mind come from?


    The conclusion Harold had reached by joining the pieces together was ¡°The Original Harold is within me.¡±


    To verify his hypothesis, Harold had tried various methods on countless occasions. At times, he¡¯d put his life on the line on dangerous battlefields in order to free himself from obstructive thoughts and turn off his consciousness.


    He would inevitably need this sooner or later to draw that power out during the game¡¯s battle events.


    As a result, Harold managed to acquire a new skill, ¡°switch.¡± He didn¡¯t know if that was proof that his hypothesis was right or that he had improved his mind control.


    What was clear, however, was that the switch buried his fear with battle instincts and considerably improved his combat capabilities. Even in life and death battles, he didn¡¯t even flinch.


    His body and skills were beyond what Harold¡¯s were in the game. He was very familiar with his custom fighting style and he now had the battle instincts of the original Harold.


    Speaking only of strength, the switched Harold was close to being in the best state Harold Stokes could possibly wish for as an individual.


    If he had to name a consequence of using the switch skill, it would be that his harsh words and complaints would become even harsher than usual. In his switched state, Harold¡¯s way of speaking was basically the same as the Harold from the game, so he preferred to keep to himself while switched.


    ¡¾¡±Calm down, Lifa. He didn¡¯t do anything to me.¡±]


    Elu calmly addressed Lifa who hadn¡¯t dropped her threatening stance.


    ¡¾¡±Then, then why are you kneeling?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, that¡¯s because I¡¯ve become his¡ª Harold-sama¡¯s subordinate.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh¡­?¡±]


    From Elu¡¯s words, Lifa let out a flat voice. Harold was in a similar state of mind.


    Elu said that he had become Harold¡¯s subordinate, which explained why he kneeled.


    That seemed to make perfect sense. However, Harold¡¯s intention had been to reach a mutually beneficial relationship where he would cooperate with the Giffelt family¡¯s search for the ¡ºStar Memory¡»in exchange for Elu¡¯s help.


    Thinking back on their earlier exchange, Harold¡¯s words did make it seem like he would be playing first fiddle, though he didn¡¯t go as far as suggesting a master and subordinate relationship. Perhaps he had been more overbearing than usual because the switch was turned on.


    Though he had been too busy mentally celebrating, he should have at least felt a sense of incongruity when Elu attached ¡°sama¡± to his name.


    (Rather, why would Elu agree with that? He¡¯d normally completely refuse becoming something like my subordinate or whatever, right? )


    When he thought he had gotten an ally, he had actually obtained a subordinate.


    By no means did he assume he would stand above the Giffelts. To begin with, he didn¡¯t even have confidence he could deal with Elu as one member of the clan.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t go getting the wrong idea here. All I said is that you¡¯d be working for me, bastard.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This one understands he does not deserve your trust as of yet. This one shall prove himself worthy with his future actions.¡±]


    Wrong. That was not what Harold wanted to say.


    In addition to the honorifics that were never seen in the game, Elu wasn¡¯t even speaking to him in first person anymore. This was getting creepy way too creepy.


    ¡¾¡±W-what do you mean by ¡®subordinate¡¯? Don¡¯t tell me you were threatened to¡­.!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Not at all. This is my own choice.¡±]


    Though the now awakened Lifa cross-examined him in an attempt to figure out his true motives, Elu denied her question head-on. There was no mistaking Elu¡¯s words. Harold was guilty of nothing.


    And at the same time, the question put some light on how Harold was perceived by Lifa.


    At the first suspicion she had of him, her reaction was to threaten him. She must have thought that he really was scum.


    Well, that probably meant the bad rumors about Harold had reached her, but Harold was sad because there was no real need for Lifa to hate him. Erica would probably tell her that he was a proper human being and clear up the misunderstanding once the two became friends later on, but still, he couldn¡¯t deny that it bothered him.


    ¡¾¡±If you want to earn my trust, start by changing that weird behavior of yours.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is it that bad? I was going for a loyal retainer-like mannerism.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, it gives me the creeps.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well I guess I screwed up.¡±]


    Hahaha, Elu laughed. And he easily turned back to his usual state.


    Perhaps he took on that mannerism to make fun of Harold. Or maybe he abased himself more than necessary for the sake of information on the Star Memory?


    Harold wanted him to confirm whether he was joking or serious about being his subordinate, but he put that aside for the time being as his priority was to descend the mountain. The weather was fine but his body told him the temperature was quite low, probably under 5¡ãC. (Tln: Under 41 ¡ãF)


    And yet Lifa was wearing a miniskirt, and Elu was wearing nothing but thick overalls and a cotton wrap around his chest. How are they not cold?


    Well, in the original work, Erica easily climbed mountains wearing what looked like lacquered Geta shoes and a Hakama. And in general, the hero¡¯s party members were all dressed in thin clothes, so there was no point arguing about that. It was just another part of the game¡¯s settings.


    ¡¾¡±It would be a waste of time to stay here any longer than this. Let¡¯s hurry and go back.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Alright. By the way, Harold, are you going back to the royal capital after this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The royal capital? It¡¯s been two years since I¡¯ve last been there.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s your business with the royal capital, bastard?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Business? Well, I¡¯m going to follow you there so¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    Elu tried to naturally step in as Harold¡¯s travel buddy. Harold was about to reject him on the spot, but then stopped to think about it.


    He had already been expelled from the knight order, so when he returned to the royal capital, he was going to stay in a room in the research center. And in that research center was Justus.


    Could he obtain some information if he introduced Elu to him?


    Thanks to his knowledge from the original work, Harold roughly knew what steps Justus would take and by what means he would take them. However, it was going to be difficult to crush Justus¡¯ project from its source if he didn¡¯t know the progress of his plans, and even if he did, there was a possibility that the world would deviate too much from the original work, rendering his greatest advantage, his knowledge about the game, completely useless.


    Therefore, Harold¡¯s imagination was constantly focused on counterattacking, and having rapid countermeasures against the events Justus brought about.


    In practice, Liner and the others were the ones who would actually be on the move, but still, supporting them from behind the scenes was going to be a major objective for Harold. Hence why he was gathering upright people, this time, he was fortunate and won over Elu.


    Borrowing Elu¡¯s talents, he could probably figure out how far along Justus¡¯ plan was.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll have plenty of chances to come in contact from now on so I also want to confirm the location of your dwelling.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Humph. Have it your way.¡±]


    Certainly, he had a point, they were going to meet pretty often. Besides, even if Elu met with Justus, Harold didn¡¯t need to worry about him revealing information by mistake or something.


    What was worrisome, however, was how much Elu knew about him.


    It seemed like he had grasped the series of events that happened to Harold from when he joined the knight order until the present time, but how about the things before that? Considering Giffelt¡¯s power, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they had thoroughly investigated Collet and the LP farming methods, but there were no proofs of that.


    And Harold didn¡¯t want to ask Elu not to speak of these things since it would be suspicious and could end up exposing him.


    As Harold was thinking things through and nodding to himself, Lifa, who had been contemplating to herself en route, made an abrupt declaration.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m coming along, too!¡±]


    Her remark was so baffling that time seemed to stop.


    Harold and Elu were utterly lost about why she wanted to come.


    ¡¾¡±What a merry train of thought. You have way too many shortcomings, and you¡¯re too high maintenance.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What? So it¡¯s fine for Elu but not me?¡±]


    Though his words had a sarcastic tone to them, he was telling the truth. If Lifa did not become Liner¡¯s comrade, the story wouldn¡¯t progress.


    In this world that wasn¡¯t bound by the scenario, Lifa not meeting Liner was an option, but of course, that would lower the hero party¡¯s strength. Especially since she played a part in resolving the miasma outbreak in the Sumeragi territory.


    If she came to his side, the damage would be impossible to predict. He wanted to avoid that.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. You¡¯re of no use to me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d become your subordinate. I¡¯m worried about Elu so I¡¯ll follow you to the royal capital and just return to my village afterwards.¡±]


    Said Lifa while gritting her teeth.


    Apparently Harold had just jumped to conclusions and she was just, seemingly unwillingly, requesting to travel together with him.


    However, if she was going to stop following at the royal capital, then it was no problem. He couldn¡¯t get involved if she returned by herself and ran into an unforeseen accident and died, so this was an advantage in terms of assuring Lifa¡¯s safety.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re worried? For this one?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. There is no way I could entrust Elu to you after all.¡±]


    You barely even know Elu¡­


    Harold had a hard time holding back that retort at her bravado.


    ¡ó


    Elu was looking at Harold, who was in the lead and advancing rapidly, as if he couldn¡¯t understand him.


    Rather than expressionless, Harold looked ill humored. And he wasn¡¯t just making a face, that was the default for him. Perhaps his angry eyes were one of the factors that made him appear to be bad-tempered.


    It had been three days since they had left mount Giran. And the only facial expression that Elu saw on him was this bad-tempered one, and the sarcastic, crooked smile that he often had when provoking Lifa.


    Harold was a man of a few words but his way of speaking was extremely bad. He appeared to be constantly putting his all into turning everyone around him into enemies.


    Elu hadn¡¯t figured him out on the inside yet, but from the outside, Harold couldn¡¯t be said to have a good character. Though Elu took pride in the many strong people he came into contact with, Harold really stood out among them, and not in a good way.


    If it weren¡¯t for the prospect of obtaining information on the star memory, he would never have even considered stooping this low. If that turned out to be a lie, he would disappear immediately without a shred of hesitation.


    That¡¯s what Elu, who shared only a few days with him, felt.


    So it wasn¡¯t hard to guess how people who had to deal with Harold day to day felt.


    Hostility, digust and scorn were all focused on Harold from his surroundings.


    Though the location was supposed to be quiet, Elu felt like he would start hearing hallucinatory insults at any time.


    This was people¡¯s evaluation of Harold at the¡ºAstral Research and Development Center¡»where he was living.


    Lifa, who had been consistently energetic so far, cowered beside Elu, even though she had been extremely excited about embarking on a ship for the first time a few hours prior.


    She was supposed to have far stronger willpower than any average man, and yet she was frightened by emotions that were directed to someone other than herself. Even Elu had to concentrate on slowing down his steps and suppressing the urge to hurry and leave this place even one moment sooner.


    The animosity of the people from this research center towards Harold was that severe.


    Even though Harold was drowning in said animosity, he didn¡¯t seem to be disturbed by it.


    He had no fear of being struck by those ill feelings, but he didn¡¯t show any anger to oppose them either. He didn¡¯t show an attitude of shrinking back from it or being fed up with it, and he didn¡¯t put it any conscious effort to try to erase his facial expression either.


    Indifferent. That was the word that best described Harold.


    (I wonder what he went through to be accustomed to this¡­)


    It¡¯s difficult to disregard so much attention on one¡¯s self, whether it¡¯s friendly or hostile. All the more so when this extreme attention came from such a great number of people.


    Elu suspected that Harold was lacking a basic emotion that normal people possess.


    If not, then Elu had to admire Harold for his motivation to do this, no matter if said motivation was righteous or evil.


    Harold¡¯s feet unexpectedly came to a stop. At the end of the corridor, before their eyes, was a white door.


    A knock resounded. After a few seconds, the door was opened with a clank.


    The man who came out of it seemed to be in his thirties. He frowned for a moment once he realized the one knocking was Harold. It seemed Harold was hated like some kind of abomination.


    ¡¾¡±¡­What¡¯s your business?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t ask the obvious, imbecile. Do you want to show off your low status that much?¡±]


    (The moment he opens his mouth, he¡¯s guaranteed to be hated. )


    With a harsh environment like this, the man should have expected this outcome. There was no room for sympathy here, and let alone from Harold, who didn¡¯t care about anyone around him and most likely had no use for sympathy whatsoever.


    The face of the man receiving those harsh words instantly turned red, and his eyes glinted fiercely. He was quite obviously furious.


    He was trembling in anger, but regardless, the man tried to somehow ward off Harold¡¯s words.


    ¡¾¡±The chief is in the middle of an experiment. For your report, you¡¯ll have to come back when¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You should have been told that my report is the top priority. Or did you forget even that? Then just tell him I¡¯ll be coming back later. Even with your infantile memory span, you should be able to manage that. Well, if you think you can¡¯t handle it, I won¡¯t force you¡±]


    His sarcastic and provocative words kept coming out one after the other. Hearing this confirmed one thing, Harold was going extremely easy on Lifa with his badgering. His words were many times harsher now.


    As for the man, he seemed like he could die of apoplexy at any moment as he gave Harold a forbidding look. And then, when the dangerous atmosphere between the two was about to reach its climax.


    ¡¾¡±I am of the belief that some quarrels have their benefits, and some are futile. Which are you two going for? I don¡¯t know about you, but I expect it wouldn¡¯t be the beneficial kind.¡±]


    A voice flat enough that one could doubt whether it came from a human. It had come from the back of the room with the white door.


    There, was a man with white hair and a pallid face. While he had a tall and lean figure, his back was slightly bent which made him seem somewhat frail. But his most striking feature was his cold, dull eyes.


    This was Justus Freund. A scientist who represented the royal capital.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    After Justus¡¯ intervention, Elu and the others were invited to his reception room. It was a calm room made entirely of wood, from the floor to the ceiling, including the walls. It didn¡¯t quite fit the image of a research center.


    The room was also perfectly clean and tidy, and on the south side, there was a wooden sunroom where a few colorful flowers were growing.


    How should I say this, that doesn¡¯t match the impression I got from Justus¡¯ appearance at all. Those were Elu¡¯s frank thoughts. Next to him, Lifa looked similarly surprised.


    However, when Elu thought about it, Justus was only the research center¡¯s chief executive. It was unlikely that he would be involved with the interior design of the building, or that he would personally manage a reception room that had no direct relation to his research.


    So the room was probably made based on the preferences and the original concept of the one in charge of the room. However, when Elu thought about it, Justus was the research center¡¯s Chief Executive. It was unlikely he would be involved with the interior design of the building, or that he would personally plan a reception room unrelated to his research.


    So the room was probably based on the preferences and concept of the original designer.


    ¡¾¡±So, where¡¯d you leave the tea cups?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Just sit the hell down. Who¡¯d want to drink that disgusting tea you make?¡±]


    Even towards the man who, according to Elu¡¯s information, was supposed to be Harold¡¯s direct superior, he had no mercy.


    However, while his mouth said those words, his hands were skillfully preparing a teapot and as many cups as there were people. It was a surprising spectacle for Elu and Lifa.


    ¡¾¡±Who said anything about you drinking it? I was just trying to entertain these ladies¡±]


    (TLN: People tend to assume Elu is a woman, but we still don¡¯t know about that, he probably keeps it ambiguous on purpose)


    ¡¾¡±Oh, so you want your guests to see your stinginess in all its glory, you¡¯re as vicious as ever.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Says the one who ensnared a girl while on duty. You want to get yourself a side wife?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Like hell I¡¯d willingly marry such a thin girl.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯d consider it if it was a voluptuous woman. Good luck getting your fianc¨¦e to approve of a mistress.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How ridiculous for a scientist to jump to conclusions so easily. If you judge everything with such extreme logic, then that astral body research you take so much pride on isn¡¯t all it¡¯s cracked up to be.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And who¡¯s the one who benefited from that research? Careful what you say, you¡¯re being rude.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You better worry about yourself, bastard, your dementia is getting worse. Did you forget how many times I broke my engagement with that girl?¡±]


    Their verbal war kept going without eye contact. The other two spectated the savage exchange in mute amazement. While they argued without interrupting each other, they inversely seemed to be in perfect harmony.


    But even though the content of their talk was completely hostile, the atmosphere between Harold and Justus was surprisingly calm. Of course, there wasn¡¯t even a ghost of a friendly atmosphere between them, but despite the enmity they threw at each other, their exchange seemed more like a business conversation.


    There was a very mysterious sense of distance to it.


    Meanwhile, Harold had served them tea.


    Elu and Lifa were on a two-seater Sofa, and Justus was sitting face to face with them, as for Harold, he alone sat down by a window at a distance.


    ¡¾¡±Oh well. Please pay no heed to that eccentric man, you two¨D which reminds me, I haven¡¯t heard your names yet, have I?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I- I am Lifa Goodridge.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My name is Elu. It¡¯s quite an honor to meet the famous Dr. Freund.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m Justus Freund. Please don¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±]


    It was quite abnormal for something like that to be said without a smile or any expression at all. Well, Elu thought, I don¡¯t quite fit in the normal category either.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you for your concern.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So, why are you two here? I don¡¯t suppose you were invited by Harold, that would mean you¡¯ve been through a cataclysm.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, actually Lifa is the one who¡­¡±]


    Elu poked Lifa¡¯s arm with his elbow. After that signal, Lifa started to speak.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m interested in magical research and I¡¯m actually studying it myself. So I asked Harold to let me meet and speak to an expert of the field and¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±With his reputation being what it is, we thought the one he worked for might fit the criteria.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see, it¡¯s quite unusual for that guy to accept a request like that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, it seems he was interested in an idea of hers that could involve the use of astral powers, though it¡¯s not really part of her research.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oho¡­.¡±]


    Explained Elu, taking over Lifa¡¯s conversation. Justus took a sip of his drink while looking at Harold with a stern face, as if he was telling him he had been too careless.


    The setting they had agreed upon was that the two friends, Lifa and Elu, had been staying together in the town of Attis where they happened to meet with Harold, and since they were aware of his connection to Doctor Justus, the two kept pestering him to bring them along with him.


    Elu¡¯s first task had been to make an impression on Harold. When Lifa asked Harold to accompany her on her trip to mount Giran, she made a deal with him, a sort of trade-off stating¡¾¡±If you lend me your strength, I¡¯ll accept your terms¡±]. Though she hadn¡¯t expected the outcome of her words at the time, Elu believed that if he brought up that deal in this situation, it would be beneficial for Harold.


    So, while having instructed Lifa to back up his words so that he wouldn¡¯t be exposed, Elu tried to read any information he could make out of Justus¡¯ words and conduct. However, even though he had been careful about more or less everything, he made no progress.


    Therefore, he focused on Justus¡¯ research on magic¨D or rather, on what he called ¡°astral bodies.¡± But still, it was quite difficult for Elu to do much more alone.


    Perhaps having anticipated that, Harold spoke to Elu beforehand Perhaps having anticipated that, Harold had spoken to Elu beforehand, saying,¡¾¡±I¡¯m not expecting much. I¡¯ll consider any knowledge you achieve as a gain. Other than that, focus your whole attention on making sure that he doesn¡¯t notice any relation I might have with the Giffelts.¡±]


    Even Harold himself was that vigilant. In other words, the man called Justus was extremely troublesome.


    Elu thought back on the chain of events which surrounded Harold five years prior. He considered the all-powerful puppet master who was even able to manipulate the Tribunal, still hiding his identity.


    Maybe that puppet master was Justus, or someone close to him.


    Elu¡¯s honest thoughts were that if Harold was going to make him confront someone like that, he should have told Elu everything he knew. But Harold refused to do it, or perhaps he couldn¡¯t, which led Elu to believe Harold still had some big secrets.


    Well, he¡¯s obviously no ordinary man after all.


    (For now, I¡¯ll concentrate on the problem before my eyes. I can¡¯t lose my focus when facing this one.)


    Elu reined his thoughts in and put impregnable defenses on his mind, ready to resist any scrutiny, while he smiled naturally, challenging Justus so the two would sound each other out.


    ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s pov)


    ¡¾¡±But you sure do know a lot about Harold.¡±](Justus)


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s probably ¡¯cause someone¡¯s been slyly spreading rumors around as they please.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t know there were people like that. They¡¯re really the complete opposite of me, as I¡¯ve only been speaking the truth about you.¡±](Justus)


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, thanks to them, I get gloomy looks wherever I go, it¡¯s really annoying.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t know you were that sensitive. That discovery should be written down in the record books.¡±](Justus)


    You¡¯ve really been telling people whatever you want, thought Harold spitefully. He couldn¡¯t hide that resentment as it oozed out of his words and his facial expression.


    Needless to say that the one responsible for spreading Harold¡¯s bad reputation and ruining his image was none other than Justus himself. His ulterior motive was likely to isolate Harold and put him in a helpless state to make it easier to bind him. There is no such thing as a person who would be benevolent enough to help someone they heard only bad rumors about, so for now, Justus¡¯ expectations had been met with a huge success.


    Because of him, Harold got stuck with the extremely disturbing alias that is Knight Killer.


    Moreover, his reputation was very bad with the staff of the research center where he lived. But there was no helping it since, from their perspective, they were the direct neighbors of an evil murderer who couldn¡¯t be described as a human being, and Harold had his faults, too.


    To put it briefly, his open hostility frightened them. And so, Harold started living with his Switch constantly on whenever he was in the research center, with the exception of his room. Otherwise it would have been too hard for him to keep calm. His explanation was that human hostility was much more frightening than any mighty monster.


    Hence, Harold¡¯s words became even worse, thereby increasing the staff¡¯s animosity, and trapping him into a vicious circle. And that¡¯s basically what led to the current situation.


    ¡¾¡±But what I¡¯m wondering about is that idea of yours that piqued Harold¡¯s interest. Can you tell me about it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. I wondered whether I could combine magic, which relies on an individual¡¯s nature, with the versatility of science and what I figured was¨D¡±]


    Lifa¡¯s self-made science and magic hybrid technique. Harold had instructed her to talk about it but to pretend that it was still just a theory.


    Though Harold had many reasons, his biggest motive was to use Justus¡¯ technology and ideas to strengthen Lifa¡¯s power. From her fight with the Hydra, he deemed that the power of her attacks was not sufficient and that it needed to be raised further.


    Truthfully, he initially intended to take care of the problem by meddling with Liner¡¯s group from the shadows later on, but this way was more efficient. Each man knows his own business best, so it was better to leave science to an actual scientist.


    Naturally, since Lifa was going to join the Hero¡¯s party, she would have to fight with Justus sooner or later. It would disadvantageous if he was aware of her means of attacks when that time came. But that was just the logic on paper.


    But no matter how smart he was, it was unlikely that Justus would consider the battle aspect behind those researches at this point in time. It would be difficult for him to find countermeasures even once he found out his opponents had Lifa in their ranks.


    At that time, Liner¡¯s and the others¡¯ obstructed plans would just have to be corrected. Furthermore, Harold would secretly intervene and put his game knowledge to efficient use. And there wouldn¡¯t be much time wasted either, aside from the correction of the plan.


    That¡¯s why he dragged Lifa to the research center despite being aware of the risks. It could be said that he had found a heaven-sent opportunity, even though it wasn¡¯t on purpose.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..Mhm, I can understand why Harold was interested.¡±]


    Justus let that thought escape him after listening to some of the theories developed by Lifa. By the way, though Harold was listening, there were too many technical words and he only understood about half of it.


    Although Lifa had the appearance of a child, her brain was capable of developing antibiotics and obstructing Justus¡¯ plans, she was more than qualified to be referred to as a genius. Average as he was, there was no way Harold could follow this conversation of prodigies.


    ¡¾¡±So, what do you think? Are there some things that I can improve or¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Although I can¡¯t really say without putting this into practice, there are several points I have some thoughts about. I wouldn¡¯t mind teaching you, but I¡¯m already too busy as is.¡±]


    Justus shifted his eyes to the room¡¯s clock. He probably didn¡¯t have much more free time left.


    Unable to get any advice, Lifa could only reply¡¾¡±I-I see.¡±]dispiritedly, but Justus¡¯ next words were surprising.


    ¡¾¡±But your ideas and points of view are certainly wonderful. You can stay here for a while if you want. We¡¯ll get to discuss lots of things whenever I have some time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh, really?¡±]


    Shit, Lifa bit the bait without thinking. No, even I didn¡¯t think he would be willing to spare part of his private time. That Justus doesn¡¯t care much for other people.


    Lifa¡¯s theories must have tugged at his heartstrings.


    However, the more she stayed the more the risks increased. Every little thing she exposed from there on out could reveal the secrets of Harold & co, one after the other.


    ¡¾¡±Hold on, Lifa, if you do that, we¡¯ll get back to the village too late and our lie will be exposed. You do know uncle won¡¯t just forgive you after one good scolding this time, right?¡±]


    The one who interfered with that predicament was Elu. Harold didn¡¯t know if Elu came up with this on the spot or if he had prepared himself beforehand. But Elu was surprisingly natural as he came up with a lie that explained why they couldn¡¯t stay for too long.


    At first, Lifa¡¯s expression looked blank as she didn¡¯t understand what Elu was saying, but she soon accurately grasped the situation and her little face became pale. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, she seemed to become frightened upon imagining the scolding from the uncle that Elu spoke about.


    ¡¾¡±What does this mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The two of us come from a small village. Most of the villagers there make a living by working in the fields and raising livestock. Since it¡¯s that kind of village, Lifa, who¡¯s devoted to science, stands out a little, and her family has strictly told her to stop wasting her time on research.¡±]


    What Elu was talking about were Lifa¡¯s actual circumstances in the game¡¯s story. It was no lie.


    Though Harold wondered how Elu knew about that, Lifa¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t turn surprised but embarrassed. In other words, Lifa had probably personally told Elu in the previous days. It seemed like, in just a few days, their relationship had deepened to the point where she didn¡¯t mind speaking to Elu about things like that.


    ¡¾¡±Though this time I went as far as Attis, I actually lied to my parents that I was going sightseeing in the Royal Capital. So I cannot stay for too long.¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±Mhm. Then, how long can you stay?¡±]


    If it were up to Harold, he would have answered¡¾¡±We can¡¯t.¡±]without a second thought.


    However, that was not Elu¡¯s answer. After a few seconds, he answered with a serious face.


    ¡¾¡±Two weeks is our limit.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? But it¡¯s just as I thought. You are smart. I¡¯d have had some doubts if you had directly replied that you can¡¯t stay.¡±]


    From those words, Harold slowly understood Elu¡¯s intentions. And a cold sweat ran throughout his whole body.


    From the earlier conversations, there was no way Elu didn¡¯t know the time it took to go from their village towards Attis and the royal capital. And upon their meeting with Harold in Attis, they boarded a ship together with him towards the royal capital. Considering the time Harold¡¯s given duty would take and the time it took him to come back, everything was pretty clear.


    Usually, it would be unlikely for two girls who came from a small village by themselves to travel using something as expensive as a boat. At best they¡¯d come by carriage, at worst they¡¯d come on foot. Either way, there was a wide difference in speed when compared to a ship.


    And yet, they came to the royal capital. Whether the royal capital was on the way towards their village or not, considering the Royal Capital¡¯s distance from Attis, it would be strange if they weren¡¯t considerably in advance of their initial schedule.


    If they had been late, they probably wouldn¡¯t have bothered to meet with Justus at all. Whatever reasons they came up with, there was no way for them to justify not having any time in excess.


    Harold had believed that Elu¡¯s lie had no weakness, that it was perfect.


    However, far from being just turned down by Justus, Elu gave him enough information to make Lifa and himself stay.


    And the worst part was Justus¡¯ last words. They implied that he didn¡¯t trust Elu in the slightest. This way, it became impossible for Elu to make any rash moves.


    ¡¾¡±When you want to return, I¡¯ll find you a ship that will get you to the closest town to your village. That way you¡¯ll be able to extend your stay.¡±]


    Proposed Justus. But in Harold¡¯s ears, that proposition sounded like a death sentence.

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    From the stone fountain at the center of the research center¡¯s garden, clean water was flowing smoothly into a basin.


    Without sparing a glance at that flow of water or the garden¡¯s blooming flowers, Harold was sitting on a bench with his hands resting on his knees, contemplating the distant sky. But the reflection of that sky was nowhere to be seen in Harold¡¯s eyes. All he could see was the word ¡°Regret,¡± with all the heavy feelings that came with it.


    (I got way too carried away¡­)


    He couldn¡¯t deny that he jumped the gun at getting a reliable friend in Elu, one of the original story¡¯s characters.


    But his opponent was Justus. The last boss.


    He should have been more cautious, however, as soon as things took a turn for the better, he acted rashly. I¡¯ve been way too bold, he thought bitterly.


    The worst part was that Elu could have become his trump card but had now been marked. With Elu under suspicion, the actions he could accomplish without help had become limited.


    Like this, the pace of securing people to strengthen Liner¡¯s group was back to its starting point. It could even become worse than what Harold had initially planned if Justus¡¯ surveillance tightened due to his suspicions. Harold was drowning in raging streams of self-loathing.


    As he was stricken with that feeling, a person¡¯s shadow approached behind him. Harold¡¯s eyes were still pointed at the sky, but he was somehow able to sense whose presence it was.


    ¡¾¡±May I sit here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Why bother asking when you already know the answer?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But you didn¡¯t reserve this seat, right?¡±]


    Meeting Harold¡¯s sarcasm head on, Elu sat down next to him. However, there was so much distance between the two that another person could fit in the middle.


    As they both kept silent, time quietly ran by.


    Isn¡¯t it suspicious for the two of us to be alone in such a deserted place? Although Harold had such a reflection, he immediately thought again ¡°it¡¯s too late for that already.¡± It was clear as day that Justus¡¯ words were a threat along the lines of ¡¾¡±I have my eyes on you.¡±]


    So Justus probably wouldn¡¯t question Harold if he insisted that he was having a more in depth chat with Elu. Even if someone approached them, they would notice since their field of view was wide open. They didn¡¯t need to worry about anyone eavesdropping.


    As Harold thought about these things, Elu finally opened his mouth. And his first words were an apology.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m very sorry. Not only did I fail to get the results you hoped for, but I even gave him a chance to press us.¡±]


    Harold couldn¡¯t answer right away.


    Elu did not need to apologize. Rather, at that time, it was thanks to Elu¡¯s followup that there was no fatal error. In the first place, Elu¡¯s job was to handle information, that didn¡¯t prepare him for the role he was assigned.


    The problem was Elu mistakenly blamed himself. He couldn¡¯t get that feeling out of his mind and he was currently in a state of self-loathing.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself. I told you I didn¡¯t expect much from you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Right, you did say that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Look, It¡¯s your problem if you want to feel responsible for my mistakes, but don¡¯t drag it behind you and let it come back to bite us later. If you¡¯re going to get stuck in that kind of state of mind, you better get rid of that shitty guilt of yours right now.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you trying to cheer me up?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you really think that¡¯s possible?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Guess not. Oh well, If that¡¯s how it is, then I suppose I¡¯ll just switch my mood.¡±]


    Elu raised both of his arms to the sky and stretched himself. Perhaps it was Harold¡¯s imagination, but Elu¡¯s voice and countenance seemed to become lighter.


    He took a deep breath, and then, he continued talking with a somewhat worried face.


    ¡¾¡±The issue is that, while I can recover like this, Lifa cannot.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It seems like she regrets reflexively taking Justus¡¯ invitation.¡±]


    Lifa had misunderstood. The one who allowed her to follow him and convinced her to come along to the research center later on was Harold himself, Lifa was just used and dragged into this.


    Normally, from Lifa¡¯s point of view, she would stand to gain more from associating with Justus than Harold. Well, that eventuality would be troublesome so Harold wasn¡¯t going to prevent her from siding with himself.


    Unable to comprehend Harold¡¯s facial expressions, Elu seemed confused.


    ¡¾¡±Is it that surprising? Anyone would be worried when getting in their friend¡¯s way.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I don¡¯t recall making friends with that girl.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Maybe, but you sure don¡¯t have many friends.¡±]


    Said Elu while looking at Harold with a surprised look. And Harold couldn¡¯t really argue with that.


    When speaking of friends, the first person to come to his mind was Itsuki. Though Harold hadn¡¯t seen much of him lately, their friendship was still going. They had been friends for nearly eight years.


    (TLN: Itsuki = Erica¡¯s big brother)


    However, Harold couldn¡¯t come up with anyone else.


    Strictly speaking, Liner, who he fought in the competition five years ago, wasn¡¯t really his friend. The same went for Robinson, Sid, and Aileen, who were Harold¡¯s classmates in the Knight Order. He hadn¡¯t seen them since his destitution.


    And although Harold was mentally older than Zen, the servant at the Stokes residence, their physical ages were too disparate, so they never achieved a great sense of comradeship. As for Erica, she and Harold were like cat-and-dog.


    In conclusion, Harold¡¯s only friend was Itsuki. Thinking back upon his situation again, his interpersonal relationships were frail, and his friends few. But that was only natural since Harold¡¯s mouth would spit insults whenever he initiated contact with someone or anyone else approached him.


    As Harold was finding excuses for himself, his mouth let out the words of a sore loser.


    ¡¾¡±Things like friends are a waste of time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But that depends from one person to another, doesn¡¯t it? And in Lifa¡¯s case, friendship seems to be important.¡±]


    Harold was no stranger to that feeling, even though it was a mystery why she would recognize him as a friend after the ridicule he put her through on their journey here. Nevertheless, if Harold casually went to comfort her, his unrestrained words would only add fuel to the fire.


    But from Elu¡¯s words, Lifa was feeling considerably down, so Harold wanted to at least indirectly tell her not to worry.


    However, now was not the time.


    ¡¾¡±Hmph, who cares?¡±]


    The truth was that he did care, but there was something he wanted to speak of with Elu so he forcibly changed the topic. He had better tell Elu now while there was still little worry of someone eavesdropping.


    ¡¾¡± Leaving that aside, bastard, I¡¯ll tell you about the job I¡¯ve granted you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m listening.¡±]


    Sensing the change in atmosphere, Elu adjusted himself.


    There were two things that Harold wanted Elu to do. But before that, he had to explain to Elu about the group that he made, under the radar, by recruiting people throughout his missions.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll get the power to make use of the organization that I¡¯ve started.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Your organization?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s a mercenary group called¡º[Frieri]¡».¡±]


    In the game, Frieri was a mercenary group started by Cody, after he resigned from the knight order, by recruiting fallen mercenaries. That organization did basically everything, be it escort missions, war, monster subjugation or even looking for various things.


    However, due to Harold¡¯s many actions, Cody didn¡¯t leave the knight order. On the contrary, he got promoted further than he ever was in the original story.


    Based on the game, there were events that were supposed to be cleared by cooperating with Frieri, but a major premise of that happening was Cody¡¯s resignation from the knight order. Without that, Frieri wouldn¡¯t come to exist. In short, Harold was afraid that this would interfere with the progress of the original story.


    Fortunately, Tasuku left a portion of the revenue generated by LP farming in Harold¡¯s name, so there were no financial troubles with the early expenses.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll get to make use of them? I¡¯ve never commanded a battle before.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That will be handled by the men on site. I¡¯m giving you the authority to decide whether Frieri should take action or not. And you may also mobilize them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Are you seriously going to give that kind of authority to a newcomer like me?¡±]


    Harold wanted to tell him that he knew where he was coming from. This position was Hardly fitting for Elu.


    However, Harold could see that Elu had it in him to eventually make it. He was someone who could use a plethora of information to get a correct, extensive, and profound understanding of a situation. Even though it would be difficult for him to handle battle command and tactics, he could demonstrate his abilities when it came to managing an organization.


    Above all, Harold¡¯s group was short-handed and just didn¡¯t have anyone better than Elu to take command of Frieri. And if Harold couldn¡¯t make friends with Elu then he would have to leave the role to one of the other mercenaries he had gathered. But he suspected that bunch would overdo it either way.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll establish the organization¡¯s course of action and give out the essential instructions. Your role will be to handle the other, smaller instructions, and to mobilize Frieri when I¡¯m in a position where I can¡¯t make a move myself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s quite easy to say, but really, it¡¯s a big responsibility, isn¡¯t it?¡±]


    Good grief, said Elu as he let out a sigh.


    That¡¯s the only reaction he showed while speaking of a ¡°big responsibility.¡± And yet, he murmured to himself¡¾¡±Could this be a show of trust¡­?¡±], but the truth was that he made this mutter audible on purpose.


    Since it didn¡¯t seem necessary for Harold to give any importance to this, he naturally just disregarded Elu.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, how many people are there in Frieri?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There are 14 people, but that¡¯s not enough. You gotta make use of your clan¡¯s information network and scout some capable people.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s fine, but what about the money? Without a reasonable amount, It¡¯s going to be hard to entice mercenaries. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯re talking about the small change you¡¯ll need to hire mercenaries, just name the price and I¡¯ll pay.¡±]


    Harold was being serious, his capital had increased to a significant sum. If Harold didn¡¯t have to worry about death flags and the future collapse of the world, he could retire right away and live a full, comfortable life.


    Well, if he hadn¡¯t possessed Harold¡¯s body in the first place, then it would have been complicated for him to develop the LP farming method and rebuild the Sumeragi family.


    ¡¾¡±How generous. Where on earth did you get that kind of money?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t need to know.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Too bad. Well, I get the gist of the situation, now I¡¯d like to see that Frieri group with my own eyes to get a sense of it but¡­¡±]


    Elu cut himself off with a worried groan. His line of sight was turned towards the research center¡¯s buildings.


    To be more precise, he was probably looking at the reception room where he had been with Justus just before. That alone was enough for Harold to understand that Elu felt badly about his slip of the tongue.


    There was no doubt Justus had marked Elu as a suspicious individual in the earlier meeting. And was it really possible for someone as careful as Justus to let a person of interest like Elu roam around freely?


    This was no place for optimism. Getting carried away could only end badly. From here, Elu had to assume Justus was always watching his every action.


    ¡¾¡±If you have a method to slip through that guy¡¯s surveillance, we can go right now.¡±]Who ?


    ¡¾¡± Let¡¯s hold off on that. Well, I mean, I did think of a method, but considering the current conditions, I have a request.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Speak.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯d like to get in touch with Frieri by myself. So I want you to give me something to prove that I was sent by you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s your motive?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s to deceive Justus¡¯ eyes.¡±]


    Harold figured Elu was saying that moving alone would be less conspicuous.


    Certainly, Elu would stand out if he was seen together with Harold, and it would make it seem like Harold was plotting something. Especially now.


    ¡¾¡± So please inform the people from Frieri that I will be arriving by myself. I will keep my appearance, age, and gender completely hidden, since I don¡¯t want to give out too much information in the interest of concealing Giffelt¡¯s nature. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t you want to spread the name of Giffelt?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s just useful for gathering information and gaining some prestige. Being recognized as Giffelt on personal business carries a high risk.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, that¡¯s fine with me, as long as things go smoothly.¡±]


    Harold understood Elu¡¯s concern and had no reason to refuse. So long as they weren¡¯t unreasonable, Harold wanted to avoid refusing Elu¡¯s requests as much as possible, since he would be troubled if their arrangement broke down. Elu seemed to think he had become a subordinate, but the fact of the matter was that Harold thought of him as a comrade


    However, in the game¡¯s story, Elu had introduced himself as Giffelt to Liner and the others; perhaps it was somehow beneficial to his family. Maybe he knew that he could reach the star memory with Liner¡¯s help.


    Though Harold believed that was due to the stretched, distorted logic of the game¡¯s system.


    ¡¾¡±Thanks. Also, one more thing.¡±]


    Elu¡¯s words roused Harold from his deep thoughts.


    Now was not the time to think about this.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re not done yet? Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m not going to ask for anything big. I¡¯d like you to give me a few hours of your time tomorrow.¡±]


    It certainly wasn¡¯t anything big.


    Harold didn¡¯t have any missions scheduled for the next day, or even for a while after that, so he basically had too much free time and didn¡¯t mind giving it away. Harold believed that relaxing in his time off would drastically increase his risk of dying.


    ¡¾¡±It better not be for something stupid.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course not, it¡¯s for something very important. For our future.¡±]


    Elu showed a smile of deep significance. But Harold failed to notice the meaning behind it.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    The day after meeting Elu in the garden, Harold woke up in the gloom of dawn before sunrise.


    He got ready quickly and went outside, silently leaving the premises of the still sleeping research center. In his hands were the two swords he used in his fight against the hydras.


    Having taken an adequate distance from the research center, Harold was swinging his two swords left and right, as if he was facing invisible enemies.


    On top of that, he also made use of his hand-to-hand combat techniques, throwing some punches and kicks between the sword slashes.


    This was the self-discipline he had applied to himself almost every day for the last eight years. His strength, speed, and accuracy had reached a whole new level from where he had started. The wild yet elegant sword dance he displayed would overwhelm any witnesses.


    The short version was that Harold was practicing the game¡¯s combos. For him, it was like a hobby that happened to bring some profit.


    However, as the proverb says¡¾¡±Perseverance is the key to success¡±]And even considering the high specs of Harold¡¯s body, there was no denying that this was the result of his own efforts. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill the two hydras so effortlessly.


    Harold continued his training for two hours straight without a break, as if there was no limit to his endurance. Although he was drenched in sweat when he finished, his body was still terrifying as it had plenty of energy to spare.


    After a cold bath to wash away the accumulated sweat, Harold walked through the research center as if he owned the place while staff members started showing up here and there. Of course, he had turned on his Switch.


    So the hostile gazes piercing him were no trouble and he arrived at his destination without a hitch.


    That destination was the dining hall, and it had rather open feel to it. A portion of its walls were made of glass, and the morning sunlight streamed in, making the room brilliant with reflections.


    This dining hall could be used day and night, and even from early in the morning for the sake of the staff members who stayed up all night.


    Harold had become a regular customer here, ever since he gave his body to the research center. Though the staff of the dining hall hated Harold as much as the other personnel did, they had already given up on interacting with him so it didn¡¯t matter.


    Harold properly made his order, and with the breakfast he received, he settled down at his usual position, a table for two, by a window. By the way, Harold didn¡¯t stand out much at the current time since there weren¡¯t many people, but even at lunchtime, the seats around him were always empty. In addition, his back was riddled by malicious gossips and the intermittent impudent gazes that were fired at him.


    Like this, Harold¡¯s lonely ways kept on steadily growing worse.


    As Harold took his meal while coming up with such a sad self-analysis, a noisy group of people entered the hall. Lifa and Elu were among them. There were about ten people in the group, and, excluding Lifa and perhaps Elu, they were all men.


    By the standards of the research center, the men surrounding the two were on the young side. However, even the youngest among them was in his mid-twenties, which was still a decade older than Lifa. Come to think of it, just how old is Elu? While Harold was considering that, Lifa and Elu sat down near the center of the dining hall, and 20 other people sat wherever they could on the same long table.


    Perhaps it was a ¡°let¡¯s get to know each other¡± kind of gathering. He could feel the ulterior motives that came from the men, but the man to woman ratio was about 9 to 1 so there was no helping it. Lifa looked very young, but by this world¡¯s standards, people wouldn¡¯t point their fingers at someone having a relationship or marrying her.


    From Harold¡¯s point of view, she looked like a middle school student, and she sometimes behaved like she was in grade school, so all these adult males surrounding her reeked of depravity.


    Incidentally, Harold was curious how the surrounding men would react if Elu¡¯s still-uncertain-gender happened to be male.


    As Harold thought of that, his eyes suddenly met Elu¡¯s. Elu smiled for just an instant and merely gave Harold a nod.


    Though their relationship wasn¡¯t close enough for them to understand each other through eye contact, Harold figured this probably meant something along the lines of¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m watching over her.¡±]The day before, Harold had told Elu to avoid leaving Lifa by herself as much as possible, for he didn¡¯t like her getting in contact with Justus.


    Perhaps Elu¡¯s action was intended to soothe Harold¡¯s worries.


    Elu was a very reliable person so Harold trusted him. Therefore, Harold moved his chin as if telling Elu¡¾¡±I know already, just get back to it.¡±]Perhaps Harold¡¯s meaning had gotten through, as Elu joined the chat between the people sitting with him.


    That must have been the occasion for Elu to gather some information.


    Thus, Harold returned his focus to his meal, and silently ate the same food from the same standard menu he usually ordered.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to empty his plate. When he stood up to leave the dining hall, his surroundings became noisy for some reason. Moreover, the focus of that noise was Harold himself.


    While he certainly was as hated as he could possibly be, he had no clue what would cause a reaction like this. The moment Harold¡¯s feet stopped to find out what was happening, a voice came from behind him.


    ¡¾¡±Harold, you¡¯re leaving? Where are you going?¡±]


    The one standing there was Elu. Next to Elu stood Lifa, who had been dragged along by her hand. Her face showed a little awkwardness.


    Looking at the seats where the two were supposed to be, the men from the earlier gathering turned their line of sight towards Harold in hatred. Even Harold couldn¡¯t help but wince a little from that resentment.


    They probably were thinking that two beauties had just been snatched away from them by a detestable man. Their hostility was different than usual so Harold decided not to look at them.


    ¡¾¡±Where I¡¯m going is none of your business.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It is. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d give me some of your time yesterday?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I said we¡¯d meet midday.¡±]


    It was still around 7:30 in the morning now.


    Few people would describe this time as midday. But perhaps Elu was among those few.


    ¡¾¡±I heard that you were basically constantly free. So I thought we could do this a bit earlier.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even then, you should have confirmed that first.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, sorry. Then, do you have anything to do right now?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    He had nothing to do. In fact, he had so much spare time he could leave and go on a trip right away if Elu had asked him.


    Had it been up to him, Harold would have suggested they go as far as the hot springs of the Sumeragi house. His Japanese mindset was always seeking a bath.


    ¡¾¡±If it¡¯s fine, then please. I think it would be good if we could have more time for the first date between the three of us.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±D-date?!¡±]


    Lifa yelled hysterically. Because of that, those shocking words even reached the staff members who were looking closely at Harold and the others.


    Instantly, a wave of killing intent came from the numerous staff bachelors. Harold got the impression they might rush him, shouting¡¾¡±Chiri to tomoni messeyo!¡±]Though he probably wouldn¡¯t lose one-on-one in a close quarters battle, if he were outnumbered by enemies following the Way of the Shura, he would most likely be annihilated. It¡¯s not like he could deal with having his heartbeat stopped.


    ( Evil Ryu, who follows the way of the Shura, shouts ¡°I¡¯ll stop your heartbeat!¡± at the end of his fights.)


    (¡­Wait, no! This isn¡¯t Street fighter!)


    Harold somehow managed to straighten his confused and jumbled thoughts. This confusion only served to show how daunting Elu¡¯s words had been.


    Though this uproar depended on Lifa getting surprised, Elu wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would accidentally attract attention in a place like this, so he probably had some kind of motive to purposely drop a bomb like a fake three person date.


    However, the only one in this place aware of that was Harold.


    For all the others, what they saw was a man, unanimously hated by everyone, the lowest of the low, trash lesser than a human being, who wanted to take two beautiful girls out on the town and keep them close. There was even a chance that some guy would show up, driven by righteous indignation, to ¡°rescue Elu and Lifa from Harold¡¯s vicious ways!¡±


    To avoid being involved in these kinds of troublesome matters, Harold made a strategic withdrawal.


    ¡¾¡±So, Harold. Wait for us at the main entrance! As for the specific time of our meeting, it¡¯s¨D¡±]


    Elu ostentatiously announced these words to Harold¡¯s retreating back. Due to that merciless final blow, Harold was convinced that Elu was making trouble on purpose. If Elu was going to act like this, then Harold would have preferred to be notified about that in their earlier conversation, rather than them talking about moving the time of their outing up.


    This situation had become even more troublesome for Harold.


    ¡ó


    Although the morning¡¯s various events had robbed Harold of his energy, he arrived promptly at the time specified by Elu. His arms folded and leaning back against the gatepost of the research center¡¯s main entrance, Harold waited with a sullen expression.


    ¡¾¡±Hey there, sorry to keep you waiting.¡±]


    One of the people he had been waiting for, Elu, appeared without a hint of shame. Facing Elu¡¯s fresh smile, Harold didn¡¯t feel like complaining, but instead would prefer Elu explain the motive behind his earlier behavior.


    The dining hall¡¯s matter seemed to have already spread across the whole research center, and now he was getting looks of resentment from every direction. He didn¡¯t feel any real danger to himself, but it was extremely annoying.


    However, what Harold was the most worried about was Lifa¡¯s suspicious behavior.


    ¡¾¡±G-Good morning¡­¡±]


    She looked depressed, didn¡¯t meet his eyes, and her voice was shaking, showing her nervousness.


    From all these elements, Harold reached one answer.


    (Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s still feeling down from being tricked by Justus)


    Certainly, he had told her not to give Justus any opportunities to exploit. She was sorry for not being able to abide by that, while simultaneously being afraid of a scolding from Harold.


    Though he was told about this beforehand by Elu, Harold didn¡¯t think Lifa was that dispirited. She had made herself small, like a kid who was being scolded.


    As Harold stepped forward, Lifa jumped back in surprise.


    Without minding that, Harold put his left hand on Lifa¡¯s head. And then, after securing his grip, he applied some strength, once again inflicting an iron claw on her.


    ¡¾¡±It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!¡±]


    After watching Lifa struggle for about three seconds, Harold loosened his hand.


    Now free, Lifa glared at Harold, as expected.


    ¡¾¡±Just what are you doing?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Waking you up.¡±]


    Without elaborating, Harold passed out of the research center¡¯s gates.


    Lifa followed behind him while raising her voice in protest. Unaffected by that, Harold¡¯s ears picked up the words that Elu was telling to himself as he smiled wryly.


    ¡¾¡±Did he do this so they could get even? ¡­Perhaps.¡±]


    Harold was a little surprised that Elu understood his actions that accurately, though he didn¡¯t necessarily need him to do so.


    The reason for his action was his belief that, judging from Lifa¡¯s character, words alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to get through to her, and even if words were an option, he didn¡¯t know what kind of insults would pop out of his mouth if he thoughtlessly tried to comfort her and cheer her up.


    From an outside perspective, it would be very hard to notice Harold¡¯s concern. Usually, it was almost impossible for him to communicate properly.


    Lifa seemed to be dissatisfied on the way to the town¡¯s center, but when the group arrived at Main Street, the royal capital¡¯s pride, Lifa¡¯s mood immediately improved. ¡°Wow!¡± She shouted in joy as she merrily walked to and fro down the street. She fit the image of a country bumpkin perfectly. It was as if whatever had made her feel down had been completely forgotten.


    While Elu warmly watched Lifa¡¯s retreating figure, Harold addressed him in a low voice, so that only he could hear him.


    ¡¾¡±Now tell me, what¡¯s the meaning behind this farce?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I thought that, if we are under suspicion anyway, we might as well take the initiative and make ourselves stand out.¡±]


    That was apparently the conclusion Elu had reached, but Harold couldn¡¯t figure out his aim.


    Sure, doing these kinds of things in public not only focused the research center¡¯s attention on Harold, but on Elu and Lifa as well. Perhaps doing this would make it harder for Justus to make any moves on the two?


    That¡¯s all that Harold could come up with. His game knowledge wasn¡¯t of much use for this kind of thing.


    ¡¾¡±More importantly, Harold. Did you prepare the item I requested yesterday, to prove that I¡¯m one of your people?¡±]


    Elu suddenly changed the subject. Meanwhile, Lifa was scrutinizing the display of a store that sold fancy goods. Seems like she has quite the girly tastes, thought Harold rudely.


    ¡¾¡±If you hold onto this, you¡¯ll be recognized as a comrade.¡±]


    As he said so, Harold took out a key made of silver, with a crest engraved on it¨D Frieri¡¯s logo. It was a fine piece he obtained through roundabout means, not by asking an artisan of the royal capital, but a worker in some town he dropped by during a mission.


    While he was at it, Harold had also written a letter with his own handwriting, containing information that only he would know, in which he stated that Elu would be taking command of the organization.


    ¡¾¡±Is this a key to the hideout¡¯s door?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It just looks like a key for show.¡±]


    It was only made to smoothly confirm whether someone belonged to Frieri or not, so it didn¡¯t have any purpose as a key.


    But since it was shaped like a key, if an outsider found it, he would probably look for a door he could use it on. That¡¯s why Harold had the idea of giving it this shape, to mislead people. But frankly speaking, he had some afterthoughts.


    Incidentally, the current members of Frieri had been given bracelets and copper coins with the same logo. It was a craftsmanship that demanded some skill so it ate up a non-negligible amount of money, but Harold was satisfied overall. He believed it was important to invest in some nice-looking equipment for the organization¡¯s first steps.


    Though Elu looked with curious eyes at the unusable key he was given, he seemed convinced for the time being.


    ¡¾¡±Mhm. By the way, where is the the base located?¡±]


    Harold silently handed Elu a sheet of paper. Naturally, the place written down on the paper wasn¡¯t in the royal capital, which was basically under Justus¡¯ feet. Having said that, it would be difficult to travel there quickly if it was too far from the royal capital, and it would stand out if people started gathering in a small town.


    A town that was far enough from the royal capital that Justus¡¯ influence couldn¡¯t reach it, and yet was relatively well populated and developed. That¡¯s where Frieri¡¯s stronghold was located.


    ¡¾¡±You better not lose it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Roger. Then, let¡¯s stop talking about work for a moment and enjoy our sightseeing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t need to go looking around here¡­¡±]


    Harold had been living here for more than five years, so there were almost no places that he didn¡¯t know.


    He instinctively let out a sigh. When he thought about how this whole troublesome situation came to be just for the sake of this one discussion, Harold felt a headache.


    But that did not affect Elu¡¯s smile.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t say that. I know there is nothing fresh for you and I to see in this town, but for Lifa it¡¯s¡­. Oh!¡±]


    Elu staggered as a man, coming from the opposite direction, jostled his shoulder. It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to fall down, but Harold still immediately grabbed Elu by his thin shoulders and supported him.


    Elu¡¯s body was quite delicate. Though Elu¡¯s exact age had never been officially established in the game¡¯s lore, judging from his appearance, he was around 16 or 15. Was it really possible for a man of that age to be this thin?


    Though Harold had never stopped to consider this up until now, he suddenly had these thoughts. In a way, Elu was the most mysterious character of the game¡¯s story.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you. You¡¯re unexpectedly kind.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Stop with the blabbering, moron.¡±]


    Embarrassed from being called kind for the first time in a very long while, Harold suddenly let go of Elu. Having noticed the gesture, Elu was chuckling at him.


    In his awkwardness, Harold pretended to be oblivious and went to secure Lifa, who was bustling around the street and was about to become a lost child.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    For Lifa, life in the royal capital was full of freshness and stimulation. There, were numerous things she could never see or experience through her whole life in her village.


    Although she seemed like she had spontaneously forgotten about the state of affairs thanks to this great environment, she still wasn¡¯t able to enjoy herself from the bottom of her heart due to the considerable self-reproach she felt from troubling Harold with her careless conduct.


    To get rid of these pent up feelings, all she had to do was to give him an apology, but whenever she met Harold face to face, she would give him a tit for a tat in response to his usual provocations, and she would always end up losing the timing to apologize.


    And, on the third day of her stay, her heart was still unsettled. On this day, she finally had her first discussion with Justus.


    It only lasted for an hour or so. However, it was enough to impress Lifa from how formidable Justus was.


    He offered her new perspectives, and new ideas. One after the other, he found new ways to improve some points of Lifa¡¯s logic that she had deemed to be perfect until now. Lifa felt guilty, but considering that this could improve her magic, her excitement far exceeded any shame or regret that she felt.


    However, Lifa¡¯s mood still hadn¡¯t cleared up.


    ¡¾¡±Haaah¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t look well, Lifa-chan. What¡¯s wrong? ¡°]


    It was around the time the sun started setting. As Lifa was relaxing in a free space, a man who happened to be present called out to her. Even though she didn¡¯t remember his name, Lifa still showed a courteous smile.


    The man sat down, facing Lifa, as if it were natural.


    ¡¾¡±Nothing really¡­.¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±Earlier, Lifa asked the boss about the technicalities of one of her inventions, but it turned out to have more shortcomings than she expected so she¡¯s feeling a little down.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mister Justus is really merciless¡­¡±](man)


    Elu nonchalantly sat next to Lifa and joined the conversation. That was a lie made up so that the man wouldn¡¯t inquire too much. The last few days, Lifa had started feeling like she didn¡¯t want to talk much with the staff members.


    ¡¾¡±But if that¡¯s all, there is nothing to worry about. I thought for sure that bastard had given you a hard time.¡±]


    And this, was the reason for her reluctance. The staff members always brought up Harold, in a more or less hostile way.


    Their malice came to be because of Harold¡¯s inhuman behavior that they learned about from hearsay and his behavior in general, in other words, this was Harold¡¯s responsibility. She didn¡¯t feel like ignoring that and covering for Harold.


    Harold¡¯s personality certainly was twisted, whenever he opened his mouth, all that would come was wave of sarcasm, cynicism, and scorn. She could understand how people would dislike him.


    However, for Lifa, that wasn¡¯t all there was to Harold.


    He took the risk of fighting a hydra for a request that was based on a mere verbal promise. And Harold kept his promise even in the state of emergency where two hydras appeared at the same time. If he really was evil, he would have immediately run away, and yet he helped without any hesitation.


    Would an outrageous, selfish person, honestly keep such a promise? Lifa, at least, didn¡¯t think so.


    He could have done it expecting to reap some returns later on, but in the end, this only served to help Lifa¡¯s research, it didn¡¯t seem like Harold himself had benefited in any way.


    ¡¾¡±Well, there is no need to be cautious, he hasn¡¯t done anything to us.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s to make you lose your guard! You should stay away from that guy.¡±]


    The man insisted on how dangerous Harold was. For him, it was probably a fact, and he was likely really worried about Lifa and Elu¡¯s well being.


    However, that just made Lifa confused.


    The man kept going on and on, hurling abuses about Harold. While listening to him, Elu questioned the man about why he was saying such things, so as to investigate Harold¡¯s past. It wasn¡¯t a conversation Lifa was eager to listen to.


    As Lifa had such thoughts, she felt worse and worse. Or rather, she felt actually sick.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­Sorry, I¡¯m going back to my room.¡±]


    Saying that while not paying attention to the two¡¯s voices, Lifa left her seat. Without looking back, she returned to the room allocated to her, lied down on her bed and pulled her futon¡¯s blanket all the way up to her head.


    This was a habit of hers.


    Whenever she received a harsh scolding from her mother, whenever her research met a dead end, in short, whenever something bad happened to her, she would bury herself in her futon and try to calm her mind within the darkness. As she lied in her bed while holding her knees, various thoughts were going in circle inside Lifa¡¯s head, she was thinking about her doubts regarding Harold, and about the regrets she had from her actions, but she couldn¡¯t reach a solution.


    She didn¡¯t know for how long she kept doing this but when Lifa came to herself, she realized she had fallen asleep in that same posture. She had probably been in her bed for a while as she was sweating buckets and her shirt was sticking to her skin, making her uncomfortable.


    She groaned a little as her face slowly came out of her bed. When she peeked to check the outside of her window, the dark veil of the night had already arrived. It seemed she had been sleeping for a quite a long time.


    ¡¾¡±Are you up?¡±]


    She turned over towards the direction of that voice, and there was Elu, who was reading a hardcover book using only the light of Lifa¡¯s bedside light. Suddenly closing his book, Elu took a tray from a table and brought it to Lifa.


    On the tray were a sandwich and a salad. Moreover, Elu poured some ice water from a jug to a glass and handed it to Lifa.


    ¡¾¡±How are you feeling? I brought you some snacks, but if it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll go bring some more from the dinning hall.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, this is fine. Thank you.¡±]


    Lifa didn¡¯t feel all that hungry so this was enough. First, she drank half of the ice water she¡¯d be given, and then took a deep breath.


    Elu was watching Lifa with gentle eyes. Lifa was a little embarrassed from that gaze.


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It looks like you¡¯re worrying about a lot of things, I wonder if we could talk about that. Maybe I¡¯m putting my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, but still.¡±]


    Apparently, Elu had guessed what was going on in Lifa¡¯s heart. Well, she wasn¡¯t particularly hiding her thoughts either as she wanted to talk to Elu about that.


    While thinking this, Lifa slowly started talking about what was on her mind.


    ¡¾¡±Elu, what do you think of Harold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you asking me if the rumors about him are right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes¡±]


    Elu accurately figured what Lifa wanted to ask about. Perhaps he had held similar thoughts.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t really know. His manner of speaking is bad, and I can¡¯t say he has a good personality, but he¡¯s not a cruel man that you could portray as some sort of evil murdering fiend either. If I may borrow his words, it seems like someone has been spreading bad rumors about him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Now that you mention, he did say that¡±]


    Maybe that explained it all. In that case, maybe Harold wasn¡¯t such a bad person.


    However, as Lifa started leaning in that direction, Elu pulled her right back.


    ¡¾¡±However, there is no smoke without fire. Judging from his personality, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he caused some big problems here and there and accumulated grudges all over the place. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t really know¡­. Or rather, there isn¡¯t much that is known about Harold in general, so I can¡¯t make a verdict based only on the information I have on hand. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±But you seemed to know a lot about him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That was just based on rumors. Like with the tribunal¡¯s case, his informations are usually kept hidden. He¡¯s likely concealing them himself, but that¡¯s all I know, he probably has many secrets.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harold¡¯s secrets¡­..¡±]


    He was given the death penalty based on circumstantial evidence, without any positive proof. There was a high chance that the execution had been arranged by someone. Moreover, following that masquerade, he was sent as a test subject for the research center so as to avoid the execution.


    All that Lifa knew about the situation was what Elu had taught her, but there were a lot of strange points to the story. Why did Harold wear a uniform of the Sarian Empire? And why did the man who was involved in the deliberations suddenly lose his mind when he was asked about the case? There were too many mysteries remaining.


    And at the very center of all this, was Harold. Lifa couldn¡¯t even guess how many secrets Harold really had.


    ¡¾¡±Maybe it¡¯s going to be difficult to not be influenced by the voices surrounding you, but remember you can decide what to do after evaluating him with your own eyes. That¡¯s your privilege as a person who gets to be near Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Yes, you¡¯re right. Thank you, I feel a bit better.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s great.¡±]


    Now that Elu brought that up, Lifa realized how right it was. Lifa always did what she wanted to do without sparing a thought for the voices of the people surrounding her and whatnot. Even though she was told to stop trying to become an inventor, and that it was an impossible goal for her, she still made her own decision, went through with it and came to where she currently was.


    She esteemed people the same way she esteemed an object¡¯s value, based on the well defined standards she had established within her. Or rather, that¡¯s how it should have been, but for some reason, when it came to Harold, she was completely lost.


    (Maybe deep down, I just don¡¯t want Harold to be a bad person¡­.?)


    That thought suddenly crossed her mind.


    He was shunned by his surroundings, excluded. He was solitary, no one befriended him or understood him. His circumstances were similar to Lifa¡¯s, who was treated as an oddity in her village.


    Maybe she had overlapped Harold¡¯s situation on her own, so she might have subconsciously convinced herself that if Harold was a good person, then she could prove that she was good as well. It was shameful but when she thought about it, it made sense.


    What kind of man was Harold? She couldn¡¯t see his true colors. Lifa had only perceived the parts of him which appeared on the surface, she hadn¡¯t tried to understand his insides.


    Because of Lifa¡¯s nature, these thoughts became unbearable to her. In the blink of an eye, she ate up the sandwich and the salad in front of her.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You shouldn¡¯t eat so fast.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I want to go meet Harold, just for a short time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±At this time of the day?¡±]


    Elu pointed at the clock while smiling wryly at Lifa who started moving in a hurry. The clock indicated that the next day was coming soon. Harold was possibly already asleep. Even if he wasn¡¯t, this was no time for visits.


    And, what surprised Lifa the most was that she had been asleep until this time.


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, I¡¯d probably bother him if I go now¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, it¡¯s a good time to go night crawling.¡±](Tln: Elu says Yobai, you¡¯re free to search that)


    ¡¾¡±I won¡¯t!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I won¡¯t stop you, and I¡¯ll even keep it secret.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Keep this kind of solicitude to yourself!¡±]


    While firmly retorting to Eu¡¯s mockery, Lifa gave up on visiting Harold. Because of how late it was, Lifa decided to go to bed, but since she had been soundly asleep until right before, she had a hard time becoming sleepy.


    For several hours, she kept turning around then staying motionless in her bed again and  again. By the time the light of dawn started coming to the sky, she still hadn¡¯t been attacked by drowsiness. It was a familiar sky for Lifa who had many sleepless night from getting too enthusiastic about her research and development.


    In any case, she wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep, so she decided to take a stroll and breath in the clear air of dawn, in order to change her mood. She left the room silently so as not to wake up Elu who was sleeping next door.


    As a matter of fact, Lifa really enjoyed morning walks, it was refreshing to her. But, her village was small, the people there mostly made a living through agriculture and raising livestock, so they generally started their day really early. There were many families that started moving even before dawn.


    When she went out in that period of time, Lifa, who was isolated in the village, stood out whether she liked it or not. She could only go out normally after sunset.


    Lifa didn¡¯t have to live such a rigid life here. She was slowly going around the research center¡¯s premises at her own fancy.


    At that time, her ears picked up the sound of wind being sliced. Lured by that noise, Lifa¡¯s feet changed path towards a sheltered place, separated from the research center.


    There stood Harold, who was freely handling two swords of different shapes.


    It was captivating. Harold¡¯s sword handling was like a sophisticated dance that could fascinate any onlooker. When he killed the hydras, Lifa was too close so she wasn¡¯t really aware of what was going on, and above all, she had been so frightened by Harold¡¯s overwhelming strength that her mind couldn¡¯t catch up. However, looking at him fighting again, she realized how beautiful it was.


    It was the first time she felt the beauty of combat.


    Lifa had no sense of how much time had passed. Her preeminent concern was just to watch Harold in fascination.


    In the end, only when Harold¡¯s sword dance came to an end did Lifa come back to her senses. Harold put his two swords back in their scabbards at his waist with a cha-ching.


    That was the signal that pulled Lifa back to reality, like a curtain coming down on a stage she had been absorbed into. Then, she suddenly recalled her original purpose.


    It was still early morning so there were no onlookers. It was the perfect opportunity for Lifa to have a talk with Harold without anyone overhearing them.


    His training seemed to be over as well, so talking to him wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance. Thinking that, Lifa took her first step forward, and almost simultaneously, Harold casually took off his shirt, exposing his upper body. He wasn¡¯t trying to display his body, it probably felt gross to wear the shirt as it was soaked in sweat so he just took it off.  He surely didn¡¯t expect that someone was watching.


    However, Lifa was taken by surprise, and just like that, Harold¡¯s exposed upper body was suddenly neatly burned into her eyes.


    Because of his tall height, Harold appeared to be quite thin when he had his clothes on, but his body actually had no excess flesh at all, and his muscles were like a masterpiece of pure efficiency where flexibility coexisted with strength. His body was strong and yet elegant, as if it had been sculpted by hand.


    Looking at this body of the opposite sex was just too much stimulus for Lifa, who had absolutely no experience with romance.


    Her pulse jumped up. As she felt her blood rapidly rising, Lifa didn¡¯t have to look at a mirror to know that her face was currently bright red.


    Harold¡¯s back was turned the other side so he hadn¡¯t noticed Lifa¡¯s presence yet. She had to leave immediately, for both their sakes.


    Though she knew that in her mind, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Harold¡¯s well-trained body. She had no control over her body, It was like her feet were sewn on the ground.


    And, at last, Harold turned around.


    The two¡¯s eyes met. Harold¡¯s deep crimson eyes shot right through Lifa. She had seen them many times so far, but right now, for some reason, she was entranced by those pupils that seemed to say ¡°I don¡¯t care about you, scum.¡±


    Lifa had no words. Despite all the thoughts she had a little while ago about having a talk with him, she couldn¡¯t say anything, be it greeting him or giving him an explanation about her staring at him. Her heart was beating fast, and she just stood there, all she could do was to take slow breaths over and over again.


    In contrast to Lifa who was in that kind of state, Harold¡¯s movements weren¡¯t affected when he noticed her presence. He came up to Lifa with his shirt hanging on his right shoulder.


    Lifa¡¯s thoughts were boiling to the point where she couldn¡¯t even think about what to do or what was happening.


    Harold finally arrived in front of her. Even so, he didn¡¯t stop walking, and the moment he passed by Lifa¡¯s side, he approached his mouth close to her ear and whispered. Perhaps due to the intense exercise he had just been through, Harold¡¯s voice had a warm feeling to it as it reached Lifa¡¯s earlobe.


    ¡¾¡±Did you take peeping as a hobby? How splendid of a so called genius inventor.¡±]


    As Harold addressed her with his usual sarcasm, Lifa felt a shiver going along her spine. It wasn¡¯t fear, but another sensation she didn¡¯t know.


    Harold left her with those words and went away as if nothing had happened. Left by herself, Lifa sat down on the spot as if her back had broken down.


    Strange. A strange thing she had never experienced before had occurred to her body. However, she didn¡¯t know the cause.


    Even so, she was certain of one thing, and that was that she wouldn¡¯t be able to look straight at Harold¡¯s face for a while.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    Lifa had been strange lately. That¡¯s the feeling Harold got, because the times he actually met face to face with her were decreasing drastically.


    If that was it, maybe he¡¯d have thought it was just a coincidence, but he doubted that since, whenever she saw him, Lifa would turn around and go back to wherever she came from. Maybe she was tired of his careless abusive language and took some distance.


    The last time Harold had talked to her was a few days prior. At the time, he wanted to advise Lifa, who was observing his daily early morning training, by stealthily whispering to her¡¾¡±You should stop going out of the research center by yourself.¡±]. And, as usual, his words turned into sarcasm. Perhaps that was the cause of the current state of affairs.


    Looking back on his behavior so far, his misconducts had just been accumulating so this result wasn¡¯t strange in any way.


    There were no demerits to being disliked by Lifa, but unlike in Erica¡¯s case, there was no guarantee that Lifa would become an ally, therefore, Harold was worried that she¡¯d switch sides and go with Justus. In the worst case scenario, Harold would have to consider taking her in his own camp instead of sending her to the main character¡¯s party.


    To avoid this what-if scenario, Harold had been looking for solutions, and apparently, Elu knew the reason behind Lifa¡¯s change of attitude. Although Elu didn¡¯t want to get into the details for some reason, Harold was relieved to learn that the situation wasn¡¯t all that serious and would most likely not bring any harm to him.


    At any rate, Lifa¡¯s change weighed on Harold¡¯s mind, so he really appreciated that Elu stayed with her since it considerably decreased his worries. Harold believed that as long as Elu was involved, he¡¯d somehow manage. Elu was that reliable to him.


    Especially in situations like the one that was currently happening, as he had to leave the research center to do a mission for Justus.


    (¡­¡­ Speaking of, just how far is the meeting place?)


    A few days ago, he was called by Justus to get his new mission. It was nothing unusual. The unusual part however was that the task wasn¡¯t commissioned by Justus but by a third party.


    Ever since Harold had been working under Justus, that was a first.


    He hadn¡¯t been told where to go or what to do yet, but it seemed like, this time only, he¡¯d be informed about the details directly from the client at the meeting place. Incidentally, Harold had been told beforehand that he couldn¡¯t refuse the client¡¯s demands.


    And what startled him the most was a message that Harold received from Justus the previous night. Though that in itself was quite frequent, the strange part was the content of the message¡¾¡±Be careful not to use your power too much. Remember, you don¡¯t have that much longer to live, Harold.¡±]


    That ¡°power¡± probably referred to the sword made by Justus. That sword with the crystal embedded in it that supposedly absorbed the user¡¯s power, and cut down his life to grant him a herculean strength. By making Harold seemingly carry that kind of risks, Justus convinced the higher-ups to disregard the danger Harold represented and make him a subordinate. In other words, it was all a pack of lies.


    In the first place, what pushed the higher ups of the knight order and the members of the tribunal to come to the conclusion that Harold was dangerous were Justus¡¯ lies, therefore, he himself had no reason to be worried about that.


    So the message was likely made to be heard by a third party, and not Harold himself.


    (Maybe someone intercepted it and Justus actually did this on purpose to turn the tables on that person?)


    Harold cast his eyes down at the wristband-like device coiled around his arm.


    It was a terminal equipment, developed by Justus, that made it possible to send voices to another material with a similar source of magical power by attaching said material to to an astral body. It appeared to be like some kind of substitution of science with magic, but when Harold asked Justus to explain how it worked, Justus laughed at him scornfully and told him that no amount of detailed explanations would make him capable of comprehending this.


    That attitude really angered Harold, but he had no understanding of that kind of specialized knowledge, so he just let it go for the time being.


    The device¡¯s system worked by recording the voice first and then sending it, so it wasn¡¯t possible to have a real time conversation with it like with a phone, and the more distance there was between the two terminals, the longer it took for the message to arrive. Be that as it may, in this world where telephones didn¡¯t exist, it was a ground-breaking invention.


    What Harold was wearing was a test prototype. If Justus successfully commercialized this, his fame would rise yet again, and he¡¯d make lots of money.


    While he thought about this and that, Harold was being jolted around in a horse-drawn carriage.


    Two whole days had passed since he left the royal capital. The sun was already halfway down the horizon, and as Harold was dejected, thinking the ride would keep going for the whole night again, the carriage started slowing down.


    When the carriage came to a complete stop, its door was opened from the outside.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ve arrived. Get off.¡±]


    The very unfriendly rider lowered the carriage¡¯s staircase.


    As Harold got off the carriage, he found himself in some sort of town square. The city¡¯s business district, or what looked like it, was thoroughly illuminated by the street lights and the lights at the store fronts, and even though the night was coming soon, the people were brimming with energy.


    However, Harold no memory of that town. Perhaps it didn¡¯t exist in the game¡¯s story, or perhaps it just wasn¡¯t part of the game¡¯s map. (Tln: Was the game open-world?)


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s this place?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s Kablan.]


    Though the town hadn¡¯t come up in the game, he had heard of the name in his life within Harold¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t know if the term ¡°provincial city¡± existed in this world¡¯s language, but when compared to the towns and cities scattered across the country, save for the royal capital, this city was extremely well developed.


    ¡¾¡±What am I supposed to do here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I wasn¡¯t told. My task was just to bring you here.¡±]


    As he said that, the rider got on the carriage and quickly rode away.


    Isn¡¯t this going a little too far? I have no idea where I am or what I¡¯m supposed to do, I¡¯m just stuck here. As Harold was at a complete loss about where to go¡­


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s wrong? What are you just standing here for?¡±]


    Someone called out to him from behind.


    Harold reflexively responded to that voice. In normal times, he¡¯d have probably immediately realized who was calling out to him. That familiar voice brought a feeling of nostalgia in him.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s none of your fricking business you¨D¨D¡±]


    Upon looking back towards the source of that voice, Harold was at at a loss for words. He had an aghast expression, rarely ever seen on his face.


    ¡¾¡±It is kind of my business though. Or are you denying our friendship?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ The hell are you doing here, Itsuki?¡±]


    The one who stood there was Itsuki Sumeragi, Erica¡¯s older brother, also known as Harold¡¯s only friend.


    ¡ó


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    The next day after Harold departed for his new mission, the atmosphere in the research center was somehow calmer than usual. Perhaps that was due to Harold¡¯s absence?


    Moreover, Lifa, who was now Elu¡¯s temporary roommate, had regained the composure that she had lost for several days. However, the implications of that were the complete opposite of what other people perceived.


    It wasn¡¯t not that Lifa didn¡¯t want to see Harold, but rather that she didn¡¯t want to be seen by him. And Lifa herself didn¡¯t seem to realize the cause behind this.


    (Who¡¯d have expected this kind of development. It would be premature to call it love, but she¡¯s become really aware of him ever since that day. )


    On that day, Elu found signs that Lifa had slipped out of her room, so he followed behind her without her noticing. That was to abide by Harold¡¯s instruction of not letting Lifa be by herself if possible, regardless of the fact that Lifa had simply went out for a stroll.


    In the middle of her walk, Lifa happened to come across Harold, and, at that moment, she likely felt a strong sense of appeal towards the opposite sex.


    Harold had a constantly displeased expression on his face and sharp eyes that could kill a person, yet he was attractive. Even by the standards of Elu, who had many male acquaintances, Harold¡¯s looks were top class.


    He had good facial features and a well trained body. If he whispered something close to someone¡¯s ear while fully displaying those looks, it wasn¡¯t that weird for said someone to crumble on the spot, depending on the person. Moreover, it didn¡¯t seem like he did it intentionally.


    Perhaps Harold was some sort of natural lady-killer. When Lifa and Elu visited the research center for the first time, Justus teased Harold about getting himself a second wife, but he wasn¡¯t necessarily off the mark.


    And that¡¯s why Lifa¡¯s emotions had been in shambles up to now, but today was the day of the second meeting with Justus, which Lifa had been waiting for, so she seemingly managed to clear her mind of idle thoughts. She was very proud and in high spirits as she had, based on the gains from her first meeting with Justus, prepared new ideas for the second meeting.


    Elu really wanted to learn from Lifa, who switched her mood so easily. As Elu observed her while thinking that, the time of the meeting came.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go, Elu!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, yeah.¡±]


    Lifa, who had been constantly looking at the clock, tried to pull Elu out of the room by force. Elu, who wasn¡¯t particularly fond of being dragged on the floor, decided to follow her pace so that they wouldn¡¯t be late. There was no way he was going to let Lifa confront Justus alone.


    However, Lifa seemed a little bit too passionate. She was certainly very eager to learn, but maybe she was also desperate to get rid of the anomaly in her emotions, to which she still didn¡¯t know the cause.


    Either way, Lifa was trying too hard. Though Elu gave her a warning just in case, he had to back her up so that she wouldn¡¯t give Justus any opportunity to take advantage of.


    If he had to be honest, Elu didn¡¯t want to get involved with Justus more than necessary. Elu knew very well that it would be extremely difficult to get any information from Justus without exposing himself.


    But making up excuses to not go, at this point in time, would be akin to confessing that something shady was going on. Justus¡¯ perception and thought process were far from average after all. He was basically a monster.


    Which made it all the more ridiculous for Elu to willingly go to the man¡¯s office to wait for him. Elu jeered at himself. However, this was the job that Harold had entrusted him with, so he had no other choice than try his luck and deal with it.


    And that¡¯s why, Elu came to Justus¡¯ office. However, when he knocked on the door, there was no response. Usually, he¡¯d have been received by one of Justus¡¯ assistants, but it didn¡¯t look like there was anyone inside at all.


    It was already past dinner time, and those assistants were dedicated to their research day and night. It was hard to believe that all of them, at the same time, had gone to sleep or eat.


    ¡¾¡±Oh? Is no one there?¡±]


    Lifa reached her hand to the doorknob without any hesitation. The knob soon stopped turning and the door opened with a clank.


    When the two peeked into the room, there was no light, and not a soul in sight.


    However, upon a closer look, there was a dim light coming out of the door that led to Justus¡¯ personal laboratory. It seemed like Justus was inside.


    Elu considered what to do. Normally, it would be fine to just go inside the office since they had an appointment. Even if Elu examined the office, and then later on insisted that he had just arrived, there would be no way to actually prove that he lied, moreover, if he managed well, maybe he could get some important information.


    But this unusual situation was too advantageous for Justus.


    Harold wasn¡¯t there, and all the other researchers were out as well. If Justus planned to do something to Elu and Lifa, this was the perfect opportunity for him. Considering that, Elu had to thread carefully, any mistake could bring back some severe retaliation.


    Elu was hesitating. But in the end, the answer he reached was still to take the gamble.


    Harold had warned Elu not to take any risks. However, Elu knew better than anyone else that, if he followed that warning, he wouldn¡¯t be able to draw any information from Justus. Justus was that strong of an opponent.


    Although this was for his job, Elu didn¡¯t want to clash head on with that man. So far, he had taken a pretty big safety margin so as not to expose himself as being Giffelt, like Harold had told him to.


    So why did Elu choose not to do that this time? That was because his mind wasn¡¯t thinking straight, he was too impatient to gather information. Had he been composed, Elu would not have made such a reckless decision.


    The compensations Elu would get for cooperating with Harold were indications regarding the star memory. This star memory was a gathering of information that gave one the ability to know about everything in the whole creation, be it in the past, the present or the future.


    Obtaining it was everyone¡¯s dearest wish in the Giffelt clan that was in a constant pursuit for knowledge and information. Elu wasn¡¯t sure this was true, but he had heard that the Giffelt clan came to be for the sole purpose of finding it.


    And he feared that, if he didn¡¯t show himself useful to Harold, he would be back where he started, without a single clue about the star memory¡¯s whereabouts. Therefore, to gain Harold¡¯s trust, Elu wanted to get some useful information by any means necessary.


    Elu put his index finger on his mouth to instruct Lifa not to make any noise. Once he confirmed that Lifa understood him, Elu very silently walked across the room. Lifa followed behind him timidly. She did quite well considering that she wasn¡¯t used to moving stealthily.


    Inside the room, the two arrived before the door that led to Justus¡¯ laboratory. On the right, Elu approached his ear while being careful not to let his silhouette appear behind the door¡¯s blinds, and Lifa did the same on the left side of the door.


    And then, the two¡¯s ears picked up something.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D Be careful not to use your power too much. Remember, you don¡¯t have that much longer to live, Harold.¡±]


    Harold didn¡¯t have much longer to live, that reveal was probably a merciless blow to Lifa.


    Author¡¯s note: I¡¯m relieved that there was more demand for Harold¡¯s bare body in the comments than I thought, after I posted the previous chapter.


    What somewhat surprised me were the many people asking Harold to ¡°Show it to Erica too!¡±


    Translator¡¯s note: I know, I know, I said I¡¯d post this yesterday, but I had to hold back, so that I can eventually get a proper schedule ><

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    ¡¾¡±What¡­ does he mean?¡±]


    Muttered Lifa, while her agitation was plain to see. She couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of Justus¡¯ words¡­. No, she didn¡¯t want to understand.


    Looking at her acting like that, Elu realized he had made a mistake.


    All he told Lifa was that Harold was a test subject for a certain research. The more detailed version however was that it was an experiment that consisted of amplifying the user¡¯s power by cutting down his own life. Clearly, it was an inhuman research.


    And yet, Elu neither made that fact public, nor did he tell Lifa about it. That was because he didn¡¯t need to.


    To begin with, that research was made under the tacit consent of the most powerful people among the higher-ups of the country and the country¡¯s government, just the fact that Elu knew about it was already a big risk, let alone publishing it. If he, instead of selling the information, made it public for the sake of someone he didn¡¯t even know at the time, he would have been basically throwing his life away. Elu didn¡¯t have that strong of a sense of justice, nor was he some sort of journalist that wanted to rebel against the power in place.


    Besides, if he did that, it would attract some unwanted attention. That would mean attracting attention on Giffelt as a whole just for his personal matter, which would have been an extremely foolish move.


    And this wasn¡¯t limited to Harold¡¯s case. Elu considered the risk and returns, and he deemed that the returns just weren¡¯t worth it.


    Elu had that way of thinking from long before, and when he actually became friends with Harold, he found out that Harold himself was trying to hide that experiment. He didn¡¯t quite get what Harold¡¯s aim was, but if that was what he wished for, Elu had no room to interfere.


    Elu and Harold had a cooperative relationship. Elu couldn¡¯t go against Harold¡¯s wishes lest he lost his remuneration. Of course, that was assuming the pact he had with Harold was valid, but Elu still couldn¡¯t confirm that at this point in time, so there was nothing he could do.


    Therefore, even though Elu felt disgusted by that research, which played with Harold¡¯s life, he couldn¡¯t openly speak of it to anyone. Though he was aware that Lifa was in the process of falling in love for Harold, she was going to return to her village in a week¡¯s time. Elu thought Lifa would be separated from Harold before she even became conscious of her crush, and the two would never meet again.


    He couldn¡¯t deny that this was a cold way of thinking for a friend, but he thought it would be better if Lifa didn¡¯t know about the cruel reality. The relationship between Harold and her was still frail, so it was better for everyone if the two ended their relation while Lifa still wasn¡¯t aware of her love.


    Especially if Harold didn¡¯t have much time left to live.


    However, Elu¡¯s speculations had backfired in the worst possible way.


    Lifa would not be able to keep silent after hearing what Justus said.


    ¡¾¡±Try to bear with it for now, Lifa¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. sorry¡±]


    As Elu expected, his whisper had not persuaded Lifa. There was no way for him to withdraw from here without pinioning Lifa and making noise, and to begin with, there was a chance that Justus had talked knowing that the two were present.


    Elu feared that was the reason why the room was cleared out of people.


    He regretted having stepped inside so carelessly. But it was too late for regrets as Lifa flung the door to Justus¡¯ laboratory open without knocking.


    ¡¾¡±-!¡­ How long have you been here?¡±]


    Justus looked surprised by Lifa and Elu¡¯s abrupt entrance. It was a natural reaction that didn¡¯t feel forced.


    Though the whole situation seemed artificial, like it was set up in advance, Justus himself didn¡¯t seem like he was acting.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m sorry, we were eavesdropping.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±What did you hear?¡±](Justus)


    ¡¾¡±¡­.That Harold doesn¡¯t have much longer to live¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±I-it was a lie, right? He looks so healthy¡­.. I saw him training the other day! He was moving at an inhuman speed¡­¡­ S-So, for him to be close to death or whatever, it doesn¡¯t make any¡­¡­¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±Calm down, Lifa.¡±](Elu)


    Lifa didn¡¯t know what to think, she was in denial, her voice was shivering as she desperately uttered pointless words. Elu gripped her shoulders and lightly shook her in an attempt to calm her down, but that had little to no effect.


    As he looked at the exchange between the two, Justus let out a sigh.


    ¡¾¡±Please sit over there. It looks like we all have things to ask each-other, so I¡¯ll treat you to some tea.¡±]


    Justus stood up and poured some black tea, which he had heated up beforehand, in three teacups. The mellow smell of tea leaves that filled the room was soothing to the mind.


    Partly thanks to that, Lifa somewhat regained her calm after a dozen minutes. However, she still wasn¡¯t in a state where she could speak calmly.


    Having noticed that, Justus turned towards Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, I¡¯ll start with since you seem like you can talk properly. You two did some fine reconnaissance work there. You do know that was a crime, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. We¡¯re very sorry.¡±]


    Elu gave a deep bow. There was no room for excuses in this situation.


    If Elu didn¡¯t tell the truth and tried to eloquently deceive Justus, he¡¯d be giving him a legitimate reason to suspect him. It was wiser to obediently apologize, and pass off the matter as a kid¡¯s mistake.


    Justus sighed again. He was scratching his head with his right hand, seemingly trying to calm his temper. Elu couldn¡¯t determine whether this was genuine or just an act.


    ¡¾¡±Well, I¡¯ll admit that I made a blunder, I was talking carelessly while I knew that you were coming to visit. But what you heard was a very important secret that can¡¯t be disclosed.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A secret? Then that means¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, it¡¯s the absolute truth, Harold is going to die soon.¡±]


    As Justus affirmed that, Lifa, who was looking down at the ground, controlled her voice. Elu could see her tightly clenching her hands on her lap.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D But why?¡±]


    She, who had been silent up to this point, asked urgently. Her eyes were filled with tears.


    ¡¾¡±Why is Harold going to die?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±Like I said, it¡¯s confidential. If I tell you it would be-¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Please tell us! ¡­. Please¡­.¡±]


    The tears were spilling down, after filling Lifa¡¯s eyes to the brim.


    And yet, Lifa raised her head, and looked straight at Justus. After a short while, Justus was the first to give in.


    ¡¾¡±Lifa, I¡¯d like to ask you something.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You haven¡¯t spent that much time with Harold. At best, you¡¯ve known him for two weeks. So why are you so concerned about him?¡±]


    Justus¡¯ question went straight to the heart of the matter.


    As she ascertained her own feelings, Lifa started speaking her heart out while carefully choosing her words.


    ¡ó


    (Lifa¡¯s Pov)


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Harold often speaks cynically and has one twisted personality. Whenever we talk to each other, we end up quarreling, I don¡¯t know about him being the worst but I haven¡¯t heard any good rumors about him. However, he appreciates the magic I thought of. And, just to keep a promise he had with me, he fought without caring for the risks.¡±]


    That made Lifa glad, but it also had a deeper impact than that. It made her wonder, ¡°has there ever been a person who went that far for me?¡±.


    Lifa held doubts regarding magical powers from her early childhood. Why was magical power different from one person to another? Why were there people who couldn¡¯t use magic?


    At first it was just pure doubt. However, as the years past, and as she acquired more and more fresh knowledge and values, her doubts turned into a dilemma.


    Those who could use magic were rich, those who couldn¡¯t were poor.


    Those who could use magic were strong, those who couldn¡¯t were weak.


    These weren¡¯t absolute truths, but most people went by them. That created disparity, as the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. And Lifa¡¯s village was not spared from that.


    The farmers who were able to use earth magic and water magic were more efficient at growing crops than the farmers who couldn¡¯t. That was because the magic drastically decreased the labor needed to plow and water the soil.


    As the work needed decreased, the same went for the cost of labor, which in turn led to a decrease in prices. Between two products of similar quality, people would always pick the cheapest. Moreover, using magic instead of man power could finish the job faster, granting the magic users some free time to do other jobs. And like that, the disparity became bigger and bigger.


    Be it in agriculture, hunting, raising livestock or even manufacturing, the people who possessed magic that fit their jobs were blessed with a better life than the ones who didn¡¯t. Getting a promotion because one¡¯s magic was superior was a common occurrence.


    ¡°The right person in the right place¡±, perhaps that¡¯s all there was to it.


    But the issue was that, Lifa and her parents didn¡¯t have any talent with magic. She did have magical power but she lacked the ability to use it properly. Even though she didn¡¯t want to accept it and worked hard to change that, in the end, she still couldn¡¯t handle magic.


    Therefore, Lifa¡¯s family was poor and went through many hardships.


    Fespite those circumstances, Lifa did not stop thinking about ways to break the status quo. And then, one day, she finally hit on a solution.


    If she couldn¡¯t use magic by herself, maybe she could use it by other means. And so, she came up with the idea of using magic with the support of science.


    She believed that, if she could accomplish this, she would be able to help her parents and the many people that couldn¡¯t use magic. With that in mind, Lifa devoted herself to her research, day and night, to the point of neglecting sleeping and eating.


    Before she noticed, Lifa had been labelled as an eccentric by her village¡¯s people, and her parents gave up on her, treating her like a good-for-nothing. She became solitary.


    No one acknowledged Lifa¡¯s efforts. But that was no wonder.


    Lifa¡¯s idea was too far apart from this world¡¯s common sense. From her surroundings¡¯ perspective, she was just a foolish girl, desperately trying to achieve her impossible dreams. At the time, Lifa wasn¡¯t even ten years old yet, so she probably came off as being bizarre.


    After that, Lifa persisted with her research. She kept on putting more and more effort into it, until it became her reason for living.


    She didn¡¯t know anymore if she wanted to help the people who were suffering or if she just wanted to triumph over those who gave up on her. Perhaps she just wished to leave behind proof of her hard work.


    That is why she was glad when Harold qualified her magic as an¡¾¡±Excellent means of attack¡±], though there was some cynicism mixed to it. But even though he wasn¡¯t being totally sincere, he really did find some usefulness to Lifa¡¯s research, thus why he put her in contact with Justus, so that said research could progress even further.


    Thanks to that, Lifa was confident that her magic would ascend to a whole new level.


    ¡¾¡±I can¡¯t thank Harold directly, but one day, I¡¯m going to repay his kindness without fail. Or rather, that¡¯s what I wished, so why¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡°Why is Harold going to die¡± she wanted to say, but she swallowed back those words.


    She couldn¡¯t possibly tell all those lines to Harold face to face. She did wish to express her gratitude, but she wasn¡¯t able to be frank in front of him. However, she sincerely wanted to become more honest in the future.


    ¡¾¡±Even if everyone thinks of Harold as a bad man, he¡¯s important to me. Therefore, if he doesn¡¯t have much time left, I want to do whatever I can for him.¡±]


    Harold was going to die soon. Just imagining that was unbearable to her, it made her feel at a loss and made her chest tighten. She hadn¡¯t noticed but Harold¡¯s existence had taken a huge place within her heart.


    Lifa wiped her blurred field of vision with the cuff of her sleeve.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t want to see him pass away without knowing anything about him¡­.¡±]


    Perhaps she was just being selfish.


    However, that was truly how she felt.


    ¡¾¡±Haah¡­¡­ he¡¯s really one sinful man. Just what is so good about that guy?¡±](Justus)


    Justus muttered in exasperation while sipping his tea. He sat up straight on his chair and looked up at the ceiling.


    He kept pondering and hesitating in that same posture for a short while, and then, he sighed in resignation and started talking.


    ¡¾¡±You absolutely must keep this story to yourselves¡­. Actually, scratch that. You can¡¯t tell anyone about anything that you have heard or will hear in this place today. I will tell you about the secret that guy carries on his shoulders.¡±]

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    (Lifa¡¯s Pov)


    ¡¾¡±Is that alright?¡±]


    Asked Elu doubtfully. Perhaps he was suspicious as Justus was willing to confess after claiming it was an important secret.


    Though Lifa really wanted him to talk, she was also wondering if that was really fine.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m not going to say I¡¯m being driven by emotions or whatever. It¡¯s just that it doesn¡¯t matter whether I talk or not as there is no record of anything that I¡¯m going to say in anyone else¡¯s memory. If you¡¯re afraid to listen, we can end it here.¡±]


    What Justus said was sophistry but it was probably the truth. It wasn¡¯t likely that Lifa¡¯s feelings had reached him.


    However, not listening was not an option for Lifa.


    ¡¾¡±Please hold back on the threats¡­ Lifa won¡¯t give up no matter what you say. And I won¡¯t let her deal with this by herself so it¡¯s the same for me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you, Elu.¡±]


    Lifa was grateful to Elu for resigning himself and consenting to this. It was obvious that Elu thought it would be a bad idea to let Lifa listen to Justus¡¯ story in her current condition. Elu was probably worried Lifa wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the risk of knowing highly classified information.


    And yet, knowing that, he went along with Lifa¡¯s selfishness.


    ¡¾¡±Then, let¡¯s talk. Harold and I crossed paths five years ago.¡±]


    ¡ó


    (Justus¡¯ Pov)


    The first time Justus heard of Harold, he was working for the research center and had gone to the Royal castle to report on his study¡¯s progress. There, he happened to overhear a group of knights who were chatting with each other.


    ¡¾¡±I heard someone recently joined the knight order by taking some special test, instead of going through the normal procedures.¡±]¡¾¡±He probably has connections with some higher-ups, right?¡±]¡¾¡±No no, I heard he one-sidedly knocked down dozens of recruits in that special test they made for him.¡±]¡¾¡±That¡¯s just because those recruit were weak.¡±]¡¾¡±I can¡¯t deny that, but that newcomer is just a 13 year old kid. He¡¯s the youngest genius to ever enter the knight order.¡±]¡¾¡±You mean he¡¯s better than the vice captain?¡±]¡¾¡±What kind of monster is that?¡±]¡¾¡±If I remember right, his name was Harold Stokes¡­¡±]


    They were saying various things about a boy who had become a new recruit. Because of his uncaring personality, Justus would have normally erased these trivial things from his memory after leaving the castle.


    The reason Harold¡¯s name remained in Justus¡¯ mind at the time was because of one sentence.


    ¡°You mean he¡¯s better than the vice captain was?¡±


    Those words came from one of the men in the group, who was just pointing out a mere possibility. It wasn¡¯t so easy to compare this Harold boy¡¯s strength with the strength Vincent had when he was 13 year old.


    However, there was still a chance that the boy would exceed him. The knight hadn¡¯t brought up that possibility for argument¡¯s sake, nor was it a figure of speech, he genuinely believed it could happen. That was unbelievable to Justus, for he was Vincent¡¯s acquaintance and knew about his out of the norm battle power.


    In the first place, for someone to even be compared to a great figure like Vincent, he or she had to be abnormal.


    Vincent was strong. And that didn¡¯t only mean fighting strength, for he had a mind that wouldn¡¯t yield to any hardships, a sense of justice that opposed all evil, and the kindness to hold out his hand to the weak. He was extremely reliable to his allies and stood like a mighty wall on the paths of his enemies.


    Even in other countries, there wasn¡¯t anyone else like him. He was what the world would qualify as a hero.


    Therefore, Justus was curious about the boy who had a chance to become stronger than that Vincent.


    I¡¯d like to meet him some day. This thought crossed Justus¡¯ mind.


    At a later date, Harold¡¯s name once again reached Justus, who was immersed in his research as always. Justus was completely cut off from his surroundings and wasn¡¯t aware of whatever was going on in the outside world, yet even he had heard of Harold¡¯s story as it was the hot topic in the royal capital.


    Apparently, the boy had disobeyed his superior and deserted in the face of the enemy. But it turned out that it was just an act and Harold had actually betrayed the knight order, for he was a spy from the Sarrian Empire, who had handed them information which allowed their army to launch a surprise attack that led to great damages.


    Although the knight troops had been cornered and were on the verge of annihilation, they had managed to exterminate the imperial forces thanks to the last minute intervention from the headquarters of the royal troops led by the supervision head, Harisson. At the same time, they had managed to capture the traitor Harold alive, even though he had been on the brink of death.


    Nevertheless, more than half of the patrolling troops of the knight order had either been killed or injured, and if the royal army hadn¡¯t been able to make it in time, the situation would have likely developed into a severe dispute between the Star Reader Stellar tribe and the knight order. There was no forgiving Harold, who had planned such a massive disaster, and he was eligible for the death penalty.


    This is what was being said among the masses. Upon hearing of this, anyone would agree that it was natural for the situation to develop into Harold¡¯s execution. However, that was only if that story was true.


    When he heard of this, the first thing Justus felt wasn¡¯t anger or even disappointment over Harold¡¯s betrayal towards the knight order. What he thought was that the situation was too unnatural and felt too orchestrated.


    From what little he had heard, there were several points that caught his attention. He wondered how a 13-year-old son of an aristocrat could possibly become a spy for the empire, and he felt that the royal army¡¯s timing was too good. But what felt the most peculiar to him was how detailed the rumors were and how abnormally fast they had spread only a few days after the return of the expedition¡¯s troops.


    Normally, the information would have been kept under control until the situation could be sorted out and confirmed. Sorting out the situation didn¡¯t sound like much, but it took time, and many efforts from many people.


    It was strange for that process to end as soon as the troops came back. When he was arrested, Harold had been unconscious and in a critical state, his consciousness should have returned only a few days before the troops arrived at the royal capital. It was doubtful that he had been interrogated and had given all the information he had in that short time span.


    The information could have been taken from the imperial troops prisoners, but it was hard to believe that all the prisoners gave the same testimony, moreover, examining the information they gave would have taken time and effort, but the expedition forces¡¯ hands were already full on their way home, as they had many dead and injured people to take care of.


    Justus¡¯ conclusion was that the rumors had been spread intentionally and were very unlikely to be true. Maybe Harold served as someone¡¯s scapegoat? He thought.


    But so what? Whether the rumors were true or not, it had nothing to do with Justus, and he didn¡¯t have an once of concern for the life or death of other people.


    Usually, he¡¯d have cast that story aside without a second thought. If he hadn¡¯t been concerned about Harold¡¯s potential going to waste, he would have definitely abandoned him. He likely wouldn¡¯t even have been aware that he was abandoning him.


    It was luck that led Justus to get interested in Harold, it was luck that led him to hear the bad rumors concerning Harold, and it was due to luck that he happened to have a few connections among the knight order and the tribunal. Thanks to many coincidences overlapping with each other, Justus had the opportunity to visit and meet Harold. Well, he didn¡¯t really meet him, not face to face at least. He merely observed him from a distance.


    It was at the dungeon of the royal capital¡¯s tribunal that Justus met him; a boy with black hair and red eyes, whose arms were chained to a wall.


    He was Harold Stokes.


    The first impression Harold gave off was that of a wolf.


    Proud, sharp, aloof, and trusting no one but himself. That was the general atmosphere around him. He was imprisoned in jail, tied by chains, and waiting for his execution, but despite his hopeless circumstances, the fire in his eyes was burning without a glimpse of a shadow. His red eyes were like two crimson flames.


    Before exchanging even one word with Harold, Justus was convinced: ¡°Yeah, this guy¡¯s definitely not a spy.¡± Harold looked as if, no matter the options presented to him, he¡¯d always choose to stand true to his way of life. He seemed like he didn¡¯t even mind dying to preserve his beliefs. That was how powerful his eyes were.


    Justus wondered if calling this¡¾¡±The aesthetics of the devil¡±]would do justice to the boy. And he intuitively realized that it would be too regrettable to let such a gem die.


    From there, Justus made his move very quickly. It had been a while since he had taken the initiative to take action for something other than his research.


    Through his work acquaintances, he tried to appeal to the country¡¯s big shots and influential people, one after the other, so that they would reconsider or delay Harold¡¯s death sentence.


    However, Justus was just a scientist. Nobody was willing to carry the burden that came with accepting his demands.


    Therefore, he pulled out his trump card. Justus¡¯ purpose was to save Harold, but that trump card was basically a curse, a taboo experiment, developed by himself.


    Then came his second meeting with Harold in the dungeon. Looking at Justus who appeared before him, the first thing Harold said was Justus¡¯ full name.


    ¡¾¡±Justus Freund¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, do you know me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why would a man like you come here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Right, I¡¯ll cut to the chase. If you don¡¯t want to just sit here and wait for your death, join me, Harold.¡±]


    Justus didn¡¯t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.


    Harold glared right at Justus, as if trying to read the aim behind his words. Justus knew this wouldn¡¯t be easy. While letting Harold scrutinize him with his eyes, Justus waited for him to speak.


    ¡¾¡±Bullshit. You¡¯re saying you can overturn my execution?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll definitely overturn it.¡±]


    Justus affirmed confidently. He wasn¡¯t bluffing, he was just that confident that the weapon he developed and his negotiation skills would be enough to free Harold.


    If that weapon could be put to use, the kingdom would be able to get an invincible army. Nobody would hesitate to sacrifice one death-row prisoner for that. In addition, instead of killing him, Justus was going to use him, toy with him, torment him and then kill him, which would serve to relieve those who wanted Harold dead, too.


    There would be very few people opposing this, so Justus wouldn¡¯t be put under any real pressure.


    ¡¾¡±However, I have to tell you. If you work under me, you¡¯ll fall further down in hell.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve developed a certain sword that I had to seal away because of one big defect that goes with it. It¡¯s a sword that rapidly rises the user¡¯s fighting power by absorbing his magical power. But it has a side-effect that cuts-down the user¡¯s life, eventually leading him to his death. If you¡¯re willing to wield that sword, I¡¯ll release you from here.¡±]


    Justus was completely frank and didn¡¯t hide anything. Harold was given two choices.


    Was he going to accept his death without resisting? Or was he going to die a short while later, in exchange of many more hardships? It was a ruthless choice to give. And either way, the end result was the same, death.


    Justus wasn¡¯t going to claim that his conscience was hurting. If that had been the truth, he wouldn¡¯t have given those choices to Harold. Justus never had a virtuous mind, his principle had always been to act for his own interests.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..heh¡±]


    ¡¾¡±?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hehehe¡­.. Ahahahaha!¡±]


    Harold started laughing.


    His voice sounded like it had come from deep in the abyss. His laughter was filled with evil, and would make any listener shiver. The much too out-of-place laughter continued to reverberate throughout the dim dungeon, showing no signs of stopping. It felt as if Harold had gone completely mad.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ What¡¯s so funny?¡±]


    Justus finally had the resolution to ask Harold, who was starting to look more like a devil to him. Thereupon, Harold suddenly stopped laughing, and the echo that resounded in the dungeon followed suit.


    That silence was a radical change. Justus¡¯ palms were sweaty. Only when he noticed it was actually cold sweat did Justus realize the boy in front of him had mentally overpowered him.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s so funny, you ask? How could I not laugh?¡±]


    Harold answered while standing up. His arms were being pulled behind by the chains so he wasn¡¯t able straighten up his back. Although he was on the verge of falling forward, his eyes did not separate from Justus.


    The chains rang out in the dungeon¡¯s silence. Without a care for the fact that he was chained to the wall, Harold struggled to walk forward, as the chains¡¯ clash resounded even more.


    ¡¾¡±Further down in hell? Cut down my life? The resolution to die?¡±]


    The sound became louder and louder.


    Blood started dripping from Harold¡¯s wrists, where the metal cuffs were attached. But still, Harold did not stop advancing.


    ¡¾¡±What the hell are you implying? Don¡¯t you fucking look down on me, Justus!!¡±]


    With one last loud sound, the chains were torn off at last. Harold took several steps and griped the jail¡¯s fence with his hands.


    The fresh blood from Harold¡¯s wrists splashed on Justus, staining his white gown.


    ¡¾¡±Hand over that sword, that power. I¡¯ll teach you what true resolution and true hell are, bastard.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­Magnificent, what a perfect answer.¡±]


    Harold and Justus smiled at each other. However, by no means were the two friendly to each other, for those treacherous smiles were akin to a mutual declaration of war.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    After hearing of Harold¡¯s past and secrets, Lifa had returned to her room and was holding her knees. It was too heavy, the fate that Harold carried on his shoulders. She repeated many times in her head the story she had heard from Justus.


    Especially the last thing he had said.


    ¡ºBy now, Harold only has a few years left to live, I doubt he¡¯ll live past his twentieth year. If he uses that power after this, his remaining time will become even shorter. ¡»


    Harold was 18 years old. That meant he had only about two years left to live, even less if he wasn¡¯t careful.


    Lifa had a hard time accepting that reality. She couldn¡¯t organize her thoughts or think of what to do.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Are you alright?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Elu¡­. I don¡¯t know what to do. How can I help Harold with¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you regret to have heard that story?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.I don¡¯t know¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m sorry. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Why are you apologizing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because I knew. I knew that Harold¡¯s life was being cut down every time he fought.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?! Then, why didn¡¯t you stop him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you think just anyone could stop him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re right, but¡­!¡±]


    Elu knew. He knew and yet, how was he able to interact with Harold so naturally? How was he able to smile at him? Lifa wondered.


    It was the same for Harold. Lifa didn¡¯t understand, how was he able to keep fighting until now? There was no way he wasn¡¯t afraid to die, so how was he able to wield that sword so calmly?


    Lifa¡¯s thoughts were entangled and she couldn¡¯t even organize her words .


    ¡¾¡±Just what¡­ you¡­ All of you make no sense¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Right. Perhaps, that¡¯s the right thing to feel. ¡°]


    Elu smiled sadly.


    Being kind to Lifa, while she was in her present state, would do no good.


    ¡¾¡±Lifa.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯re thinking of stopping Harold, you had better forget it right now.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But that¡¯s¡­.¡±]


    There was nothing Lifa could do for Harold. That¡¯s what Elu¡¯s strengthened tone seemed to imply.


    This behavior was so unlike Elu that Lifa had no choice but to realize how serious his words were, no mater how much it displeased her.


    ¡¾¡±This is the path that Harold chose. It¡¯s not a problem that people, who don¡¯t know his circumstances, should put their nose into.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, are you just going to silently watch him die, Elu? I can¡¯t do that¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In that case, you shouldn¡¯t meet with Harold anymore.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How can you say that?!¡±]


    Lifa yelled at Elu.


    However, neither that nor her glare made Elu flinch. He was completely calm and just went on to speak nothing but facts.


    ¡¾¡±I told you I already knew Harold¡¯s secret from before, didn¡¯t I? But he didn¡¯t want me to tell you, or to tell anyone. He has his goal, and this is necessary to attain it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is that goal?¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He didn¡¯t tell me that much. But it seems to be more important to him than his life.¡±]


    But what could possibly be more important to him than his life? muttered Elu to himself.


    How could he go so far? How could he accept death like that?


    What on earth was so important to him? Lifa had many questions, but couldn¡¯t think of any answers.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, it¡¯s time to sleep. Maybe your thoughts will be a little clearer with a rested mind.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Yes.¡±]


    Lifa entered her bed as Elu incited her to. The light was turned off and the room was covered in darkness.


    However, the torrent of emotions in Lifa¡¯s mind left her no chance to fall asleep.


    Lifa rolled her body trying to protect her heart that felt like it was on the verge of being crushed. And then, the pure young girl, as if she were praying to god, spoke a single wish.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t die on us, Harold¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡ó


    ¡¾¡±Just go and die.¡±]


    That was the first thing Harold told Itsuki. Itsuki, who was a picturesque friendly young man, was used to Harold¡¯s abusive words and easily warded them off.


    ¡¾¡±Happy to see you have lots of energy to spare. Do you want to drink anything?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No.¡±]


    They were currently at a coffee shop in Kablan. Although the time was more fitting for having dinner, Harold thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to calmly hear out Itsuki and eat at the same time, so he found a suitable place and brought him there.


    Itsuki, who was sitting on the opposite side of Harold, had a refreshing smile as usual. But to Harold, on the contrary, it felt agitating.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and explain from the beginning.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, simply put, I¡¯m getting married.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s response seemed completely indifferent.


    Even though things may have appeared this way, Harold actually wanted to congratulate him.


    He was deeply moved to learn that Itsuki was finally getting married. Thinking of Itsuki¡¯s specs, he was a flawless character: he had a good face, a good personality, a good family, and to top it all off, he was good with the sword. It was rather surprising that he managed to stay celibate up until now.


    If there was a flaw of his to speak of, maybe it would be his sister complex.


    Which reminded Harold that, shortly before he entered the knight order, Itsuki and him had talked about each-other¡¯s marriages.


    Itsuki had been too insistent, showing Harold with question about his marriage with Eirca. As one would expect, Harold couldn¡¯t tell Elu he was going to break up with Erica, so he dodged the issue by asking Itsuki about his marriage.


    Itsuki had crossed his shoulder with Harold¡¯s telling him ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll be brothers¡±, at that time, Yuno, who happened to be present and hear the conversation, had a smile that put a lot of pressure on Harold, he still had cold sweats just from remembering it. It seemed like, despite being a beautiful woman, Yuno didn¡¯t have any romantic partner.


    ¡¾¡±The one who¡¯s to become my wife is the daughter of the head of this town. He decided to hold a party to celebrate the marriage before the family wedding.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And so?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s not that formal so my whole family doesn¡¯t have to be there. But I¡¯ve been thinking of bringing Erica along to see her future sister-in-law.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Can I leave?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The problem isn¡¯t with my relatives however, it¡¯s bigger than that. You see, there are many sons of aristocrats and merchants who are going to attend the party.¡±]


    Itsuki kept talking as if he hadn¡¯t heard Harold¡¯s words. He completely disregarded him.


    Itsuki was perhaps the only one who could take such an attitude towards Harold.


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯ll be like an insect repellent, sending away all the beasts that come courting my sister.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are they beasts or insects? Make yourself clear.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re beasts, but they look like no more than insects.¡±]


    Itsuki boldly spoke that insult. Perhaps that image of a friendly young man didn¡¯t suit him that well after all.


    However, there were more important matters to discuss at the moment.


    ¡¾¡±Why should I deal with something that troublesome?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Isn¡¯t it natural? You¡¯re Erica¡¯s fiance after all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the hell is wrong with your head? Did you forget I told you to cancel that engagement five years ago?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I remember that. I don¡¯t remember anyone agreeing though.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you fricking¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±All my father said was¡ºI knew this day would come sooner or later. I guess there was no avoiding that. ¡», but he didn¡¯t say he agreed.¡±]


    That was certainly the case.


    However, Harold thought that Tasuku, with how much he loved his daughter, wouldn¡¯t marry Erica to someone whom she was like cats and dogs with. He assumed that if Tasuku had a chance to break off the engagement, he would take it. Therefore, Harold thought that Tasuku meant¡¾¡±I guess there was no avoiding the cancellation of the engagement¡±]. Or rather, Harold convinced himself that Tasuku meant that.


    If by¡¾¡±I guess there was no avoiding that.¡±]he meant¡¾¡±I guess there was no avoiding you making a request for a break off in the engagement.¡±], then he hadn¡¯t actually clarified whether he agreed with the break off or not.


    Harold was astonished as Itsuki took a sip of the coffee he had ordered.


    Itsuki took a breath, put the coffee cup back on its saucer and faced Harold once again. Harold didn¡¯t know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he saw a vein appear on Itsuki¡¯s forehead.


    ¡¾¡±Really, you¡¯re way too selfish. You decide and do every single thing all by yourself. I mean, think about it, you could have been dead and we wouldn¡¯t even know. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the ones worrying about you. And even if we don¡¯t pull emotions into this, you let my father manage that farming method, which was your idea, all by himself, and now I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to get dragged into this. Well, I¡¯m very grateful for that and I¡¯m fully aware of how absurd it is to complain about it, but you definitely could have done a little more. Also, this is a good opportunity to tell you this: I don¡¯t have to listen to the selfish opinions of a selfish brat like you!


    Even though you might have tried the break off thinking that the engagement would cause trouble to the Sumeragi family or something stupid like that, I¡¯m sorry to say but we¡¯ve already gotten our fire back, thanks to you. Like hell we¡¯d have a reason to care about your bad reputation. Perhaps you think I¡¯m being selfish right now? Like you¡¯re one to talk. I¡¯ve decided to be as egotistical as you are. For my marriage, I was entrusted with some new responsibilities within the family. Among those was the responsibility of making the decisions regarding Erica¡¯s marriage. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t specified in ¡°that letter¡¯s wording that the person in charge has to be my father, so I think it should be fine.


    I¡¯ll say it again, loud and clear. The next head of the Sumeragi family, Itsuki Sumeragi, will absolutely never acknowledge the break off of the engagement between you and Erica!¡±]


    Everyone was astounded: Harold, the coffee shop¡¯s clerk and even the shop¡¯s other customers. Be it from the very long preach that Itsuki suddenly started in public, or that one declaration at the end. and Itsuki had been standing upright, mightily, and clenching his right hand into a fist. It was like an election speech.


    It was clear that Itsuki wasn¡¯t being completely careless as he didn¡¯t speak out Harold¡¯s name once in his whole preach, but he did speak the Sumeragi¡¯s name which was pretty much a hint. But in Harold¡¯s opinion, there were more important things Itsuki should have been careful about. Getting all the store¡¯s attention on himself was not something Harold was able to endure.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m certainly thankful to you, but this and that have nothing to do with each other. So, how about that? Think I reached the summit of selfishness yet?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­ Are you a fricking kid?¡±]


    Itsuki had a smug expression on his face. His complaints were so childish that Harold couldn¡¯t find it in him to resent him in any way.


    He had a hard time detecting any form of intelligence within Itsuki. Rather than getting angry, he felt worried wondering whether it would be fine for such an air-head to get married.


    ¡¾¡±Well, honestly, I¡¯m aware of how weird I¡¯m being, but I have to be at least this shameless to actualy associate with you on equal grounds. After all, I don¡¯t particularly like getting pushed around by you.¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±Hah, in the end, no matter what you say, emotions will always drive your arguments with that competitive personality of yours. Erica is really pitiful, getting forced into an engagement by a twisted elder brother like you.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±Huh? Did you just call Erica by her name? You really did, didn¡¯t you? I see, Erica, your relationship made some progress without your big brother knowing.¡±](Itsuki)


    (Ughh¡­! You¡¯re becoming like your freaking father! )


    The apple hadn¡¯t fallen far from the tree. However, Itsuki¡¯s responses were still quite different from his father¡¯s.


    Although the difference wasn¡¯t that obvious, Itsuki had a way better skill for agitating people. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t an automatic and omni-directional skill like Harold¡¯s cynical behavior, but rather, Itsuki could aim that talent of his and adapt it to a specific target. Well, thinking about it normally, there was nothing weird about someone having manual control over his behavior, the strange one was Harold.


    ¡¾¡±But I guess it¡¯s no time for joking around. For the time being, you get what I meant to say, so I¡¯ll entrust you with the task of being Erica¡¯s insect repellent.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m telling you this is not¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Here you go. This is the letter I got from that doctor.¡±]


    Following those troubling words, Itsuki took out a piece of paper from his chest pocket. Harold felt despair as he read through the paper, which basically said that Justus had entrusted all the power that he initially had over Harold to Itsuki until a fixed date. When he thought about it a little, Harold realized he had already been told beforehand that he had no right to refuse the client¡¯s demands, from the beginning, he never had a chance to escape from this ordeal.


    Harold was in checkmate.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s just how it is.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What did Eri¡­ that girl say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine to call her by her name¡­ Erica doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re coming. Even now, I told her I was going to meet with a friend and slipped out.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This is going to be a surprise.¡±]


    It was a surprise indeed.  Actually, if this wasn¡¯t a happy occasion as Itsuki was getting married, Harold might have exploded from how surprised he was.


    Though he wanted to get angry at Itsuki for pushing troublesome things onto him, Harold knew that this was a form of payback and he had it coming. Though he was annoyed by his mouth, but even if it weren¡¯t for that, he wouldn¡¯t have shifted the tone of the conversation at this moment.


    ¡¾¡±For now I¡¯ll have you stay the night at a nearby hotel¡¯s room that I booked for today. I¡¯ll come pick you up tomorrow before noon. We¡¯ll meet up with Erica and my companion later on.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hold on. Putting Erica aside, you want to introduce me to your fiancee, you utter moron?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, obviously, she¡¯s my fiancee.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Stop. This is clearly a bad idea.¡±]


    There was a very bad reputation that went with the name Harold stokes. If Harold were to one day get married to Erica, in a way, he would become a relative to Itsuki¡¯s fiancee¡¯s family. There was no doubt her family would do their utmost to avoid that possible future scenario.


    Harold once again tried to persuade Itsuki to reconsider his marriage with Erica, because this time, if this were to become an obstacle to Itsuki¡¯s marriage, it wouldn¡¯t just itch his feelings, it would cause an uproar.


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, it could cause quite the riot if our guards slay every man that comes to challenge you¡­Oh, that¡¯s it!¡±]


    Itsuki clapped his hands as if to say he had hit on a great idea. And then, he dug up Harold¡¯s dark history¡­. Or rather, he made a suggestion to rewrite it.


    ¡¾¡±From tomorrow, you¡¯ll be Eirca¡¯s fiance, Lord¡­. Lord Strouse!¡±]

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    It went without saying by now, but Harold and Erica were natural enemies. That was because Harold was afraid that, if Erica¡¯s impression of him wasn¡¯t as low as possible, the story would likely deviate from the game¡¯s story which could lead to the annihilation of the hero¡¯s party. Then, it would become almost impossible to obstruct Justus¡¯ plans.


    Moeover, Itsuki, who was Erica¡¯s elder brother, was troublesome as well. Harold hadn¡¯t met Itsuki for quite a while, and it seemed like somehow Itsuki¡¯s impression of Harold was as high as it could be, it was a wonder how it had risen that much. If Harold was told that Itsuki was just acting, he would immediately agree.


    In other words, the Sumeragi siblings were powerful opponents, perhaps as dangerous as the last boss, Justus.


    As Harold had these thoughts, he slowly raised his body. He felt like he just had a nightmare, but when he thought about it, the real nightmare would arrive with the events that were coming later that day.


    He was thinking he didn¡¯t want to wake up, however when he looked at the room¡¯s clock, morning had already come and was approaching noon. He likely woke up that late because of the bad sleep he had at night. As Harold was sluggishly preparing himself, the sound of the room¡¯s knocker signaled him that a visitor was here.


    That was a sign that the harbinger of Harold¡¯s nightmare had arrived.


    ¡¾¡±Good morning. Did you sleep well?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    As expected, when Harold opened the door, the one who appeared was Itsuki. Although Itsuki had greeted him composedly, Harold didn¡¯t have the energy to return his words.


    He couldn¡¯t run away anymore. In that case, he¡¯d rather empty his mind, neutralize his feelings, and get this over with.


    ¡¾¡±Seems like you¡¯re lacking sleep. I can see that you were so excited about meeting Erica that you couldn¡¯t even sleep properly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And I can see that your eyes are damn useless.¡±]


    Itsuki really was the best at triggering people for him to launch that blow from the get go. He had better be cautious because this could grow into a real fight if he didn¡¯t read the mood properly.


    Harold couldn¡¯t help thinking of these kinds of trivial things to escape from reality.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and lead the way.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re resisting less than I thought.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s in my principles to get done with troublesome things as quickly as possible. If I annihilate every man that comes to the party, this should end pretty fast.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see you¡¯re doing good today, too.¡±]


    They checked out of the Hotel and left for the town of Kablan. It was already night when Harold arrived here before so he didn¡¯t get to check the townscape before, but the first thing that caught his eye was a waterway. It went through the whole town and many small boats were coming and going over it.


    ¡¾¡±Looks like the waterway caught your interest. Kablan is also called Lake-town, for the water actually comes from the mountains where ¨D¨D¡±]


    Itsuki suddenly started giving a short lesson on Kablan. In short, Kablan was a town blessed with clear water. That waterway was spread throughout the whole town, and boats were a more common means of transportation than carriages. There was a famous saying ¡°Kablan¡¯s babies learn to stir a boat before they learn to walk.¡±


    And certainly, currently, there were more boats to be seen than carriages.


    Itsuki proudly boasted about Kablan¡¯s splendor. Perhaps he wanted to think well of his marriage partner¡¯s hometown.


    Afterwards, Harold and Itsuki chatted with each other while walking through Kablan, heading towards their destination. On the way, Itsuki suddenly put on a serious look and said¡¾¡±Hold on, does this mean that I¡¯ve had a date with Harold even before Erica?¡±]after which Harold almost instinctively pushed him into the waterway.


    Harold wanted to praise himself for his self-control that intervened at the very last moment.


    In the end, Harold missed the timing to ask Itsuki the questions he wanted to ask, as the two of them reached their destination after around 20 minutes. This was the residence where Itsuki¡¯s marriage partner lived. Then, Harold remembered something important.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, what¡¯s the name of the woman you¡¯re getting married with?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t tell you. Her name is Sylvie Berlioz, the second daughter of the Berlioz family.¡±]


    Harold recorded in his brain the minimum amount of personal data that he heard frm Ituski. It would be bad if he didn¡¯t know the name of the party¡¯s guest of honor. Though what he had to watch out for the most was his sarcastic mouth.


    He decided to be as quiet as silent as possible in front of the officials of the Berlioz family. Ideally, he would just introduce himself and then not talk at all. In which case, he would be portrayed as a taciturn, unsociable, but still courteous man.


    There were three days left until the celebration. He wanted to deceive them during that whole time period if possible.


    ¡¾¡±Then, let¡¯s go in, Lord.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Humph.¡±]


    Itsuki smiled lightly while emphasizing on the name ¡°Lord¡±, and he was clearly very happy with himself. Harold only humphed at him in response.


    However, Harold was uneasy, wondering if it would really be fine to go in.


    There hadn¡¯t been any bounty rewards for Harold¡¯s head before so his personal description didn¡¯t really circulate among the public. Though his name and bad reputation were well known, few people actually knew his face. Even if someone recognized Harold, he wasn¡¯t a wanted criminal so there was no reason to catch or arrest him.


    Nevertheless, Harold himself felt nervous as he went through the residence¡¯s door. That was the adverse effect that came from being subjected to hostile looks every day.


    Even if he forcibly gave himself a strong character, that didn¡¯t change the fact that, at the roots of his personality, he was a timid person. His instincts were telling him to turn on his switch, but he thought it would be dangerous to raise a storm of abuses in this place so he stopped himself.


    Although Harold was worrying endlessly by himself, at this time, he was standing with the celebration¡¯s main guest, Itsuki, so there was actually no way the people of this house would be hostile towards him.


    Itsuki was greeted by the mansion¡¯s employees whenever he passed by them. Everyone of them was cheerful and seemed delighted. Even if Harold was just watching from the side, he could see that Itsuki was adored and the felicitations the people gave him for his marriage seemed to come from the bottom of their hearts.


    So, naturally, those employees were interested in Harold who accompanied Itsuki, but when they asked about him, Itsuki would instantly follow up with this¡¾¡±This is my friend, lord Strousse, he might look scary and not talk much but he¡¯s not a bad person.¡±]and Harold would just silently and mechanically salute them and keep walking.


    The two repeated this set of actions several times as they advanced within the mansion. And then, Itsuki stopped his feet in front of a certain door.


    Apparently, Erica was there. Knowing that he¡¯d have a had time dealing with her, Harold felt tense, it had been several years since he had last met her.


    Without caring about Harold¡¯s worries, Itsuki knocked on the door.


    ¡¾¡±Erica, you there? It¡¯s Itsuki.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Big brother? Please wait I¡¯m¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Okay then, I¡¯m coming in.¡±]


    Itsuki was actually just checking if Erica was present. So, without caring much for the contents of her answer, he directly opened the door.


    However, while doing this, he moved his body to the side to make place for Harold.


    The door opened smoothly without any interruption. Then, the field of view to the room was now wide open, which allowed Harold to see that a person was standing there in the back.


    She was wearing a kimono, colored in a cherry blossom pink, and her black hair was longer than in Harold¡¯s memory. She was also taller than before, as her young girl¡¯s body had now grown into a woman¡¯s body.


    When the door opened, a gust of wind entered through the window facing it, and the woman¡¯s black hair silently fluttered with that breeze.


    Her openly exposed skin was pure white. There was no dullness to that perfectly smooth skin, it was like a ceramic, be it the nape of her neck, her shoulders or her upper back, they were all blessed with a dazzling whiteness. It was captivating. Her body was so fascinating that it could bewilder hundreds of men all by itself.


    It was only after the scene was saved in Harold¡¯s mind that he realized Erica¡¯s kimono was opened.


    He had no time to think of how bad the situation was. Having sensed that the door had been opened, Erica, who had her back facing the door, turned around.


    ¡¾¡±Oh come on, I told you to wait¨D¨D¡±]


    Erica¡¯s sentence was interrupted once again. But this time, it wasn¡¯t because someone else interrupted her.


    It was because her eyes met with Harold¡¯s.


    Both of them solidified and turned into living statues. After a short pause, and having seemingly understood the situation, Erica¡¯s face, no, everything from Erica¡¯s neck to her head turned  scarlet red in the blink of an eye.


    The first one to get out of that stand-still was not one of those two, but Erica¡¯s attendant, Yuno.


    ¡¾¡±E, excuse me.¡±]


    Unlike her usual self, she uttered but a few words. Yuno was probably in a big panic, too. Since he had been focused on Erica, Harold hadn¡¯t noticed Yuno¡¯s presence, but she had likely been helping Erica getting dressed up.


    Yuno stood up to cover the young lady¡¯s soft skin. She was in a hurry for she didn¡¯t want things to get any worse. While she very carefully arranged the Kimono, her feet got tangled in it and she fell down on the bed together with Erica.


    ¡¾¡±Kyaa!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±M, my deepest apologies, Erica-sama¡­¡±]


    And so, Yuno¡¯s body completely covered Erica whose Kimono was still open, and whose chest area was dangerously exposed. Both of them were beautiful women. And Erica, who was thrown down, had her face turn red in shame.


    It was a spectacle right out of a yuri manga or novel. (Tln: Yuri = Lesbian)


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­I didn¡¯t know you had these kinds of hobbies, well, bitches do copulate in public.¡±]


    That what came out of Harold¡¯s mouth when he tried to say ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t mind two women being together as long as you¡¯re both fine with it.¡±], he would, of course, have never willingly called them bitches. Harold was unable to bear it and closed the door, and Itsuki, who had witnessed the whole chain of events, interjected to it as tactlessly as ever. (Tln: Note quite sure)


    But Itsuki¡¯s words didn¡¯t have much weight in Harold¡¯s eyes as he was responsible for this whole situation.


    ¡ó


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡±]


    Itsuki was now prostrating himself in front of Harold. He was apologizing to Harold and Erica.


    It was hard to believe that man in such a miserable state was really getting married.


    Contrarily to Harold who couldn¡¯t talk out of amazement, Erica¡¯s silence came from her anger. Incidentally, before Itsuki prostrated himself, Erica tidied herself up and attacked him with her palm. She expressionlessly had drawn closer to him and hit him with a powerful blow on his back. It made a frightful sound.


    She probably held herself back from hitting him on the cheek and chose his back instead because of the party that was coming. It would be unsightly if there was a deep red mark on the bridegroom¡¯s cheek. Though it would make for a good laugh, it would be no laughing matter for Harold who was anxious to keep things close to the original work¡¯s story.


    ¡¾¡±Soo, I¡¯ve reflected on my mistakes, can I get some recovery magic on my back or¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did you say something?¡±]


    Erica¡¯s voice was cold. Moreover, her eyes, that were looking down on Itsuki, were becoming cold as well.


    It was if she was looking at thrash. It was unbelievable that Erica, the incarnation of kindness, could have these kinds of eyes.


    Though Harold wanted to agitate Itsuki ever more by saying¡¾¡±You¡¯re even worse than those insect-like beasts you want me to chase, you¡¯re a freaking garbage-insect.¡±], he decided to stay away from the subject in fear of redirecting Erica¡¯s wrath to himself.


    ¡¾¡±Stop bothering me. You¡¯re wasting my time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±B-but look, I have to introduce Harold- I mean, Lord, to Silvi, right? Right?¡±]


    The elder brother was sucking up to his little sister. It was truly miserable.


    And perhaps because she had taken pity on that brother¡¯s misery, Erica finally calmed her anger.


    ¡¾¡±Please don¡¯t ever do this again.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. I swear to god.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hah, seriously¡­ stand up. Your clothes will get dirty.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Damn it hurts¡­.. you¡¯re way too cruel with me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ever heard of the saying, ¡°you reap what you sow¡±?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve never heard of it. Maybe you¡¯re referring to the saying ¡°getting pennies from heaven¡±?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They say the buddha will turn the other cheek as much as three times, I wonder if that applies to a normal person, what do you think, big brother?¡±]


    Erica was smiling but her eyes and voice showed otherwise. This time, Itsuki¡¯s face turned blue. Harold was wondering whether Itsuki would turn green or yellow next.


    As those disturbances occurred, the time had finally come to meet the owners of the mansion, the Berlioz family.


    Even though the pain in his back made him walk awkwardly, Itsuki led the group to a banquet hall in an annex building that was connected to the main building by a pathway. It was the main location for the celebration and it seemed like the Berlioz family was there.


    In any case, Harold once again reminded himself to stay as silent as possible. But that resolution of his was crushed only a few seconds after he entered the hall.


    ¡¾¡±An opening!¡±]


    An attack. With a yell, someone jumped out from the shadow of the hall¡¯s opened door. In his hand he was holding a weapon that was shaped like a sword. This was the person¡¯s chance to attack as Harold wasn¡¯t currently carrying a weapon. This sudden visit would put him in a predicament.


    And so the assassin¡¯s dagger attacked Harold.


    Translator¡¯s note: In the previous chapter, author said he found back his inspiration the moment he brought Itsuki back into the story, sorry I forgot to put that in. And sorry for the delay, shitty week, I¡¯ve been sick, and other stuff ><

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    It was an almost perfect surprise attack. The weapon¡¯s swing was sharp, too, making it hard to defend against it, let alone avoid it. That¡¯s what Harold concluded before the blow reached him.


    What¡¯s with that? If it¡¯s at this level then¨D¨D.


    Though from anyone else¡¯s point of view, avoiding this would have been problematic, for Harold, it was so slow it could make him yawn.


    All he did was take a sort of dance step and move back the right half of his body. And yet, the opponent¡¯s weapon only sliced air.


    Looking at it more closely, the assailant¡¯s weapon was a wooden sword. Although it was powerful, it didn¡¯t have much potential for killing, and judging from the slash¡¯s power, Harold felt it was no threat to him.


    The opponent who had raised the sword above his head and attacked the air had dangerously exposed himself, making it easy to neutralize and restrain him. He was falling forward, and in his current stance, he could only see Harold¡¯s foot.


    That was because Harold kicked the man¡¯s hands, which were holding the sword, with his left foot. The assailant sword flipped and flew away while he let out a loud groan of pain. He reflexively raised his face that was distorted from anguish.


    He seemed to be around fifty years old, but his stern features and his Lincolnic beard probably made him look older than he really was. Well, knowing the opponent¡¯s age isn¡¯t going to be of much use here, thinking that, Harold continued his pursuit of the man.


    Harold pulled back his kicking foot like a pendulum, and struck the opponent¡¯s shoulder with his heel. Even though Harold adjusted his strength, it should still have been painful, yet the man, with his robust muscles, managed to resist. But as a price for that, his muscles became momentarily stiff.


    Though he felt some admiration for that surprising strength, Harold used his left leg, that was on the man¡¯s shoulder, as a fulcrum and somersaulted in the back to catch the sword that he had kicked up. He adjusted his posture in the air and slightly leveled it down as he swung the wooden sword downward.


    The man, who finally got rid of his muscles¡¯ stiffening, crossed both of his arms over his head in an attempt to defend himself. Still, if he blocks this attack, his arms will get smashed. While Harold had that thought, the wooden sword¡¯s slash met with a solid resistance and was stopped in its track as a metallic clank resounded.


    Through the gaps in the man¡¯s now thorn clothes, a brilliant material could be seen. It seemed like there was sort of gauntlet concealed in his cuff, like a ninja. Perhaps that battle style was what suited the man better despite his robust build.


    However, even though he blocked the blow, the impact was still there. Unable to bear it, the assailant tried to retreat as his guard had been broken, but Harold kept pursuing him, not giving him a chance to escape. As he grabbed his neck and pulled him towards himself, Harold hit his knee into the man¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡¾¡±Ugaah!¡±]


    The man spit out a muffled voice mixed with saliva. While thinking that was flithy, Harold caught the man¡¯s right wrist with his left hand, and his head with his right hand and, using his innate speed as a propulsive power, he drove the man into a wall.


    Boom! A terrific noise resounded.


    That was a decisive blow. The man, whose whole body was stuck on the wall, clearly showed no resistance, and when Harold let go of him just to check, the man slowly slipped down from the wall and only the white of his eyes was showing. The wall behind him was caved in, and there were some cracks on it as well. No matter how tough he seemed, he wasn¡¯t able to resist that blow.


    However, although he had repelled the assailant, Harold still had one simple question.


    ¡¾¡±Who¡¯s this guy?¡±]


    In the banquet hall that had turned completely silent for some reason, the one to answer was Itsuki.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ That man is Aurelian Berlioz. The current head of the Berlioz family.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold was at a loss. Not only the assailant was actually the current head of the Berlioz family, but Harold had also mercilessly beaten down that very same family head.


    However, if what Itsuki said was true, that gave rise to another question.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, in other words, that completely savage display just now was the Berlioz family¡¯s way of welcoming their guests?¡±]


    Although Harold knew that there was no use questioning the attack if his identity had been exposed, he had to try asking for the sake of his safety during his stay. While he was preoccupied with that, his usual sarcasm manifested itself, to his dismay.


    ¡¾¡±Excuse us for letting you face that dangerous situation. Please let me say I¡¯m sorry in my foolish husband¡¯s stead, I cannot apologize enough.¡±]


    Saying so while lowering her head, completely unperturbed by Harold¡¯s sarcasm, was an intellectual-looking mature woman, who was a perfect fit for the word ¡°madam¡±. She seemed to be Aurelian¡¯s wife, as she had pointed at him while calling him her ¡°foolish husband¡±.


    Next to her was a woman with light blue hair who appeared to be in her twenties, and then, clinging to the madam¡¯s waist in vigilance was a young girl who seemed to be wary of Harold. Perhaps one of them was¡­ Or rather, surely the former was Itsuki¡¯s marriage partner. Harold tried not to think of the possibility of it being the latter.


    The three of them showed no sign of being worried about Aurelian, as if it didn¡¯t matter what happened to him. It was pretty pitiful for the central pillar of the family.


    After that, Erica, who was the party¡¯s healer in the game, used recovery magic to heal Aurelian. It seemed like she had grown up in more ways than one. While looking at Erica conjuring her spell, Harold was in such great delight that he couldn¡¯t help but let out an¡¾¡±Oh¡­..¡±]of admiration.


    Incidentally, Aurelian¡¯s first words when he came back to his senses were¡¾¡±To lead me by the nose so easily, I like that!¡±]. Which went to show that Harold made a good impression on Aurelian¡¯s muscle-brain.


    According to him, his assault was just a way to ascertain the abilities of a promising young man. Naturally, Itsuki had been attacked before as well, and it seemed like he had dealt with it splendidly. That was likely how things had progressed up to Itsuki¡¯s marriage with Sylvie.


    Even though Harold was more of the opinion that the man was just being a nuisance.


    Currently, everyone was having lunch around a round table following the suggestion¡¾¡±Shall we have lunch at last?¡±]made by Silvi, who was indeed Itsuki¡¯s marriage partner, as Harold expected. There wasn¡¯t that much food for lunch since the meals for the celebration that would start in the evening were being prepared.


    Having overcome the hurdle of the first self-introduction, Harold tried to somehow sink into the atmosphere, but that was not counting on Aurelian, who was on his left, and Itsuki, on his right, who made it complicated for Harold to be left out.


    ¡¾¡±However, I didn¡¯t think you had a friend like Lord, Itsuki.¡±]


    Said Aurelian while stroking his Lincolnic beard that seemed to be his pride. Though Harold was calling it Lincolnic, there was no Lincoln in this world, but he didn¡¯t know what else to call it.


    ¡¾¡±Is it that surprising?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, rather than that, nowadays, the young ones tend to be weaklings. So I really appreciate seeing two strong young men full of spirit like you and Lord.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you very much.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    With a smile, Itsuki thanked Aurelian who was nodding to himself. As for Harold, he stayed silent as if this way unrelated to him. Aurelian had apparently assessed that Harold was full of spirit from that one interaction with him. Harold had a hard time understanding how that muscle-brain¡¯s train of thoughts worked.


    ¡¾¡±I can get my mind behind Itsuki¡¯s strength as the Sumeragi family has a lineage of fighters, but does the same apply to your family, Lord-san?¡±]


    However, his voiceless resistance was useless with Aurelian¡¯s wife, Brigitte, who asked him a question that he could not answer to with his mouth closed.


    Knowing that Itsuki would intervene if needed, Harold steeled himself.


    ¡¾¡±It has nothing to do with my family. It¡¯s my own talent.¡±]


    He meant to say it came from his efforts in his training, but the word ¡°efforts¡± was turned into ¡°talent¡± when it came out of his mouth, as one would expect from the arrogant Harold Stokes. Well, talent was quite a fitting term as he had a highly powerful body that would grow stronger and sooner than an average person¡¯s body, even if he did the exact same training as them.


    The troublesome part however was that the word ¡°talent¡± had not escaped from Aurelian¡¯s attention.


    ¡¾¡±Talent, you say! Lord, how long have you been wielding a sword?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±For eight years.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±From when you were ten, then? That¡¯s pretty late compared to the other strong people I know. So calling your strength a talent is no lie.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Naturally.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±By the way, what kind of training did you do back then?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, I¡¯d like to ask that, too.¡±]


    Itsuki took advantage of the conversation. Looking at Silvie and Brigitte, they seemed to be interested as well. As for Noelia, the third female of the Berlioz family, she seemed to be indifferent, as she was next to Erica, playing with her and keeping her busy. Harold wished she would stay like that for the next three days. That would greatly reduce his work and hardships.


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t do anything special. I¡¯d just swing my sword when I had some free time and hunt monsters.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±He used to do lots of reckless things before and he¡¯d become all worn-out. One time I was really surprised as he just showed up with a broken bone.¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±Oh my, that must have been rough.¡±](Brigitte)


    ¡¾¡±Sounds painful¡­.¡±](Sylvie)


    ¡¾¡±I used to go through the same kind of reckless and absurd ventures back in the days. I think Lord and I will really get along!¡±](Aurelian)


    Nope, not gonna happen, Harold was thinking in his mind. Though Harold had nothing against hot-blooded people, he preferred to keep his distance from Aurelian as he was way too extreme for him.


    ¡¾¡±However, it¡¯s indeed not a special training. You said you did it in your free time, but how long was that?¡±]


    When Aurelian asked that, Harold recalled the time when his consciousness came to this world. Though there were various things he had to do and think about, he was just a child therefore he was free most of the time.


    He did that training driven by the obsession that he had to be strong for his future, and it also served as a way to let out the stress and anxiety from the many problems he had to face. Moreover, his enjoyment from being able to actually use the game¡¯s skills played a large part in motivating him.


    Anyhow, even though he didn¡¯t have the same unlimited supply of stamina at the time as he did now, from his memory, he spent literally all of his spare time training back then.


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t have a clearly defined schedule, but usually it was about ten hours a day, I guess?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡¾¡±¡¾¡±¡¾¡±¡¾¡±¡­¡­ What?¡±]¡±]¡±]¡±]¡±]


    That was everyone¡¯s reaction except for Noelia. It seemed like Erica had been listening in as well while she looked after Noelia.


    Hold on, shouldn¡¯t Erica have found out about this when she was staying at the Stokes¡¯ mansion? Although Harold thoughtthat, at the time, Erica had basically just been staying indoors, and Harold was also hiding his training since he was mindful of the public eye. When he thought about it, even if someone happened to see him, there would have been no one eccentric enough to watch him train for ten hours straight.


    ¡¾¡±Ten¡­. Ten hours? Out of twenty-four hours?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s how days work, yeah.¡±]


    Despiteh is blunt answer, Harold could understand Itsuki¡¯s confusion. Even Harold would think of a person who trained ten hours a day as being insane.


    However, had absolute reasons why he had to get strong: so as to straighten his abilities, make his body able to swing the sword as long as he liked, and above all, so as to push death away. That was why he could achieve such a feat.


    He wondered what kind of reactions he would get if he told them that now, his training time had ranked up and would last 12 hours a day on average. Harold just had way too much time to spare when he didn¡¯t get any tasks from Justus.


    ¡¾¡±Apparently, there is a difference between our definition of the word ¡°special¡± and Lord¡¯s.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you think that, it just means your abilities are limited, bastard. ¡°](¡ù ¡°No, that¡¯s not how it is¡± is what Harold meant to say)


    The air all around them froze down. Harold had called the head of the family a bastard right to his face.


    Aurelian¡¯s shoulders were trembling. And then, he slowly stood up, looked up to the sky and shouted.


    ¡¾¡±Shame on me! Just because I can¡¯t do it, I drew the conclusion that it¡¯s impossible to do, how narrow-minded of me. It would be extremely foolish of me not to pick a prodigy like Lord!¡±]


    He was not angry. Harold couldn¡¯t help but admit that he had underestimated that muscles for brains¡¯ ¡°strength equals a person¡¯s worth¡± thinking process.


    However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that situation was extremely troublesome.


    And so, Aurelian, who was shouting a lot for a while, regained his calm. He then used his rugged hands to grab Harold¡¯s shoulders, and asked him with a serious look on his face.


    ¡¾¡±Lord, won¡¯t you take Noelia as your wife?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Looks like there is something seriously wrong with your head.¡±]


    Even though Harold had answered by reflex to those words that were beyond his mind, he didn¡¯t think he was in the wrong. For him, the wrong thing was whatever was going in Aurelian¡¯s head. Harold just couldn¡¯t understand the mindset of a person who had muscles for brains.


    Noelia, who was eight years old and was suddenly going to be pushed into a marriage, also raised her voice in protest.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t want to become Lord¡¯s wife! It¡¯s scary!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m the one who should say that, like hell I¡¯d want this. Getting married to children is no hobby of mine.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry. She might be too young right now, but I guarantee you that, in ten years, she¡¯ll turn into a beautiful woman.¡±]


    Noelia was certainly a beautiful girl, taking Silvie and Brigitte as a precedent, Noelia would likely become a beautiful lady in the future.


    However, that was not what Harold was referring to when he said he didn¡¯t want this. And he was starting to feel more and more irritated.


    ¡¾¡±If you want, I¡¯ll arrange a room for you in the mansion, then with Noelia you can¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Shut up.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t have to worry about convincing your family. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Shut up.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll even get to be Itsuki¡¯s brother, that¡¯s not bad if you¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I told you to shut the hell up! I have¨D¨D !¡±]


    As Harold faced Aurelian who was joyfully offering to engage his daughter to him, his blood instantaneously rose to his head. For a moment, he was enraged.


    However, even if it was short-lived, that rage was proportionally strong. Everyone was overpowered by Harold¡¯s anger.


    Even Harold himself was at a loss for words once he got back to his senses, after standing and shouting. And it wasn¡¯t because he let his feelings take control of him for a moment.


    He was shocked, and perhaps even depressed, because of the words that almost came out of his mouth.


    ¨D¨D I have Erica.


    Before he noticed, his eyes had turned towards Erica. And Erica¡¯s eyes met with Harold¡¯s as well.


    She¡¯s my natural enemy. I just can¡¯t deal with her. That¡¯s why her eyes make my mind so restless. Harold was desperately trying to rationalize the situation.


    ¡¾¡±Ugh, I feel sick.¡±]


    While everyone was shocked still, Harold averted his eyes and went to escape from the banquet hall with those sharp parting words.


    In any case, right now, he needed some time and space to calm himself down.


    Translator¡¯s notes: Alright, that¡¯s the end of the chapter, next couple chapters are pretty good, or at least, they worked pretty damn well with the Japanese readers, hope it¡¯ll be the same for you guys x)

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    After Harold¡¯s departure, there was an awkward atmosphere within the banquet hall. But, despite his incongruous behavior, there was so much power behind his threatening attitude that nobody seemed willing to blame him.


    In the middle of that whole ordeal, Erica had seen the look in Harold¡¯s eyes. It was a look of deep, deep despair.


    Then there was those words that Harold was about to speak. Guessing from Harold¡¯s nature and his speech and behavior so far, finding the continuation of his sentence was but a natural deduction.


    ¨D¨D I have no need for things like a fiancee.


    He had likely started saying that.


    Though Erica couldn¡¯t think of why he hesitated to actually say those words, she believed it had something to do with the hopelessness that was reflected in his eyes.


    ¡¾¡±I am extremely sorry. Please allow me to apologize for his impoliteness.¡±]


    Itsuki bowed his head to Mr. and Mrs. Berlioz. On the other hand, the couple told him there was no need to fret over it.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my husband who went and said something insensible. Rather, Aurelian should be the one Apologizing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mhm, certainly, I didn¡¯t consider Load¡¯s feelings. Perhaps he has already settled on a companion?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­¡±]


    Itsuki hesitated to talk as he stared at Erica with sidelong glances. And Aurelian seemed to have guessed something from that.


    ¡¾¡±Could that companion be you, Erica? If that¡¯s the case, then allow me to apologize to you, as well.¡±]


    Well, it was natural to have that thought after looking at Itsuki¡¯s reaction. The Berlioz family knew about the story from five years ago regarding a boy named Harold who demanded to break off his engagement with Erica.


    However, they did not think that the young man they had been talking to just before was the very same person as that boy, which is why they came to the conclusion that Lord was Erica¡¯s new fiance.


    They were correct, but they were also wrong. And Harold would have certainly perfered to reply that they were wrong.


    ¡¾¡±There is no need to apologize. Lord and I are not in that kind of relationship.¡±]


    Which is why Erica answered that. She decided not to look at the sad expression on Itsuki¡¯s face.


    But still, her heart was aching.


    ¡¾¡±Then, does he have someone else?¡±](Aurelian)


    ¡¾¡±¡­..I haven¡¯t heard about that. Although we¡¯ve been associating with Lord for a long time, he¡¯s not one to talk much about himself.¡±](Itsuki)


    Indeed, Erica didn¡¯t know what was really going on in Harold¡¯s mind. Of course, Itsuki and Erica had heard the bad rumors about him, but they did not believe them.


    He was often misunderstood because of that behavior of his¡­ Or rather, he made people misunderstand him on purpose.


    He took on the disgrace of being a murderer so as to save a parent and her child, he acted in a way that would make Erica hate him so that she could cancel her engagement without having to worry, and he put his life on the line, killing the country¡¯s enemies, in order to save many members of the knight order and the Star Reader Stellar tribe. The result was Harold¡¯s current situation.


    He was treated way too unjustly. Still, there were many things he could have done to prove his innocence, and yet he didn¡¯t, so Erica and Itsuki had to respect his choice.


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s a mysterious person.¡±](Brigitte)


    ¡¾¡±You can say that. But, he¡¯s not a bad person. He¡¯s willing to stand up for other people and to fight for the sake of protecting them.¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±Now that¡¯s a real warrior! Next time, I¡¯d like to have an actual formal bout with him.¡±](Aurelian)


    ¡¾¡±Right, but there is no fighting halfheartedly against him. Actually, I have¡­¡±](Itsuki)


    Aurelian once again got excited. Itsuki, who had had proper bouts with Harold, started talking about their fights.


    And like that, the awkwardness in the air vanished.


    However, there was a still a little anxiety remaining in Erica¡¯s heart.


    Harold¡¯s pupils reflected such a strong despair. She had never seen him have those kinds of eyes before.


    At the time, Erica had the illusion that Harold was grovelling in the face of his own destiny. Of course, that was nothing more than an illusion. She was likely just worrying too much.


    However, Erica didn¡¯t only know about Harold¡¯s strength, she also knew he had ordinary weaknesses. He was constantly fighting against his inner weaknesses, and it¡¯s for the sake of stepping over those very same weaknesses that he was so strong.


    That was Harold¡¯s way of life. He fought off his weaknesses, he fought off people¡¯s evil ways,  he fought off monsters, and then, he fought off the world.


    Erica felt that, perhaps even she was Harold¡¯s enemy. Which is why she believed he was seeking power excessively.


    Training for ten hours a day starting from his childhood was just not normal. In other words, something was pushing Harold to do so without fail.


    As if fate had forced him to fight from birth.


    (¡­. As if the idea of fighting off everything had been ¡°planted¡± inside his brain.)


    Those words intuitively went through Erica¡¯s mind.


    She could picture the seeds of fate, which were quarreling within Harold, as they were about to blossom. That terrible picture made her shiver.


    No way. That couldn¡¯t possibly happen, right?


    But still, that unpleasant image was now stuck to her mind and just wouldn¡¯t come off.


    She was worried because of how much she cared about Harold, and how little she knew about him. She was worried because she did not know how Harold felt, or what he thought.


    In that case, she knew what she had to do. And even if Harold didn¡¯t want it, even if he would hate her for it, she believed that, if it could benefit him, she had to do it without hesitation.


    No matter how unfavorable the results would be for Erica herself.


    ¡ó


    Although Harold had rushed out in spite of himself, he couldn¡¯t just wander inside a stranger¡¯s home. Having said that, despite having rushed outside, he remembered that he might get lost as he was not familiar with the place. Therefore, in the end, he simply covered a distance from which he could keep the Berlioz family¡¯s mansion in his line of sight. He was currently resting his elbows on the handrail of a bridge that went over the waterway.


    (Damn I screwed up¡­.)


    He had heard criminals on television before claiming¡¾¡±My blood just rushed to my head for a moment.¡±], and now, he felt like he could understand what they meant. Of course, just like them, he was ¡°regretting and reflecting¡±.


    As Harold found excuses for himself, he was confused over his sudden outburst of ¡°emotions that he couldn¡¯t have possibly felt¡±. He had been trying to make Erica hate him for eight years, he had tried every possible means to cancel his engagement with her, and yet he had almost reflexively blurted out that she was his fiancee.


    In other words, what he felt was¨D¨D.


    ¡¾¡±Like hell that would happen¡­.!¡±]


    With a low voice, he groaned in denial of his own thoughts.


    There was absolutely no way what he felt was love. Harold was a young and healthy man. He only temporarily lost control of himself from seeing Erica¡¯s attractive figure. It was nothing more than a physiological phenomenon, lust. That had to be it.


    However, there was another problem, and that was the sulky behavior Harold had showed while he left his seat without Aurelian¡¯s permission.


    Even though Aurelian was also in the wrong, as Itsuki had said, he was this region¡¯s leader. The Berlioz house had an even higher standing than Harold¡¯s family, and yet a youngster like himself went and treated them with that much contempt. It would be no surprise if he was banned from entering the region for the rest of his life.


    If that were to happen, he wouldn¡¯t be able to follow Ituski¡¯s request, and he didn¡¯t know what Justus would say about that.


    Though he considered apologizing now that he had regained his calm, it was surely going to be extremely difficult for him to express his gratitude properly. Or rather, the situation would most likely grow even worse if he tried that.


    Under the light of dusk, Harold was wondering what he should do.


    ¡¾¡±What are you doing in such a place?¡±]


    Harold turned around towards the voice that should have had nothing do to here.


    And then, in the middle of a street that reminded him of medieval Europe, he saw her, Erica, standing there wearing her Kimono. There was a contrast between her and her surroundings right out of an ukiyo-e, and her amazingly appealing looks might have had something to do with it. (Tln: I don¡¯t know enough about art to understand any of this ><)


    She was not expressionless, but Harold couldn¡¯t read her emotions from her facial expression, though she did give him chills.


    ¡¾¡±I can go wherever the hell I want. What¡¯d you come for?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My big brother thought you might have gotten lost.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t treat me like an infant. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m just as troubled as you are.¡±]


    Well, that was certainly right. It was safe to assume that Itsuki had pushed Erica¡¯s back, telling her¡¾¡±Go comfort Harold now, it¡¯s a perfect opportunity.¡±]. In that sense, Harold felt sorry for her as she was being jerked around no less than him.


    ¡¾¡±Then hurry up and go report to that flooish brother of yours that his concern is useless.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll do just that, but first, there is something I¡¯d like to personally ask you, Harold-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Something you¡¯d like to ask?¡±]


    When he said that, Harold remembered. Itsuki had kept his presence completely secret from Erica.


    So it was only natural that she would wonder why Harold was here. Though normally it would have been okay to explain it to her once they met face to face, the atmosphere and timing to do so had completely vanished thanks to Itsuki¡¯s shenanigans.


    He really excelled at creating trouble.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, young miss, you¡¯ve got quite the unusual get-up going on there. Are you here sightseeing?¡±]


    Suddenly, a voice came in between Harold and Erica. The owner of that voice was a very well tanned, dark skinned man who had healthy, firm muscles. From his tank-top shirt, his short baggy trousers, his feet that were bare except for a pair of sandals, and the bandanna around his head, Harold could guess upon the very first sight that the man was a sailor.


    At the same time, Harold figured what the man¡¯s greetings were for.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re not going to board your boat.¡±]


    At a nearby dock, on the waterway, one small boat was anchored, and unlike the ones made for traveling and transportation, it had a few simple decorations on it. Its size and shape weren¡¯t much different from that of the other small boats in the area, but it felt like it was rather made for pleasure cruises.


    This sailor was probably the owner of that boat.


    ¡¾¡±Well, don¡¯t say that. I mean, this is your chance to show how reliable your are to your lady.¡±]


    Despite Harold¡¯s cold answer, the sailor did not seem to be discouraged. On the contrary, he went and misunderstood Harold and Erica as being a pair of lovers.


    It was no strange thought to have from the point of view of a third party. The problem was that the man¡¯s misunderstanding had put a land mine between Harold and Erica.


    Troubled by the sailor, Harold tried to walk away from that place. But his feet were stopped by one unexpected statement.


    ¡¾¡±Right, right. Then, a trip for two people, please.¡±]


    Harold couldn¡¯t believe his ears. If Erica wanted to have a pseudo-pleasure cruise, she was free to do suit herself.


    However, she said ¡°two people¡±. In this situation, it was impossible for those two people to be anyone other than Harold and Erica.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..I don¡¯t see your maid anywhere.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Juno is helping with setting up the assembly hall.¡±]


    Though Harold bet on a small possibility, all he got in return was an answer equivalent to a ¡°what about it?¡±. As expected, it seemed like Erca wanted to ride on the boat with Harold.


    Harold couldn¡¯t understand what Erica was thinking at all. However, if she just wanted to have a talk, she wouldn¡¯t have needed to go out of her way to board on the boat. Harold¡¯s mind was confused as he couldn¡¯t think of a logical answer.


    As if she had seen an opportunity in that confusion, Erica took hold of Harold¡¯s hand.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go, Harold-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾Hey, what hell are you¡­.!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But you won¡¯t get on if I don¡¯t do that, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Obviously! Why would I want to go with¡­. let go of my damn hand!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My big brother said that, when dealing with Harold-sama, the more aggressive I am, the better.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And you believe that guy¡¯s words?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just using them at my own convenience.¡±]


    That was unnecessarily vicious. Erica really was her brother¡¯s sister.


    Having concluded that it was impossible to convince Erica with words, Harold used all of his strength to shake her off. However, from some reason, he couldn¡¯t free himself from her grasp.


    No matter how many times he tried, his strength would just scatter and leave him. His efforts had little to no effect.


    It was Erica, who was holding Harold¡¯s left hand, that gave him an explanation to that incomprehensible phenomenon.


    ¡¾¡±Harold-sama, do you know about ¡°Aiki¡±? Aiki is a sort of taijutsu, putting it simply, it¡¯s a technique that robs the opponent¡¯s body of its freedom.¡±]


    From those words, Harold had a cold sweat.


    Erica, who spoke indifferently, was mysteriously threatening. Actually, Harold even felt that she was a little scary.


    (I do know about it, but why the hell does Aikido exist in this world?!)


    Even if it somehow did exist in this world, it was still weird for Erica to make use of Aikido.


    In the game, there was no close quarter combat command for Erica. Her only physical attack was archery, and besides, she was supposed to be a character that specialized in magic and focused only on rear-support.


    And yet, how could she master something like Aikido?


    It appeared that she had evolved beyond Harold¡¯s expectations.


    ¡¾¡±Wow, didn¡¯t think the young miss was actually the most reliable one in this couple. Never easy to deal with a woman stronger than you, is it? Just hang in there, Lady-killer.¡±]


    With a look that had surprise and sympathy mixed in it, the sailor lightly hit Harold¡¯s back to comfort him.


    Although Harold was very dissatisfied, in the end, he couldn¡¯t shake off Erica¡¯s hand and was taken to the small boat while feeling shy as the curious eyes of the people around had gathered on him, having likely seen  ¡°a man with an evil look in his eyes who dared to complain while being led by the hand of a stunning beauty¡±.


    In that small boat, Harold couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was riding with the grim reaper over the river Styx.


    Author¡¯s note: The founder of Aikido, Mr.Morihei Ueshiba once said ¡°Aiki is love.¡±


    Translator¡¯s note: So, about that river Styx thing, I changed the sentence for the original so that you guys may understand what this means without having to research for 24 hours, the river Styx is basically that river of the dead from disney¡¯s Hercules, that¡¯s easier to understand than the children of limbo that the author references ><

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    ¡¾¡±So you came to escort me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. And it¡¯s damn annoying.¡±]


    Harold, who was forced to board on the ship despite his futile resistance, honestly told Erica about the circumstances that he didn¡¯t necessarily have to hide.


    Erica¡¯s reaction upon finding out the truth was to deeply lower her head and apologize.


    ¡¾¡±I am sorry for my elder brother¡¯s selfishness.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you were going to apologize, you should have taken hold of his reins from the get go.¡±]


    Although even Harold himself felt that his mouth¡¯s complaint was absurd, he did believe that if Erica could take control of Itsuki, his chances of meeting with her would decrease. So he wanted Erica to work hard at it, for the benefit of each-other¡¯s mental health.


    Well, that¡¯s a matter for another time. Thinking that, Harold put his feelings back in order at once. And then, he addressed Erica.


    ¡¾¡±So, that¡¯s it? You didn¡¯t do all this just so you could ask me about something that trivial, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. Indeed. There is something I¡¯d like you to confirm, Harold-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Just keep in mind that I have no obligation to answer your questions.¡±]


    From the questions he could expect, there was hardly any answer he could freely give out to her. Be it his current position, or the contents of his mission, he had to keep silent about basically everything when it came to the matters related to Justus.


    ¡¾¡±Of course, it¡¯s fine to just answer what you can, Harold-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mhm, just hurry and get this over with.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you very much. Then, I¡¯ll get right to the point. Why did you try to cancel your engagement with me at that time five years ago?¡±]


    As she asked that, Erica lowered the volume of her voice. That was likely in order to avoid being overheard by the sailor.


    But said sailor did not seem to have much interest in Harold and Erica as he was working hard at introducing Kablan. It seemed like he was only speaking because he was obliged to do it, rather than to inform the customers on board about the town. However, even though the man was doing his job halfheartedly, it was quite convenient for Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Why ask about something that obvious?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Allow me to rephrase my question. Why did you do try to cancel it at that timing in particular?¡±]


    That timing was when the decision of his execution was overturned and it had been decided that Harold was going to get transferred to Justus¡¯ research establishment.


    After the revision of his judgement, Harold directly confronted Tasuku, who was watching the trial, about the marriage cancellation. Though Tasuku had a sad expression on his face, he didn¡¯t seem to be very surprised. He had probably prepared himself mentally as he knew from long ago that this day would come sooner or later.


    Harold was very happy and surprised as he didn¡¯t think that Tasuku would agree to break off the engagement, though he only did it indirectly.


    Harold¡¯s parents, Hayden and Jessica, who were together with Justus as the time, were greatly troubled. They were, of course, strongly opposed to the cancellation and they persistently tried to make Harold reconsider his choice, but he still insisted that he was not willing to get married with Erica.


    Even now, Harold¡¯s father, Hayden, was still regularly sending him letters to try and persuade him, but this was a decision Harold had made before he even met with Erica. He wasn¡¯t going to change it now.


    Incidentally, Harold had suggested the cancellation immediately after the end of the retrial, just before people left the tribunal.


    He did that so as to make it known to the surroundings, and most importantly, to Justus, that he had broken off his link with the Sumeragi family.


    Justus was the one responsible for the miasma outbreak that was still happening within the Sumeragi territory. If Harold was still on friendly terms with the Sumeragi after becoming affiliated with Justus, there was risk that the fact that he was the one who gave the medicine which limited the damage caused by the miasma would be exposed.


    If that happened, then Justus would be suspicious about how Harold, who was ten years old at the time, and yet knew how to produce a medicine that could raise immunity to the miasma. Being under Justus¡¯ suspicion while working for him would have been fatal.


    With that being the case, Harold was really regretting not reminding the Sumeragis to keep the matters concerning the antibody-drug a secret, but it was too late for that. Although the information wasn¡¯t made public, there were many people within the Sumeragis¡¯ mansion, and among their relatives, who knew that Harold was the one who came up with the idea of the medicine. Additionally, Harold couldn¡¯t deny he was afraid that Justus would dissect him out of curiosity, so as to find out how Harold was able to anticipate the range of the contamination on the map etc¡­.


    Harold wasn¡¯t good enough with words to give a genius mad scientist a plausible explanation without contradicting himself, so all he could do was to crush the possibility of ever being questioned.


    Well, long story short, he cancelled the engagement to protect himself. To begin with, in the game¡¯s story, the original Harold was not assigned to work under Justus and the like. Originally, Harold, whose mind was burning for revenge over Liner¡¯s and the others, who had defeated him twice, was taken advantage of by Justus, who gifted him a special medicine called¡ºAstral potion¡».


    It was a doping item which, upon ingestion, amplified the magic within the user¡¯s body, in other words, it amplified his astral body, therefore granting him an unusually potent power-up.


    However, his body couldn¡¯t keep up with the strengthening, and it swelled up, overtaken by its own power. By the end, it took on a grotesque shape that couldn¡¯t be called human, and then, the original Harold lost his life as his own body broke down.


    Though Harold could avoid all this by simply not taking the astral potion, there was a demerit that came with it, because Liner¡¯s party would not gain the experience they¡¯d have accumulated by fighting the boosted Harold. So he had no choice but to strengthen their equipment, and teach them the tactics that were effective in the game to raise their abilities and potential.


    Putting that aside, the reason why Harold agreed to work under Justus despite that never happening in the game¡¯s story was simply that it was his only way to survive. At any rate, Justus had suddenly appeared before Harold who was incarcerated and gave him two choices¡¾¡±Would you rather be executed or work for me? If you come with me, I¡¯ll give you more power. Well, you¡¯ll probably go through hell though.¡±].


    Harold had no choice but to accept his proposal so as to survive. However, that choice he was given had an absurdly high sense of upending death upon it.


    Helping Justus with his work meant lending him a hand for his ambitions. That would inevitably lead him to becoming Liner and the others¡¯ enemy, and if things went well for Justus, it would cause the downfall of the world. Harold had also considered well enough whether he¡¯d just end up as a throwaway piece for Justus.


    Although the option Justus gave him was his only way to survive, it wasn¡¯t simple to select it¡­. or rather, it shouldn¡¯t have been simple.


    Harold had been starting to forget about this but, that cynical mouth of his had other functions than automatically changing his words. That function had appeared only twice in the past, in addition, it was when Harold had just come to this world.


    Said function simply made Harold repeat words from the original story¡¯s character. Which meant that the lines the original Harold had spoken in the game would come out of Harold¡¯s mouth. Though the time and setting were different from the original story¡¯s, the situation where Justus gave power to Harold was the same as the game¡¯s event.


    After a loud laugh that took even Harold himself aback, his mouth went and said to Justus.


    ¡ºHand over that power. I¡¯ll teach you what true hell is, bastard. ¡»


    That was the brisk decision the original Harold had foolishly taken in the game.


    And thus, in a completely unforeseen development, Harold became a henchman under the commands of the story¡¯s last boss.


    But no matter how unexpected this was, it was a good thing for Harold. Thanks to that, he could focus on the next route to take, and on his ongoing problems.


    While reflecting upon those bitter memories, Harold answered Erica¡¯s question.


    ¡¾¡±That was because it was the best setting for me to cancel it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You actually wanted to make it known to your surroundings that you¡¯ve cut your ties with the Sumeragi family, right?¡±]


    Her guess was dead on, it was as if Erica had read Harold¡¯s mind.


    That was impossible, but then, how had Erica reached that answer? Could it be that she knew something about Justus? Such doubts crossed Harold¡¯s mind.


    ¡¾¡±Well, I wonder about that.¡±]


    Harold was careful so as not to carelessly bring up Justus¡¯ name.


    It was unlikely that Erica had laid her hands on information that even Elu couldn¡¯t obtain.


    Even if she somehow knew the true nature of Justus¡¯ identity, she could only speculate on Harold¡¯s intentions. Which meant that despite her earlier words, Erica had not seen through Harold¡¯s aim, and her answer was just derived from her own point of view. But there was a higher probability that her words simply happened to be right by chance, and she actually didn¡¯t know the deeper meaning behind them at all.


    ¡¾¡±You went that far and ended up all alone for¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯d you say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Nothing, don¡¯t mind me.¡±]


    Harold was too deep in his thoughts and had missed the murmur which escaped from Erica¡¯s mouth. He was interested but, judging from the blunt attitude Erica answered him with, she likely wouldn¡¯t reply if he asked her to repeat herself again.


    Well, in the future, rather than Erica¡­. Harold had better observe the Sumeragi family as a whole to check whether they were investigating Justus for something. Since Itsuki was the one who made the request for Harold¡¯s mission, there was no way the Sumeragi family wasn¡¯t acquainted with Justus to some extent.


    As Harold had been under the impression that his link with the Sumeragis had been completely broken off, he had not considered at all the option that they would take action against Justus.


    ¡¾¡±Was that all you wanted to confirm?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is one more thing. Could you tell me to where the truth starts and ends in those rumors about you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have no interest for these detestable kinds of things. I don¡¯t know about them so whether they¡¯re true or not is none of my concern.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is the one about you being a ¡°knight killer¡± who slaughtered dozens of knights. Then there is the one that said you had a with a devil and that you could get riches by kidnapping children and selling them to him. And, also, the one about you dyeing your hands with every evil deed in existence, therefore completely mastering the path of evil. I guess there are other ones, but these are the main rumors circulating.¡±]


    Harold had heard about every single one of these rumors. But hearing them again from someone else¡¯s mouth was still considerably difficult.


    Well, most of them were due to Justus dramatizing the facts.


    Regarding the knight killing case, it was in the middle of one of Harold¡¯s missions where he simply happened to encounter a group from the knight order that was attacked and almost exterminated by a herd of monsters. The group had about ten people in it, but when Harold arrived, more than half of them were already dead, and the others were on the verge of dying. The monsters had pretty much annihilated them and, in the end, there were only two people among the group who preserved their lives.


    However, they both retired from the knight order immediately after that because of the remaining after-effects of their injuries.


    As for the kidnappings rumors, it came from the times when Harold would take the orphans and juvenile vagrants that he happened to see in the slums and on battlefields, he would then leave some money and goods for them and take them to an orphanage that he deemed to be decent. Harold could count the number of times he did that on one hand so it shouldn¡¯t have caught Justus¡¯ eyes, and yet the matter was somehow still exposed to him. That made Harold realize all over again how terrifying Justus really was.


    And that last thing, about him ¡°mastering the path of evil¡±, was probably just an image people had of Harold after combining various rumors. Upon hearing of this, Justus had lamented;¡¾¡±Oh come on, It¡¯s too vague. They made it way too halfheartedly.¡±]so he likely had nothing to do with it. Harold found it extremely annoying that Justus was so devoted to ruining his reputation that he would lament over something like this.


    Whenever he heard rumors about himself, Harold could not help thinking ¡°If that had really happened, I¡¯d have been arrested long ago, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±.


    Erica was probably able to realize that as well, but the fact that she asked about the rumors meant that she was likely still half in doubt. If that was the case, Harold was going to use this to make doubly sure that Erica¡¯s evaluation of him was at rock bottom, but, if possible, he¡¯d prefer it if she didn¡¯t spread her hate within the hero¡¯s party after joining Liner, lest this turn into a full-blow confrontation between him and Liner¡¯s party.


    He wanted the party to have just enough faith in him to accept his advice and information. If that turned out to be impossible, he¡¯d have to do it via Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Yes, this hand of mine is tainted with blood and sins. But, so what? The weak can only blame their foolish selves for turning into preys.¡±]


    This answer was a massive lump of elitism. But even though things may have appeared this way, Harold had actually managed to control himself and held back the words ¡°inferior species¡± from coming out of his mouth.


    Harold looked at the palm of his right hand. This hand had wielded a sword which slayed monsters and humans alike, there was no denying that, but still, that didn¡¯t mean Harold felt nothing from it.


    ¡¾¡±Perhaps we can¡¯t understand each other because our values differ too much, but¡­.¡±]


    Suddenly, Harold¡¯s right hand felt warm, and was wrapped by a soft feeling. The heat then gradually spread.


    The source of that warmth was actually Erica¡¯s hands, which were grasping Harold¡¯s right hand. Erica gently and lovingly held it close to her chest.


    ¡¾¡±But, with this hand, you¡¯ve protected my important people. That¡¯s the undeniable truth. So, no matter how much of a sinner you are, I¡¯m willing to accept you.¡±]


    Harold could not allow himself to look away from Erica¡¯s eyes which seemed so warm that they could pull him in.


    He felt like his reason was ringing alarm bells to stop him from looking at Erica¡¯s eyes any longer. Even so, as if he had been possessed, Harold unintentionally gripped Erica¡¯s hand, and¨D¨D.


    ¡¾¡±Well, that¡¯s probably what my brother would tell you. I mean, he likes you a lot after all.¡±]


    As Erica said that, she released Harold¡¯s right hand. The warmth in Harold¡¯s hand went down as it was exposed to the air, and, at the same time, Harold regained his calm.


    While a mischievous smile appeared on Erica¡¯s face, Harold realized he had been tricked. He, who suddenly became embarrassed, turned his eyes towards another direction and folded his arms.


    While listening to Erica¡¯s discreet and yet cheerful laughter, Harold kept looking the other way, to hide his embarrassment, until the boat arrived at the dock.

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    Having finished the sightseeing tour to keep up appearances, Harold decided to return to the Berlioz mansion alongside Erica. Erica didn¡¯t say anything in particular as she was silently walking a few steps behind Harold, with a smile on her face.


    In the mean time, Harold tried to somehow regain his composure.


    Earlier, his eyes had been snatched away by some kind of mental bewilderment. He couldn¡¯t deny that having his hand grasped had been effective on him, but the emotions he felt were absolutely not love.


    As a man, there was no way he would stay completely indifferent upon having his hand taken by a beautiful woman like Erica, so his reaction was unavoidable. However, that didn¡¯t mean there was any special meaning behind it either.


    Moreover, considering the roles he and Erica had to play, and the future that was awaiting this world, he couldn¡¯t possibly allow himself to be attracted to her or anything of the sort.


    As Harold enumerated those negative matters in his head, he considerably regained his composure.


    Still, it was quite mischievous of Erica to tease him like this. Though physically Harold had the same age as her, mentally, he was ten years older. His honor as a man was on the line as he had been led by the nose by an adolescent who wasn¡¯t even in her twenties, despite himself being a proper adult.


    I gotta calm down already, Harold secretly pumped himself up. And like that, the heat in his face and his perturbed heart-beat completely settled down.


    For now, Harold and Erica uneventfully arrived at the Berlioz residence where Aurelian, who had been waiting for Harold, apologized to him, making the event from lunch-time water under the bridge.


    Not only did Aurelian not blame Harold for his extreme rudeness, on the contrary, he apologized to him. Harold was astonished by the negotiation skills of Itsuki, who had remained on the scene and made the situation evolve in that direction. It seemed like his title as the next head of the Sumeragi household was not just for show.


    To show his appreciation to Itsuki, Harold was determined to properly do the work that was requested of him. Well, in the first place, if Ituski hadn¡¯t given that task to him, Harold wouldn¡¯t have been rude to Aurelian, but still, Harold decided to make use of that to raise his morale as he wasn¡¯t motivated to do the job at all. If he took it easy and failed his mission, Harold didn¡¯t know what kind of retribution he would get from Justus and Itsuki.


    And then, one hour after Harold and Erica came back, the party started. Apparently, most of the participants in the assembly hall had come by boat.


    After the party¡¯s hosts, Itsuki and Sylvie, finished greeting the guests on the banquet hall¡¯s stage, they went around the room, thanking the participants for their congratulatory words. And, in but a moment, the two of them disappeared, buried in the crowd.


    Even so, the number of people they could talk to at the same time was limited, they couldn¡¯t easily handle that whole crowd. So, in the mean time, the participants who weren¡¯t busy with anything, started entertaining themselves as they wished; they were chatting with each other, enjoying the dishes and alcohol, or dancing to the orchestra¡¯s performance.


    But, frankly speaking, among all of that, the most popular activity was flirting.


    However, they weren¡¯t flirting on a whim like what could be seen in town, here, they were aiming for future companions and connections. As one would expect, this type of socialization was very common among the sons of aristocrats and big merchants.


    And as Harold had somehow anticipated, Erica was an obvious target to these kinds of men as she was breathtakingly beautiful, came from a distinguished family and yet was still unmarried. Although there were many seemingly noble women dressed beautifully in the assembly hall, Erica was still the most popular.


    Which meant that Harold¡¯s work kept him all the more busy. The men who started going on the offensive with Erica were knocked down one by one by Harold¡¯s violent words, but far from decreasing, their numbers were getting bigger.


    At a certain point, the crowd that was formed around Erica was as big as the crowd around Itsuki.


    ¡¾¡±Beautiful lady, may I ask for your name?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How about we get out of here and go to my room? I have some quite precious wine there.¡±]


    Several men were whispering pick-up lines to her. Harold was not Prince Sh¨­toku, he could only hear three people at the same time, that was his limit. As for the voices of the other people he couldn¡¯t listen to, they were just noise in his ears.


    Those men were extremely troublesome. And they seemed to be intentionally ignoring the existence of Harold, who was actually next to Erica. In other words, he was also completely surrounded, just like her.


    It seemed like the situation was a few steps away from getting out of control. Erica was at a loss about how to reply to them.


    Even though she tried to reply to everyone, every-time she answered, three or four other voices would appear so she couldn¡¯t catch up with them. But that was only natural, she only had one mouth.


    Her patience was at its limits.


    Harold¡¯s right arm forced its way in the men¡¯s way, as if to protect Erica. At this point, it seemed impossible for them to ignore Harold, therefore, they started threatening him with sharp voices that had completely changed from when they were speaking to Erica.


    ¡¾¡±Who the hell are you? Get out of my way.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What a boorish behavior.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Seriously. How could a rude man like you possibly stand next to Erica? Know your place.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why are you so silent? Too cowardly to keep acting like a knight?¡±]


    Harold was under a concentrated fire of malice.


    But this still wasn¡¯t at a level where Harold would turn on his switch. Rather, as a bad example to follow, he was worried about their behavior, as he believed one could not simply hurl abuses towards someone without knowing their identity.


    At least some of them should have known that Erica was the host¡¯s younger sister, and as Harold had been escorting said little sister the whole time, they should have asked themselves whether Harold was one of the Sumeragi or Berlioz family¡¯s officials.


    Well, normally, in these kinds of festivities, everyone knew about the name, face, title and official position of everyone else, so those men probably looked down on Harold who didn¡¯t appear anywhere in their personal list.


    Harold put those trivial thoughts aside for now. The main problem for the time being was how he would go about making those men disperse.


    In this happy occasion, violence was completely forbidden, let alone brandishing a weapon. If he raised an uproar, he would be throwing cold water on the party.


    But, having said that, persuading them with words was not even worth trying. In any case, even if he tried, he would only provoke them, insult them and make things worse.


    Then, what should I do? Harold wondered as he could think of only one thing.


    Harold exhaled for a bit while getting rid of any useless feelings. What he needed was a very pure killing intent.


    He pictured the men in front of him as powerful and clearly hostile foes. He pictured them as being sworn enemies at Justus¡¯ level. And like that, a burning flame colder than ice was lit up and shaking within in his mind.


    Rampaging hostility, boiling malice, and pure killing intent were mixed up as one within him, in complete harmony. Then, Harold put those feelings into words, and poured them on those men, without mercy.


    ¡¾¡±Get out of my sight.¡±]


    It was only one short sentence. However, within that sentence was an excessively dense, illusion of death.


    Harold was thinking of frightening the men and make them run away.


    However, the power of Harold¡¯s killing intent ¨D¨D of his thirst for blood, was no longer at that level. No one moved from their spot. Of course, it wasn¡¯t because the thirst for blood wasn¡¯t effective.


    It was actually too effective. For someone who wasn¡¯t resolved to die or had never been on the verge of death, it was impossible to bear. It could even make them feel actual physical pressure.


    A thud resounded. Looking at the source of the sound, one of the men around Erica had lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. As if taking that noise as a signal, some other men noisily fell down as well.


    The reactions varied from one person to another, there were those who fainted like the other men, there were those who were shaking with fear and unable to stand up, then there were those who perceived their own death and were in tears, begging for their lives.


    It was a bizarre sight to see. It naturally ended up attracting the attention of the surrounding people.


    From a gap in the crowd, Harold could see Itsuki who had placed his right hand on his head, as if he was saying ¡°Oops¡±.


    And Harold was in a quite similar state of mind from these unexpected results.


    Starting from this day, a story, seemingly close to the truth, started to spread among the aristocrats.


    ¡ºThe daughter of the Sumeragi has a watchdog that could bite a death god to death. ¡»


    ¡ó


    (???¡¯s Pov)


    The man thought he had died. Or, to be more accurate, he actually thought he had been killed.


    However, either way, he was wrong.


    But he had certainly felt that a sword had pierced his abdomen. He even had the illusion that it had cut his neck.


    And what made him feel that way was someone¡¯s thirst for blood.


    However, it seemed like it hadn¡¯t been aimed towards the man. As he turned his had and looked behind him, many people had fallen down on the ground here and there, in the middle of those people was a beautiful woman dressed in a kimono, and a young man who stood beside her as if to protect her.


    Judging from the situation, the man assessed that the young man was probably the one who let loose that thirst for blood. Considering that the man had only felt the after-effect of that thirst of blood and yet it had given him such a vivid image of death, there was no way that young man was an ordinary person.


    Who was that young man? How strong was he? And why was he here? Though the man had many question, none of these things mattered to him.


    Because the man¡¯s eyes were completely nailed on the beautiful woman next to the young man. She was like a lovely, fragile flower basking in the moonlight. But in front of her, even the brightest of flowers, the most dazzling butterfly, or a perfect view of paradise, would be overshadowed.


    Her beauty was that powerful. Which is why the young man¡¯s existence instantly went out of the man¡¯s head, and before he noticed, he went to greet the woman.


    ¡¾¡±Meeting you today is the luckiest thing that ever happened in my life. And I¡¯d like to share this wonderful feeling with you. But first, may I hear you name, my lady?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. I am the daughter of the Sumeragi family, Erica Sumeragi. I¡¯d be pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, Erica! A lovely name, fitting of your beauty. I am-¡°]


    ¡¾¡±-Francis J. Arkwright.¡±]


    The man¡¯s ¨D¨D Francis¡¯ words were interrupted by a young man. The young man who was standing next to Erica had correctly guessed the name of Francis, who had yet to introduce himself.


    And that felt suspicious to him. Francis had decided to take part in this event at the last minute. In other words, his name wasn¡¯t on the list where the participants¡¯ names were noted prior to the celebration. Which meant that the young man knew about Francis from before.


    ¡¾¡±Do you know me? Well, I am famous after all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, your bad habits are famous.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Wha¡­¡­! You seem to know me very well. But that information is already outdated.¡±]


    Francis kneeled on one knee and took Erica¡¯s hand.


    ¡¾¡±Because my heart will be completely devoted to Erica from now on!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mister Arkwright, even if you suddenly tell me that, I am not going to¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Arkwright is way too formal! Call me Franck.¡±]


    Erica was perplexed by Francis¡¯ fierce approach. However, this was his style.


    When he seduced a woman, he did it with passion, and if pushing wasn¡¯t enough, that just meant he had to push harder. Up to now, Francis had conquered many women using that technique.


    However, now that he had crossed paths with Erica, he was confident that all the woman he had conquered were no more than a training so as to win over Erica¡¯s heart.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. He believed that his naturally handsome looks, as well as everything he inherited thanks to his lineage, were all part of the fate gifted to him by god so that he wouldn¡¯t be inferior when compared to Erica.


    If someone came in the way of that fate, he wouldn¡¯t even mind facing a monster who could kill people by merely using his thirst for blood, and Francis believed he would definitely win against him. With that strong conviction, Francis looked towards the pupils of the young man next to Erica.


    But the young man¡¯s eyes seemed completely indifferent, as if Francis¡¯ strong conviction did not matter to him in the slightest. Still, that had caught Francis off-guard.


    He expected at least some sort of reaction.


    ¡¾¡±This is quite unexpected. Are you not going to stop me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You seem like a different kind of dimwit from the masses that tumbled around here. Do what you want.¡±]


    As he said that, the young man crossed his arms and leaned against the wall behind him. From the young man¡¯s attitude, Francis could feel that he didn¡¯t really care about what was happening.


    Was he not Erica¡¯s servant or fiance?


    Though Francis still had many doubts, the young man had said that he wouldn¡¯t get in his way so this was convenient for him. And so, when he was about to restart his attack on Erica¡­


    ¡¾¡±Well, that is, if you can get that guy¡¯s permission.¡±]


    Added the young man, as Francis felt someone¡¯s hand on his shoulder.


    That hand had so much strength to it that it felt like it was going to crush his shoulder. But it was that very pain that triggered Francis¡¯ memory.


    He had been distracted by her first name, but the woman had certainly called herself Sumeragi. And Francis knew someone with that same last name.


    He timidly turned his head around. There, stood someone who was on such good terms with Francis that he could call him a friend, his name was Itsuki Sumeragi.


    Francis, who instantaneously understood the situation and the relationship between Itsuki and Erica, spoke up without any hesitation.


    ¡¾¡±Itsuki, allow me to call you my brother-in-law from now on.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Call me what?! Get your hand off Erica, you lustful imp!¡±]


    Itsuki¡¯s angry voice resounded everywhere through the Berlioz mansion.

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    Afterwards, though there was no disaster, the situation became extremely chaotic.


    The people who had fainted couldn¡¯t just be ignored, so they were carried in a vacant room. As for the people who were still conscious but shaking in fear, they were taken to another room since they needed to be calmed down. Giving a sidelong glance to that scene, Harold, wanting to put himself in solitary confinement, decided to return to the room which had been assigned to him.


    As the main culprit behind the situation, his help would only make things worse. But even if that wasn¡¯t the case, he was hurting from the surrounding people¡¯s glances.


    Erica was looking after the fallen men, Francis continued to make passes at her while helping her, and Itsuki was trying to stop him.


    Thinking that nothing could be done about this situation, Harold shrugged his shoulders and hurriedly disappeared from that place. Though this was bad for Itsuki, Harold judged that, knowing Francis, things would turn out just fine.


    Francis J. Arkwright.


    He had emerald green eyes, and loose wavy blond hair. He gave off the impression of being a frivolous womanizer and slightly narcissistic, but overlooking that, Francis was a proper man who always stayed true to his principles. His nickname was Franck.


    Although he used a rapier in battle, he was somewhat lacking in attack power. In the game, his physical attack level was lower than Erica¡¯s and Collet¡¯s, and was only a rank above Lifa¡¯s. On the other hand, the magic spells he could use were aplenty, he could even use healing magic, but it wasn¡¯t that easy to invoke for him as he didn¡¯t have that much MP.


    Despite those lacking characteristics, he was still a jack of all trades. He looked exactly like a prince, and not without reason as he was actually a prince of the kingdom, and the 37th in line to inherit the throne.


    Be that as it may, he himself did not expect much from that position and wasn¡¯t waiting for his turn on the throne to come, he didn¡¯t even want to become king. For the time being, he seemed to have no dissatisfaction with his present condition as he could live freely as he wished just by having the title of a prince.


    Of course, he was one of the original story¡¯s characters.


    He was extremely fond of beautiful women and would at times let go of his honor and start hitting on them, but if one closed his eyes on that, Franck wasn¡¯t that bad of a guy. In the game, he wasn¡¯t really able to really seduce any women anyway as he was recognized as a prince who stood above the nation and was travelling together with Liner who was driven by righteousness.


    Therefore, based on how he was portrayed in the game¡¯s lore, it was not surprising at all that he suddenly started making passes at Erica. What was surprising however was his statement about not aiming for other women anymore.


    If Francis stopped being a playboy, it would be like if Harold stopped being cynical. In other words, it would be inconceivable.


    Perhaps he had been a little too charmed by Erica. He did recognize her as a beautiful woman in the game, but looking at how passionate he was right now, it was obvious that he was even more taken with her than in the original story.


    And Harold had a hard time figuring out the cause of that.


    (Oh right, Erica¡¯s becoming even more beautiful than she was in the game, isn¡¯t she?)


    That¡¯s the only thing Harold could come up with, having no reliable way of finding out the reason behind Francis¡¯ enthusiasm.


    Well, it should be fine, thought Harold as he stretched himself, refreshing his mood.


    Looking outside his window, the weather was still as good as it was the day before. Despite the various happenings from the previous day, Harold¡¯s sleep seemed to have gone fine since his body was in a good condition.


    Today¡¯s breakfast¡¯s going to be delicious, while having these kinds of carefree thoughts, Harold remembered the sketch of the residence¡¯s layout, which had been placed in his room, and he headed towards the dining hall of the mansion.


    The breakfast appeared to be laid out in a smorgasbord style, but of course, it wasn¡¯t just a self-service buffet. It was a buffet with an air of high society to it, where people could actually order their food and have the chef make it on the spot.


    Harold had ordered a chop steak for he deemed meat was a must in these occasions. And as he looked for a vacant seat with said steak in his hand¡­


    ¡¾¡±Oh¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hmm?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­tsk¡±]


    Harold¡¯s eyes met with Francis¡¯, who had already chanced upon a seat. Francis reacted to that, which caught Itsuki¡¯s attention. As for Harold, he clicked his tongue by reflex.


    Harold tried to ignore the duo as he felt that this was going to be troublesome, but unfortunately, one of them called out to him.


    ¡¾¡±Hold on. I¡¯d like to have a little talk.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If it¡¯s about Erica, ask her elder brother.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, I want to talk with you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Exactly. So you should just sit down for now.¡±]


    Itsuki went behind Harold before he even noticed, held his shoulders with a solid grip, and made him sit down by force.


    Having had his refreshed mood ruined like so, Harold wanted to let out a sigh.


    ¡¾¡±So, what the hell do you want to ask?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s start by introducing ourselves. I am Francis J. Arkwright. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m Lord Strouse.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You knew about me from before, right? How come?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I only knew your name. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve ever personally met you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I guess that¡¯s right. Because I don¡¯t remember you either.¡±]


    Francis was staring fixedly at Harold, closely observing him. Without caring about that, Harold kept carrying one mouthful of his steak after another from his plate to his mouth.


    As he chewed on it, the juices started to overflow. The meat disappeared in his mouth with the juice, as if it was melting, and he hardly needed to put any strength in his jaw. The taste permeated both the meat and the fat.


    He didn¡¯t need to express in words how delicious it was. He just silently ate the rare steak that was oozing blood.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.. This looks horrifying, it¡¯s as if you were eating an actual person.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, there is no denying that. But even though your mouth is dyed with blood, I think it actually looks good on you rather than messy.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you took some red wine instead, it would look even better.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In short, it¡¯s the red of the blood that looks good on me, right? Alright, then If you bastards don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll just use your blood instead of the meat¡¯s.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡¾¡±No thank you.¡±]¡±]


    The two answered in harmony. Despite the fuss they made about Erica, they seemed to be pretty good friends.


    However, even for Harold who was familiar with the game, Itsuki and Francis being friends was a back story he hadn¡¯t heard of. It was a connection that probably didn¡¯t even exist in fan-fictions.


    ¡¾¡±Francis, you¡¯re supposed to be Itsuki¡¯s friend, right? How come you didn¡¯t even know his younger sister?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I knew he had a younger sister but I wasn¡¯t told she was that beautiful. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about her?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because it was obvious that things would turn out like this if I did that. How could I possibly use my precious younger sister as bait for a lustful demon like you?¡±]


    That was a perfectly good reason. As Francis¡¯ friend, Itsuki had to know about his connections with women whether he liked it or not. So, given his sister complex, there was no way for Itsuki to properly introduce Erica to Francis.


    Apparently, Ituski had not invited Francis to the celebration so that he could bring Erica, but Francis still heard of the party from somewhere and just happened to come by.


    ¡¾¡±Well, that¡¯s alright. From now on, the romance between Erica and I will-¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Will not start, ever.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.By the way, Lord¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.What?¡±]


    Itsuki¡¯s overbearing cut-in forced a sudden change in the topic of the conversation, but Harold decided to just roll with it.


    ¡¾¡±About yesterday¡¯s incident, I heard from Itsuki that you were shielding Erica, but, wasn¡¯t that overkill?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I barely grazed them with some blood thirst, those small fries can only blame themselves for not even being able to deal with something of that level.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How many brave men out there you think would be able to keep calm after receiving a blood thirst like that one at close proximity?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even Franck and I would have a tough time with it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I thought I was stabbed from behind and died.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You should have felt something similar from the eyes of those women you had your way with, probably without their consent.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That joke¡¯s in poor taste¡­¡±]


    Franc showed a stiff smile. Then Harold directly asked him.


    ¡¾¡±Yesterday you said some bullshit about devoting your heart to Erica or whatever. Were you actually serious about that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course I was serious. It¡¯s not unreasonable for you to doubt me since you know my past, but right now, I intend to terminate all the relations I have with any other woman.¡±]


    As he said so, his eyes were frank and there was even some seriousness to his voice. Harold couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of incongruity since he knew the Francis from the game, but perhaps this was one of the effects of the world starting to change its course from the game¡¯s story.


    If that was the case, then it would be fine to say that Harold was the culprit.


    Originally, Harold thought Erica should stick with Liner simply because he was the protagonist and Erica was a member of his party. However, there was no clear depiction of a love affair between the two in the game, and really, the problem wasn¡¯t who Erica¡¯s companion was going to be.


    What mattered wasn¡¯t the identity of Erica¡¯s lover, but how was Erica going to get separated from Harold and break her engagement with him. In short, Harold thought¡¾¡±It should be fine if she sticks with Francis instead of Liner, right?¡±]and he judged that he didn¡¯t really need to worry about this change.


    Well, he didn¡¯t know whether Erica would accept Francis or not though.


    ¡¾¡±If you have nothing left to do here, how about you go wag your tail in front of Erica? That way, I can eat without having to look at your face.¡±]


    Harold pointed his chin at Erica, who had just entered the dinning hall.


    Just like the previous day, Erica was being courted by many men. Though Harold didn¡¯t remember their faces because there too many of them, if any of these people were part of the men who suffered from Harold¡¯s blood thirst the day before, then they were incredibly incorrigible. It was either that or maybe Erica had committed a sin behind the scenes.


    ¡¾¡±Wait hold on Lord, that¡¯s not what we agreed on.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What you asked me to do was get rid of the ¡°beasts that look like no more than insects¡±. Does this man fit those criteria?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­..¡±]


    Itsuki was at a loss for words. Indeed, he couldn¡¯t give that appellation to his friend.


    Which was exactly why Harold had asked that question.


    ¡¾¡±I guess this isn¡¯t a conversation to have in front of him¡­. But still, does this mean I have Itsuki¡¯s permission?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, sure, knock yourself out.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, like hell you do! If Lord doesn¡¯t do anything, then I will!¡±]


    As soon as he said that, Itsuki charged to the barrier of people surrounding Erica. As one would expect, upon the intervention of the celebration¡¯s host, those starving beasts turned into domestic animals whose fangs were missing.


    The smile pressure attack, which was the Sumeragi siblings¡¯ specialty, had made its appearance on Itsuki¡¯s face. Harold had tasted it several times before, but he still felt it was extremely intense.


    ¡¾¡±This mood isn¡¯t right to profess my love.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m pretty sure it wasn¡¯t the right mood yesterday either.¡±]


    When Francis made his advances, there were fallen men scattered around like corpses and other men who were rolling around on the ground in the perimeter. That mood was absolutely not right.


    Besides, Harold was right next to Erica at the time.


    ¡¾¡±Really? I think it was like a passionate scene, where the hero opens up his heart to a lady after finishing his fight on the battlefield while protecting her to the end.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine if that¡¯s how the scene went in your twisted mind. But, you see, I don¡¯t care.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Gee, that¡¯s one cold opinion. Well, even if I attempted something right now, I¡¯d only end up getting mixed up in the chaos anyway. But, putting that aside.¡±]


    A kind of cold expression, that didn¡¯t match the frivolous personality he showed so far, appeared on Francis¡¯ face as he spoke his next words.


    ¡¾¡±Lord, I still have something I¡¯d like to talk to you about. Would you give me some of your time after this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What a hassle.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Please don¡¯t say that. Well,, I¡¯d like you to just come by my room if you feel like it later.¡±]


    Leaving theses words with Harold, Francis left his seat.


    Having somehow ended up receiving an invitation from Francis, Harold kept racking his brains about why Francis would go as far as to invite him to his room.


    Thinking about it normally, he probably wanted to ask about Erica. Harold didn¡¯t know if he could be of any use, but perhaps he could satisfy Francis by making full use of the knowledge from the character settings he roughly remembered to tell him about Emilia¡¯s but-waist-hip measurements.


    But Erica doesn¡¯t necessarily have the same figure in this world as she did in the game, while thinking that, Harold finished his breakfast, caught one of the residence¡¯s servants and asked him about the room where Francis was staying.


    He then proceeded to Francis¡¯ room and knocked on the door.


    ¡¾¡±This is Lord. Open up quickly if you¡¯re there.¡±]


    When Harold called out to Francis, the door opened up almost immediately.


    Upon looking at Harold¡¯s face, Francis let out a surprised voice.


    ¡¾¡±You really came?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you telling me to go back?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not it. I was just surprised because I didn¡¯t expect you to come.¡±]


    That was a pretty cruel remark since he was the one who invited Harold. If this exchange happened between a couple, the other party would probably think Francis was having an affair.


    ¡¾¡±For the time being, please go inside. Allow me to entertain you.¡±]


    As he was urged to do so, Harold stepped into the room. The room wasn¡¯t much different from the one assigned to Harold. There were probably many similar guest rooms in the mansion.


    Francis was a prince so if he requested for a higher class room, it would probably be provided to him without a single complaint, and yet he didn¡¯t.


    ¡¾¡±But still, you really came.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that all you can say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, I¡¯m just wondering if you¡¯re making light of me. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s really vexing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This is what I mean.¡±]


    As Harold asked about Francis¡¯ real intention which he was unable to infer, a rapier was pointed at his throat. And it was at a distance that couldn¡¯t even be measured in millimeters as there was just a paper thin gap left between his throat and the weapon.


    (What?)


    He was caught completely unprepared. And unlike Aurelian¡¯s surprise attack, it was done extremely naturally, Harold was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t even voice out a sound.


    And then, when Harold came back to his senses, he noticed a presence behind him. Another weapon was pointed at his back.


    ¡¾¡±Looks like you¡¯re not even carrying any weapons. That¡¯s so careless of you. Are you completely dumb or are you just that confident in yourself?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Is this what ¡°entertain¡± means in your empty head?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. Like I said earlier, red, or rather, blood looks good on you. Therefore, I thought I¡¯d dye you in red. With your own blood.¡±]


    (What¡¯s the meaning of this¡­..)


    While feeling terrified from that mouth that wouldn¡¯t stop with its sarcasms even at a time like this, Harold was scavenging his mind looking for a clue to understand and resolve the situation.


    Harold knew Francis, and he knew that he wasn¡¯t a man who would act without a reason. Then, why did he want to kill Harold? The only thing Harold and Francis shared in common was their connection with Itsuki and Erica.


    Assuming that was the cause, then the choices of answers could be easily narrowed down.


    Did Francis do this to obtain Erica¡¯s heart, considering Harold to be his rival in love? Did he deem that Harold was not worthy of being Itsuki¡¯s friend? If that was it, then he wouldn¡¯t be taking such hard measures. Therefore, there was only one answer left.


    ¡¾¡±Tell me, what was your aim when you approached Itsuki and Erica? Harold Stokes.¡±]


    Francis appeared to be one of the people who knew Harold¡¯s face and identity.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    ¡¾¡±You even went as far as to call yourself by a false name to approach them, you¡¯re not going to tell me you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about at all, are you?¡±]


    The dangerous air around Francis became stronger.


    This was the Berlioz mansion, a festive place where Itsuki¡¯s engagement was being celebrated. At a time like this, there was no way Francis wouldn¡¯t consider the risks that came with carelessly spilling someone¡¯s blood and committing the crime of murder. Therefore, chances were that this was mostly a show of force.


    Or rather, that¡¯s what Harold wanted to think, but still, Francis had actually pulled out his sword and pointed it towards him. Harold had a dreadful feeling that he¡¯d likely be taken out instantly if he said anything funny.


    The truth was that Harold was in a very tight spot. If Francis had been alone, Harold would have been able to deal with him. However, if the second weapon that was pointing at Harold¡¯s back attacked, it would cause a fatal hit.


    Even if Harold merely showed that he had the intent to resist, he would be in danger of being erased in one stroke.


    It was close to impossible for him to apologize and explain himself if he couldn¡¯t speak docilely, on the other hand, his mouth, which excelled at provoking other people and driving them into a frenzy, left no way for Harold to have a proper discussion. But though discussing things wouldn¡¯t go well no matter how Harold thought about it, it would still likely be safer than to suddenly start a fight with Francis.


    Harold carefully chose his next words, not only to calm Francis and whoever was with him down, but also to calm himself down. ¡°Would you mind lowering your weapons first? I can¡¯t talk properly like this.¡± those were the words he selected.


    ¡¾¡±You sure are full of yourselves for cowards who wouldn¡¯t even be threats without their weapons.¡±]


    Like Harold expected, the result was atrocious.


    Given that Francis had his rapier pointed at Harold, perhaps it would have been safer to just get down to business. Fortunately, that single sentence did not get past Francis¡¯ tolerance threshold.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.. Even in this situation, that mouth of yours still won¡¯t stop with the abuses. As expected, the stories are true, aren¡¯t they?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You can call them stories or whatever, but at the end of the day, they¡¯re just bullshit rumors. Don¡¯t go thinking you can measure my power with those worthless tales.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯re not denying that you¡¯re Harold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I was never okay with taking an alias. Who the hell would call themselves ¡°Lord¡± if they weren¡¯t forced to do it?¡±]


    If Justus hadn¡¯t entrusted Itsuki with the authority to give orders to Harold, Harold would have firmly refused to take that fake name. He wouldn¡¯t willingly make his own dark history grow.


    But if Harold told Francis about that, he would become furious that a bad guy like Harold got friendly with Itsuki. And Harold was afraid that even if he told Francis, he wouldn¡¯t believe him, and would on the contrary get even angrier thinking that Harold brought up Itsuki¡¯s name to make up excuses.


    ¡¾¡±¡­..Well, it¡¯s doesn¡¯t really matter, let¡¯s get back to our talk. What¡¯s your goal? And when you tried to push me to get together with Erica, was it related to that goal?¡±]


    Though Francis pressed that question with a certain confidence, Harold had no such thing as a goal here. That didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t thinking of pushing the matter with Erica, but that was only because Itsuki was pushing Harold even harder. So Harold was the one who was looking for answers, from Itsuki, that is, or rather, from the Sumeragi family.


    Why do you keep sticking to me?


    Itsuki was persistently trying to make Harold marry Erica, and Tasuku, who approved of that, didn¡¯t want to cut ties off with Harold and would insist that he was in Harold¡¯s debt for the LP farming method and the anti-body medicines. Thanks to those two inventions, the Sumeragi family currently had no problems on the financial side, and on the contrary, they had enough capital to give Harold compensation money.


    But in the end, the miasma problem had still not been solved, and though Harold was the one who came up with the LP farming method, it would have been impossible for him to manage it so well and generate so many profits if not for the Sumeragi household¡¯s cooperation.


    Then came the worst part, Harold¡¯s bad reputation. Though Itsuki had said that the Sumeragi family, in its current state, could bear with the rumors,  it would have still been better for them to just not have to deal with the rumors at all.


    As for Harold, not only he did not want to be pressed into getting engaged with Erica, he also didn¡¯t want to go through the pain that would come to him if Justus were to doubt Harold¡¯s relationship with the Sumeragi family and to investigate Harold¡¯s intentions.


    Although the talk shifted a bit, in the end, Harold¡¯s answer was still¡¾¡±That¡¯s not how things are.¡±]. Well, if he did answer that however, he would very likely be told to stop lying.


    Then suddenly, a plan came up to Harold¡¯s head. Perhaps he could distance himself from the Sumeragis by using Francis. Moreover, if things went well, it could lead to Francis becoming stronger¡­ maybe.


    If Harold pretended that he was indeed planning something and proposed to go away from Itsuki and Erica if Francis could win against him in a bout, he would be able to avoid the development where the current situation would turn bloody.


    Then, if Harold fought halfheartedly and lost, he could use that as an excuse to separate himself from the Sumeragi family and Francis would tell Itsuki and Erica to open their eyes about Harold. Many other people¡¯s words had failed to agitate Itsuki, but if the source of those words was his friend Francis¡¯ genuine worry, Itsuki wouldn¡¯t be able to coldly brush them off. That¡¯s the kind of person Itsuki was.


    This would break off the engagement with Erica, break Harold¡¯s ties to the Sumeragi family, and strengthen Francis. Though that last part had a lot of unpredictable variables to it, it would still be plenty enough if the first two parts happened.


    ¡¾¡±My aim, huh? What will you do with that information?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll make my decision. If you¡¯re going to harm her, then I won¡¯t let you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And you think you can do that? You think you can stop me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What could you possibly do in this situation? Look, if you don¡¯t stop running that mouth of yours I¡¯ll¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll kill me, right? I know that¡¯s not gonna happen. You don¡¯t have enough evidence to kill me, and right now, I¡¯m staying at the mansion as Itsuki¡¯s friend. If you kill me here, you¡¯ll be nothing more than some common murderer. You¡¯ll put the Arkwright name to shame and you¡¯ll paint mud on the face of both the Berlioz family and even Itsuki. And your friendship with him is not one you¡¯re willing to risk so as to get rid of a danger that might not even exist. You¡¯re just making a fool of yourself, nothing more.¡±]


    The rapier that was pointing at Harold was shaking. As Harold expected, Francis wasn¡¯t seriously thinking of killing him.


    As the saying went, ¡°dead men tell no tales¡±, if Francis had killing Harold in mind, and if he murdered Harold and then concealed the matter, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily be unable to get away with it. Especially since he belonged to the Arkwright household,  he should have had the power to do this.


    However, Francis¡¯ pride would probably not allow that, and he would surely like to avoid hurting his friendship with Itsuki. Therefore, he probably did this merely to threaten Harold and make him confess.


    ¡¾¡±You bastard have¡­ No, both of you bastards have made a mistake. If you didn¡¯t want to kill me but capture me if I happened to resist, you shouldn¡¯t have brought your swords close to my vital points. Especially since I¡¯m empty handed and the ways I can fight you off are therefore limited. If I resist and you counterattack, you¡¯ll be forced to end my life, or at the very least, to seriously injure me. So let me see you try pulling your sword away even the tiniest bit to avoid that outcome. At that very instant, I¡¯ll kill you both.¡±]


    That was what Harold made up on the spot.


    The weapons were pointed at Harold¡¯s neck and heart. Although thinking about it normally, aiming at a the vital points when restraining someone would be good to limit their actions, it was fine for Harold as long as he made it feel as if it were a fatal mistake.


    As Harold thought of such things, his mouth did not stop talking.


    ¡¾¡±Why is your face looking so awful? Where did all the energy from earlier just go? Look, Francis J. Arkwright, if you think killing me will keep Itsuki and the others safe, then go ahead, kill me. Sure, you¡¯ll lose Itsuki¡¯s trust as a result, but that¡¯s only natural. Just keep in mind that once its lost, it won¡¯t be all that easy to get it back.¡±]


    Francis¡¯ face was drenched in sweat. And it was no amount that would be secreted in a mild climate, in other words, it was cold sweat. It seemed like Harold had managed to push Francis to a corner psychologically.


    Perhaps this was an effect of Francis being unconsciously overpowered.


    ¡¾¡±¡­You¡¯re even greater than the rumors say, Harold. You took the advantage from me using nothing more than words.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If that¡¯s what you think, then you¡¯re really helplessly stupid. You never had the advantage from the very start, moron.¡±]


    Though Harold made a show of declaring that, it was as far from the truth as it could be. No matter how he thought about it, Francis was the one who held the advantage.


    Harold was merely using his natural arrogance to try giving the impression that he had the upper hand, and then, within the time where Francis would hesitate, Harold had to decide on his approach.


    ¡¾¡±But still, I¡­.!¡±]


    As a result from his hesitation, Francis¡¯ face looked slightly down and his eyes looked away from Harold for a mere second. Using that opening, Harold could likely knock down the person behind him and hold down Francis.


    However, Harold did not do so and offered a proposal instead.


    ¡¾¡±That being the case, I¡¯ll give your foolish self a chance. I¡¯ll let you duel me, with a witness. If you win, you¡¯ll get to have me do what you want me to.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What if I lose?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Naturally, I¡¯ll have you listen to whatever I tell you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.. All right.¡±]


    Francis answered so after thinking about something, and he put his rapier back into its sheath. Then, the sense of oppression coming from Harold¡¯s back disappeared. Apparently, he had succeeded at completely avoiding the danger of being killed in this place.


    Though Harold was relieved, Francis murmured something he didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡¾¡±There sure seems to be more to Harold than what the rumors say about him. I¡¯m willing to admit it, Itsuki.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Does this mean that you completely trust him now or do you still have your doubts?¡±]


    That voice came from behind Harold. For the time being, Harold didn¡¯t think of anything and threw a kick at whatever was behind him while turning around.


    ¡¾¡±Ouch!¡±]


    If a martial artist was present, he would likely have given high praise to that beautiful, decisive, and flowing movement.


    While looking down on Itsuki, who was crawling on the ground and holding his left leg¡¯s thigh, Harold questioned him with a voice that was many times colder than when he addressed Francis.


    ¡¾¡±Explain yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±L-Last night, Franck came to my room and asked me¡ºSay, isn¡¯t Lord actually Harold stokes?¡»so I told him¡ºWhat if he is?¡»and then¡­..¡±]


    While in agony, Itsuki put together an explanation.


    First of all, during the previous day¡¯s uproar, one of Francis¡¯ servants had recognized Harold¡¯s identity and reported it to Francis. Apparently, that servant had seen Harold in the royal capital before.


    From there, Francis went to Itsuki to confirm the information. Itsuki quickly confirmed that Lord was in fact Harold, then Francis tried to persuade Itsuki to rethink his connection to Harold but the discussion went nowhere.


    And so, seeing that the conversation wasn¡¯t making any progress, Itsuki suggested this.


    ¡°You should check out for yourself what kind of person Harold is¡±.


    And that was the cause of this whole incident. For now, it was at least clear that everything was Itsuki¡¯s fault.


    It was doubtful whether Itsuki was serious about wanting to hide Harold¡¯s true identity. Or rather, he most likely wasn¡¯t serious about it at all.


    Well, I¡¯ll think about his punishment later. With that thought, Harold looked back at Francis again and asked him.


    ¡¾¡±So, what kind of bullshit did Itsuki tell you? And why did you approve of me just now?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡ºBy nature, Harold¡¯s not the villain that the bad rumors portray him as. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s easily misunderstood, because he¡¯s strict with people, and even stricter with himself.¡»that¡¯s what he said. I thought that if that was it, then you probably wouldn¡¯t have been called ¡°knight killer¡± and the like and yet¡­.¡±]


    Francis smiled in self-derision.


    ¡¾¡±You are strong. If we fought one hundred times, you¡¯d probably beat me every single time. So when I looked away earlier, it would have been easy for you to take control over the whole situation.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did you create that opening on purpose? You¡¯re really making light of me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I could say the same about you, right? Besides, I actually put my life on the line there.¡±]


    So did I damn it, Harold complained in his mind.


    However, that feeling was blown off as Francis started speaking something unthinkable.


    ¡¾¡±Even in this situation, you tried to arrange things so that¡¯d we¡¯d stay on an equal standing, despite that being only troublesome and bringing no advantage to you whatsoever.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And that¡¯s why you approved of me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. And, also¡­ my behavior just now was completely insane. If you want me to be punished for this, then I¡¯ll resign myself to it.¡±]


    This was no joke. If it came to this, there was a risk that the flag, which led Francis to join Liner¡¯s party, would disappear. The time when the game¡¯s story started was coming soon, Francis couldn¡¯t be allowed to be confined in prison.


    Therefore Harold immediately denied Francis¡¯ words.


    ¡¾¡±I have no interest in dealing with your case. It would be a waste of time to draw out my sword every time there is some fussy insect to erase.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Thank you for your kindness. However, I¡¯m very sorry but¡­¡­ With this alone, I still cannot completely trust you.¡±]


    That was only natural. Rather, Harold would have been confused had he gained Francis¡¯ confidence from that chain of interactions only.


    Francis speaking his mind clearly like this was actually a good thing as it made things easy to understand for Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Therefore, I¡¯d like to ask you something really unreasonable. Harold, may I still have that duel with you?¡±]


    Begged Francis as he bowed down from his waist. Though Francis didn¡¯t have Harold¡¯s feelings in mind when he made that request, it was actually exactly what Harold was hoping for.


    ¡¾¡±Itsuki.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll be the witness.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Well, guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you, thank you very much.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t need your gratitude. I¡¯ll be all good once you pathetically crawl to the ground upon realizing the difference there is between you and me.¡±]


    Leaving Francis with that line, Harold left the room to go prepare himself.


    And thus, even though it wasn¡¯t in the way he was aiming for, Harold was going to have a duel with Francis.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    (Harold¡¯s pov)


    It was about two hours after the ridiculous incident caused by Itsuki and Francis.


    Those two, accompanied by Harold, were currently on the outskirts of the town of Kablan, in a white western-style house surrounded by nature, built on the shore of a lake. The building and its garden were well managed and it could be seen that they were both being maintained at fixed intervals.


    It was an unoccupied house owned by the Berlioz family.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s on sale, but it seems like there haven¡¯t been any buyers.¡±](Itsuki)


    Well, that makes sense, thought Harold.


    Although it was built a little far away from town, it was still extremely well located thanks to the lake and mountains behind it. The bright white of the two stories building¡¯s walls that was reflected on the blue of the water looked, in a word, beautiful. There was also a boat anchorage at the edge of the lake, as well as some sort of cottage on the terrain.


    How much would it cost to purchase this? There was no mistaking that this was not a property that the aristocrats of the area could afford.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s not bad for a holiday house, even though it¡¯s a little too small.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I know right? The price is pretty good too, but still, I¡¯m not sure about this location.¡±]


    The two, who belonged to the upper echelons of society, were having such a conversation without a care for Harold¡¯s feelings.


    The two stories house seemed like it had as many rooms as a small hotel, so Harold couldn¡¯t understand how it could possibly feel too small, even for a holiday house. After all, this house was at the very least bigger than the Strokes¡¯ mansion.


    The two bourgeois didn¡¯t even seem to realize they were spitting out poison.


    As for why the three were visiting such a place, naturally, they hadn¡¯t come to check out the property.


    Though they had gotten enthusiastic about having a duel before, they had no place to do it. There was no way they could start such a big disturbance within the Berlioz¡¯ mansion, so as a last resort, the three slipped out of the mansion together, claiming¡¾¡±Francis is looking for a holiday house so we¡¯re going to do some sightseeing and guide him through the town.¡±]


    What they needed was a spacious place, far away from the public eye, where they could fight without restraints. And this place fit those conditions.


    ¡¾¡±If you want to buy a property, do it when I¡¯m not here.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Right. Itsuki, where should we fight?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go around to the back.¡±]


    And so, Itsuki brought Francis and Harold along to a horse riding place which was enclosed by wooden fences. Horse riding was certainly an aristocratic hobby, and even the Stokes¡¯ mansion had a stable, but there, people still had to actually go outside of the mansion¡¯s premises to gallop.


    Right now, the horse riding place was completely empty. But that was only natural because, no matter how well managed the place was, it was missing the most important part of horse riding; the horses.


    ¡¾¡±If it¡¯s here, we¡¯ll sure be able to fight to our heart¡¯s contents.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Still, it would be troublesome if this turns into a rampage. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±No need for such worries. I won¡¯t draw out my sword.¡±]


    As Harold¡¯s said those words, Itsuki and Francis were petrified on the spot. But that was a normal reaction upon being told by someone that he wouldn¡¯t draw out his sword in a formal duel.


    After a momentary pause, Francis became full of anger and questioned Harold.


    ¡¾¡±What does that mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do i have to spell it out for you? There is no need for a sword against the likes of you, bastard.¡±]


    Harold was aware of how outrageously condescending this statement was.


    However, currently, there was no way for Harold to be defeated by Francis.


    From the various inspections he had done over the past few years, Harold had found that, based on¡ºBrave Hearts¡»¡¯s system, he currently was above level 70. In the game, there were three fights against Harold, and it was only in the third fight that the original Harold had reached level 70.


    Harold had no status display he could see or the like to check out his level, but he managed to calculate his own level by having hundreds of fights with a specific monster and figuring out the power of each of his blows through counting backwards from said monster¡¯s HP.


    But this was quite difficult to do. And assuming that the level-up system in this world was the same as the one in the game, if Harold fought many times, his level would naturally go up. Even though giving himself a margin of error of one or two was fine, if he were to get a massive level-up before getting to make a rough estimate of his level, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to know his own level accurately.


    So, he had a technique he could use to probe his own level by another standard.


    In¡ºBrave Hearts¡», just like in the main character¡¯s case, the main character¡¯s rivals, such as Harold and Vincent, could lift the usage restrictions on some techniques depending on their level.


    When he came to this world, at first, Harold tried out the techniques that the original Harold could handle, but the results were terrible, there were many moves he couldn¡¯t use. And it wasn¡¯t that he had a hard time with them or was close to being able to use them, he met with only two cases, he was either able to use the techniques perfectly, or he wasn¡¯t able to use them in the slightest. And then, one day, he came to be able to use perfectly well some techniques that he hadn¡¯t been able to use at all before that point.


    And it¡¯s from this that Harold came to believe that this world had a similar level-up system to the one in Brave Hearts.


    Incidentally, in his very last battle, the original Harold¡¯s HP was over 140,000. Though it might have been different had he not been in his berserk state, this could still be used as an intermediate value given that Harold, in his second fight, already had 90,000 HP.


    On the other hand, Francis¡¯ original level was set to the party¡¯s average level as of the time when he joined it. Although this depended on the player¡¯s play style, Francis would usually join in at level 30, more or less.


    Assuming that, as of now, Francis was at Level 30 and Harold had 100,000 HP, then there was a ten times difference in HP between the two. Even if Francis, who wasn¡¯t well known for his physical power, managed to make 100 combos connect with Harold, it still wouldn¡¯t cut it.


    However, there are always exceptions to everything, and due to the game¡¯s specifics, there was something called a critical hit, which would appear upon attacking an opponent¡¯s vital point. In the game, critical hits would double the damages, but things weren¡¯t so simple in this world where real elements and game elements were mixed together.


    In the game, the hydra, which Harold killed in mount Giran, had a little less than 20,000 HP, and Lifa¡¯s attack probably hadn¡¯t scrapped away even a third of that.


    And yet, Harold killed the Hydra in a single blow, decapitating it, and he even killed the hydra¡¯s companion in less than ten hits, even though it had been in a perfect state before. This wasn¡¯t because Harold¡¯s attack power was high, it was only because he gave the hydra many fatal wounds by striking its vital points.


    Well, getting a critical hit on a hydra demanded skills and a fairly high level, especially since its resistance to attacks would certainly become stronger the higher its level rose. Therefore, the existence of critical hits didn¡¯t change the fact that the higher the level, the stronger the being, but if said being dropped his guard, even a level 1 opponent could land a critical hit on him.


    And in this world, even a single critical hit could be fatal.


    In short, unless he wasn¡¯t careful about critical hits,which could be fatal, nothing could come in the way of Harold¡¯s victory.


    On the contrary, he was worried that if he didn¡¯t fight with at least this much of a handicap, he¡¯d end up badly injuring Francis.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­I¡¯ll make you immediately take back those words.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Go ahead, try your luck. If you can actually make me draw out my sword, it¡¯s your win.¡±]


    Said Harold, in ridicule.


    This was a good excuse to be defeated by someone despite the overwhelming difference in abilities. That way Harold could set it up so that, frenzied after being attacked incessantly, Francis would suddenly attack with an all-out blow, using all of his strength, to the point where Harold would feel the danger, raise his sword to guard himself, and would therefore be defeated.


    Harold entered towards the inside of the fences and went to face Francis around the center of the horse riding place. Francis was full of fighting spirit.


    ¡¾¡±This will be the last confirmation. Harold Stokes and Francis J. Arkwright, you shall now have a duel. And I, Itsuki Sumeragi, will serve as the witness. The duel shall end either if Harold uses his weapon, if one you gives up, or if I judge that the battle cannot go on. Are there any objections?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡¾¡±There are none.¡±]¡±]


    The duo¡¯s voices overlapped. They were both so concentrated that they could only see each other.


    And then¨D¨D


    ¡¾¡±Then, may the duel, for a marriage to Erica Sumeragi, beg-¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Wait.¡±]


    But that concentration was easily destroyed by Itsuki¡¯s words.


    Just now, he had said that the duel was for a marriage with Erica. Harold had not misheard.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you seriously asking me what¡¯s freaking wrong? How is getting married to Erica related to this duel?¡±]


    He hadn¡¯t said engagement but marriage. In other words, it meant that the winner would directly get married to Erica.


    That was strange. They had agreed that, if Harold won, he would get the right to order Francis around, and if Francis won, Harold would disappear from Itsuki¡¯s and Erica¡¯s lives.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine. If you want to marry Erica, all you have to do is win.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Idiot. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m freaking worried about.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Besides, you¡¯re already engaged to Erica, and if you lose, Franck will likely constantly try to seduce her anyway, right? So isn¡¯t it pretty much the same as the initial wager?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s completely different. Especially since your intention is-¡°]


    ¡¾¡±-Ah, hold on a second, please. I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on but¡­. In short, if I win, I¡¯ll be able to make Erica my wife?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not gonna be possible for you, Franck.¡±]


    Itsuki provoked Francis with a smile. Perhaps his personality had been influenced by Harold.


    However, Francis chose to close his eyes, cross his arms, and indulge in his reveries in silence. After he did that for a while, he opened his eyes, and his face seemed more determined than it did before.


    ¡¾¡±I feel even more motivated all of a sudden. Let¡¯s get real serious here!¡±]


    Francis¡¯ emerald green eyes were shining as he prepared to use his rapier.


    Harold had a bad presentiment.


    And at the moment when Itsuki finished reiterating his statement as a witness and gave the start signal, Harold knew that said presentiment was right.


    Francis shortened the distance between him and Harold and thrust his rapier at him. It wasn¡¯t fast enough to overwhelm Harold in anyway as he could deal with it by simply avoiding it.


    However, it was still stronger and sharper than expected. Therefore, Harold instinctively dodged it. This attack was what was supposed to become Francis¡¯  ¡°All out blow¡±.


    (The Brave mode right from the start? The hell?!)


    It was a sort of invincible mode, similar to what Liner had displayed in the fighting competition. It had plenty of advantages, it made the attack power go up, it reduced the damages received by half, and it made it so that, even if a user was attacked while he was executing a technique, said technique could not be invalidated or skipped in the middle of its execution.


    However, it was a ¡°gauge technique¡± that needed a gauge to be filled by combinations of attacks, combos, and guard. It wasn¡¯t something that could be used right from the get go.


    (Could it be that there is no need to fill a gauge here? Is it some kind ¡°you can use it if your feelings are strong enough¡± thing? Are you freaking kidding me?! Or rather, more important than that¡­.)


    Harold kept dodging over and over while trying to put his chaotic thoughts back in order. Originally, for the sake of being defeated, he was planning to only avoid the attacks that he could easily predict.


    But he was in a vicious circle that was making him part ways with his plans to be defeated and was making his too numerous thoughts scatter.


    Harold had a plan which consisted of knocking down Francis with bare hand techniques and then make him recover with some items he had prepared so as to make Francis ¡°earn Harold¡¯s experience points¡±.


    As aforementioned, this world had a level-up system, but that also meant that there were different sets of experience points to gain upon fighting different opponents. In¡ºBrave Hearts¡», it was specified that the characters who participated in a battle would gain 100% of the experience points, while the characters who were put in a near-death state within the battle, or the ones who were kept as backup, would gain 70% of the experience. And, even upon losing, there were still some experience points to gain.


    In RPGs, although there weren¡¯t many experience points to gain from the monsters randomly encountered on the field, the boss characters were worth a great deal of experience points.


    That was even more true in Harold¡¯s case, he was the boss character who had the most fights with the hero¡¯s party.


    Harold was worth 8000 points in his first battle, 35,000 in his second battle, and in his last battle he was worth 72,000 experience points. Currently, considering his level, Harold was probably worth around 60,000 experience points.


    Upon losing a battle against an opponent, the experience gained would be of 10% that opponent¡¯s worth in points. So, in Harold¡¯s case, it would be 6,000 points.


    And, at level thirty, 5000 experience points were needed to level up. That would be raised to about 6000 or more starting from level 35, but still, Francis would be able to gain a level every time he fought once or twice.


    That was how far Harold had pushed his calculations, however, he had no way to ascertain this as he had no real proof of it. So, naturally, Harold had considered the possibility that no matter how many times he beat down Francis, it would be meaningless.


    However, if this hypothesis was right, he could hope for a tremendous strengthening of Francis¡¯ capacities. If he missed this chance where he could move freely with only few restrictions before going back to being Justus¡¯ chess piece, Harold would have a hard time to fight Liner and the others as many times as the original Harold did in the game¡¯s story.


    Therefore, if Harold was going to do it, now was the time. Francis was severely criticized by the game¡¯s players, they often put him out of their starting lineup, calling him ¡°Delicate¡±, a ¡°jack of all trades, master of none¡±, or even a ¡°destitute prince¡±, and to make matters worse, ¡°clearing the game with the prince in your lineup¡± was even considered an achievement that needed a special game-play. So if Harold could actually strengthen him, it would surely raise the strength of the hero¡¯s party as a whole.


    As for how he was going to be defeated, Harold could still think of a way to do that while fighting.


    While feeling slightly despaired about that, Harold drove a kick towards Francis¡¯ flank.


    Translator¡¯s note: This one was complicated, I hope you guys still get what happened. It relies very much on the fact that you¡¯ve read other novels, manga and the like. As for the experience points system, it might be weird for you but it¡¯s pretty similar to the one in Persona, and in many other JRPGs.


    I¡¯d also like to thank the new patrons, Ranga Q and Kat, and the old patrons as well, of course, thank you very much for your support!

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    (Francis¡¯ Pov)


    Francis felt an impact strike him. He did not understand what happened as his body was blown away.


    His field of view was changing at high speeds to the point where he couldn¡¯t really tell what was reflected in it. His body, that had lost its freedom, was rolling while bouncing on the ground over and over again, until it stopped at last, as Francis felt another big impact on his back.


    From the tip of his hazy consciousness, Francis noticed that one section of the fences that were surrounding the horse riding place had been destroyed. Perhaps his body, after suffering some sort of attack, was finally stopped by breaking the fence.


    But that meant he had rolled for tens of meters, at least.


    Taking on an attack that powerful could not have been safe. Bit by bit, Francis¡¯ left flank started hurting. And soon, that pain became so great that he could not even groan, let alone move his body.


    Indeed, it would have been no surprise to Francis if  he were judged to be unable to keep fighting anymore. As Francis found himself in that state, someone walked up to him.


    With his right cheek stuck to the ground, Francis slightly moved his neck only, so as to confirm that person¡¯s identity.


    And that person was none other than Harold.


    With his crimson and yet freezing cold eyes, he looked down on Francis. In fact, for Harold, this extremely boring result had probably been a killjoy.


    Perhaps out of irritation from this, Harold slung merciless words at the already beaten up Francis.


    ¡¾¡±So, in the end, you were just a fool. The fact that a small fry like you got my hopes up ever so lightly is a disgrace that will follow me through life. How are you gonna make up for this?¡±]


    What an unreasonable thing to say! Thought Francis.


    However, the damages that Francis had received were so serious that he couldn¡¯t even utter that complaint in return. Still, he endured the pain as he caught his breath, with all his might, at a rough and irregular rhythm.


    Harold grabbed Francis by his shoulders and pulled his body up.


    ¡¾¡±Oh well. You¡¯ll entertain me enough by struggling as best as you can, like the small fish that you are.¡±]


    Having said that, Harold pushed something into Francis¡¯ mouth.


    That object felt inorganic. And subsequently, some liquid started flowing out of it.


    Francis, who was unable to resist, gulped that liquid down his throat. Immediately after he drank that up, the intense pain that was torturing him disappeared, and his strength came back to his body.


    After confirming that, Harold took his hand away from Francis.


    ¡¾¡±That thing just now, was it Ether¡­?¡±]


    Ether, it was a recovery item.


    Francis had tasted that flavor and sensation many times in the past. All the damages he had suffered from had recovered, but Francis was perplexed as he did not understand why Harold would do such a thing. As for Harold, he turned back, went to pick something up and threw it towards Francis.


    Stuck at Francis¡¯ feet was his own weapon, his rapier.


    ¡¾¡±Take it. The duel is not over yet.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..I see how it is.¡±]


    Apparently, Harold wanted to continue the contest despite the obvious result.


    As he recalled the attack he had just received, Francis wondered whether he should reach out to the rapier or not. Just the thought of falling victim to that attack once again made Francis feel frightened.


    However, Francis¡¯s pride did not allow him to withdraw and call it a day. So he stirred himself up as he picked the rapier and pointed it towards Harold while taking a stance.


    Harold Stokes.


    Based on hearsay, his personality was, generally speaking, notoriously bad. He was said to behave atrociously, as he killed people, stole from them, and trampled their dignity underfoot. That man, who didn¡¯t think of people as people, could be said to be an inhuman devil.


    Having heard that Harold was such a person, Francis went to warn his friend, Itsuki. You should take your distance from him, he said, if you¡¯re being threatened by him, then I can help you with that.


    However, Itsuki¡¯s reaction was the opposite of what Francis expected. Unlike what the rumors claim, he¡¯s not a bad man, in reality, he¡¯s the complete opposite of that. Itsuki seemed to think that Harold had taken on that bad reputation on purpose.


    And Francis¡¯ complaint was not able to convince Itsuki.


    And so, Itsuki told Francis that he should check out Harold with his own eyes.


    That¡¯s how the surprise attack on Harold came to be. And the results were terrible.


    Neither surprised, nor afraid, nor angry, Harold had, perfectly calmly, grasped the situation and made Francis submit to him using nothing but mere words. This was more than enough to understand that there was more to Harold than just being a strong man.


    At the same time, Francis figured he¡¯d be held responsible for his rude actions.


    However, what Harold proposed was a duel. Harold already had the advantage so he had nothing to gain by carrying his point across through that contest. And that was why that action helped Francis slightly understand Itsuki¡¯s appreciation of Harold. Because to Francis, it didn¡¯t seem like something a self-centered man would do.


    And then, when he actually fought him, the difference in ability between him and Harold became obvious to Francis. He didn¡¯t expect to be that overpowered by martial arts alone, without the use of any weapons or magic.


    Though it was only vaguely, Francis experienced Harold¡¯s strength for himself, and he turned out to be stronger than anyone that Francis had fought up to now.


    No matter how unpleasant that fact was for Francis, he was made to understand it with his own body. Francis¡¯ attacks all missed their target, and every time, he was promptly dealt with by being striked, kicked, and flung away. Moreover, whenever that happened, Francis, who was bent down on the ground, was made to drink Ether by Harold, and was forced to fight.


    ¡¾¡±Stand up.¡±]


    The drink recovered his stamina and healed his wounds, but it did nothing to fix the mental pressure that Francis kept receiving. He had been made to fall down to the ground more than ten times now. And in the end, despite the ether that he was made to drink, Francis was on one knee, unable to get up. Yet Harold mercilessly told him to stand.


    Harold was angry. However, that didn¡¯t mean he was just attacking Francis on a whim. There were no signs of anger in Harold¡¯s mood at the Berlioz mansion, it was only after the start of the duel that Harold¡¯s state had changed. And then, adding onto that, came his earlier remarks that showed his disappointment.


    All that brought Francis to one answer.


    Harold was likely angry that Francis had tried to approach Erica while only having this much power.


    Based on Harold¡¯s behavior, it seemed like he allowed Erica to have a relation with people other than himself, despite being her fiance. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be because he didn¡¯t care about her.


    Perhaps he was looking for someone, other than himself, who he could entrust Erica to. So the reason he had pressed Francis to make his relationship with Erica progress was to check whether Francis was worthy of being Erica¡¯s knight.


    As for why Harold tried to do that, Francis did not know. However, as he pondered on it, Francis was still able to understand some things.


    Itsuki had said that Harold was not a bad man, and that he had taken on the many bad rumors about him on purpose. If, for argument¡¯s sake, that were true, then Harold had likely thought that it was impossible for himself to stand before Erica because she¡¯d be at risk by his side, or something along those lines.


    Therefore, he was likely looking for a man suitable for Erica, who could protect her. And yet a man, whose abilities were at a level that wasn¡¯t even worth discussing, had went to court her.


    Perhaps that was the cause of Harold¡¯s anger.


    Even so, Francis wanted to say.


    You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.


    His anger was boiling up more and more in his stomach.


    Harold was strong. Moreover, even in the kingdom, he¡¯d be counted as being a top-level individual.


    Then, there were also his brains. Francis could not compare with that man¡¯s ingenuity, with which he could carry out anything he wanted, and that discernment, that allowed him, in but an instant, to take into consideration various factors and elements and to make a concise judgement based on them. He was 18 years old, and he had overwhelming force, great wisdom, and he even had the enough guts to not even be agitated while having swords pointed at him.


    The world would surely brand a great man with such brilliance as a genius.


    So, for such a man to bring infamy to himself on his own initiative was the epitome of stupidity. Especially if he didn¡¯t want to expose his fiancee to the risks that came from that infamy.


    Why did he have to be so roundabout about this? Itsuki wondered.


    As strong as he was, Harold should have been more than capable of protecting Erica from most things. He was so worried about Erica¡¯s fate, and cared about her so much that he got this angry at Francis, so why couldn¡¯t he choose another measure than to go far away from Erica?


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­¡±]


    Francis muttered so while slowly standing up.


    He spontaneously concentrated his power in his left hand, which was holding his rapier.


    ¡¾¡±What did you say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I said, you have got to be kidding me. You¡¯re strong enough that I can¡¯t even reach your feet. So why don¡¯t you try to protect Erica in a more straightforward way?! With your strength, you can do that, right?! And that would be the best for her too, wouldn¡¯t it?!¡±]


    Francis shouted his heart out. He was angry at Harold, but he was also ashamed of himself for not being able to defeat him.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harold, you¡¯re a man who can do what I can¡¯t. But you don¡¯t even try to take on that role and you try to entrust other men with it. So if Erica were to become unhappy because of that, I¡¯ll blame you!¡±]


    If he cared about Erica, he had to protect her with his own hands. Surely, not doing that was akin to running away.


    Running away in fear of the time when he would not be able to protect Erica by himself. Francis was getting worked up, how could he let such a coward defeat him, that was¨D¨D.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re sure running your mouth a lot for someone who doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s ice cold voice cut Francis¡¯ thoughts right off. And the intimidating air fired off by Harold suppressed the fervor in Francis¡¯ feelings in but a moment.


    Francis was sweating all over his body and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from trembling.


    He felt a pressure he had never experienced before, as if some completely unheard of monster was standing before him.


    The moment Francis felt that, Harold became blurry to him. But when he realized it, Harold had already broken Francis¡¯ chance to dodge.


    Harold had attacked right from the front, but Francis was still caught completely off guard. It was a surprise attack made through pure speed, without any tricks.


    Harold waved the black sword he was grasping in his left hand. As he felt a thick air of imminent death, Francis¡¯ body was stiff, he couldn¡¯t even move.


    It all happened in an instant, not even leaving Francis with enough time to prepare for his own death.


    However, that death did not come. Instead, Francis felt an impact on his left arm.


    Unable to defend, Francis staggered and fell on his backside.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re not worth killing so I¡¯ll give you an advice, bastard.¡±]


    Said Harold, with cruel eyes, to Francis who could only look up to him.


    ¡¾¡±Erica isn¡¯t some frail and fickle woman who can do nothing but be protected by others. She has the strength to fight, and an unwavering will to oppose her own fate. Don¡¯t got thinking she¡¯s just some pretty little flower. Because really, Erica is a mighty tree.¡±]


    Not a pretty flower, but a mighty tree. That¡¯s how Erica looked like in Harold¡¯s eyes.


    I see, said Francis, in agreement. Harold believed in Erica. He considered her to be someone at the same level as himself, who did not need his protection.


    It certainly had to be funny to watch Francis, who was much weaker than her, repeatedly talk of protecting her himself.


    In the end, he was made to fully realize that he had only been able to see the outside of Erica.


    He was charmed by her beauty, and he had arbitrarily assumed that her personality went hand to hand with that beauty. So being angry over that was not unreasonable in the slightest.


    Francis¡¯ understanding of Erica and his feelings for her were no match for Harold¡¯s.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.. It¡¯s my loss.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What? Do you not see this, you moron?¡±]


    Harold showed the sword he was holding in his hand.


    If was certainly Harold¡¯s loss since he had used his weapon, but Francis was not shameless enough to be able to claim such a thing.


    After all, before this point, he had been utterly defeated.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t make me say it again. The problem¡¯s with the rule that we agreed on before. I was never qualified to have a duel with you, Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mhm, then, this time, let¡¯s call it a draw, shall we?¡±]


    Declared Itsuki, who had been watching in silence.


    Francis had given up, and Harold had gone against the rules. Both of them had won, and both of them had also lost.


    It would have felt better for Francis if this was counted as his loss, but maybe finding a point of compromise was fine as well.


    ¡¾¡±Tsk.¡±]


    Perhaps still dissatisfied, Harold clicked his tongue and turned his back to the duo. But Francis called that back to a stop.


    ¡¾¡±Harold, wait. Even if according to the rules, this is a draw, in the fight itself, I was completely defeated. So I¡¯d like you to make me follow what you say as we agreed.¡±]


    The purpose of the duel had been replaced with a marriage to Erica out of nowhere, but in reality, that was the actual main purpose.


    ¡¾¡±This is getting boring already. If you want to hit on Erica, do as you like. I just wish you could become a man who matches her.¡±]


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going back ahead of you. You just stay dead over there for a while.¡± leaving Francis with those words, Harold left the place. But this time, Francis was not able to stop him.


    He just laid on his back, face up.


    ¡¾¡±Say, Itsuki.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I was really stupid, wasn¡¯t I?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know what¡¯s that coming from, but it¡¯s unusual for you to speak ill of yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In various ways, he showed me the difference in status between us, as a warrior, but also as a man.¡±]


    At the end, Harold had told Francis to become a man who could match Erica. In other words, Francis had to acquire a strength that could rival with Harold¡¯s.


    Francis had been quite impolite and ungraceful but Harold did not give up on him, rather, even though he told him he was disappointed, he still approved of Francis ever so slightly. When he thought of that, Francis¡¯ feelings were filled with wonder and delight.


    As for why Itsuki adored Harold; having now experienced Harold¡¯s tolerance for himself, Francis actually felt compelled to agree with Itsuki¡¯s assessment.


    ¡¾¡±I still have a long way to go. But today, I feel that I have seen the path which I should aim for.¡±]


    He lied down and looked up at the clear and high sky, feeling like he could open it and spread it everywhere.


    To Francis, it seemed like it was showing him the way to his future.


    Translator¡¯s note: Next chapter, we¡¯ll see things from Erica¡¯s perspective, so do look forward to it!


    I¡¯d like you to thank my new Patrons, Excelless and Elizabeth E, thank you very much for your support! And thank you to all the other Patrons as well, of course!

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    When she heard Itsuki say he was going sightseeing in Kablan with his friend, Francis, and Harold, Erica couldn¡¯t help but suspect that her elder brother was planning something strange.


    At his core, Itsuki was a considerate and proud elder brother, but somehow, when it came to mediating the relationship between Harold and Erica, he was quite passionate. And Erica was glad that he liked Harold.


    Perhaps he did that because he had noticed Erica¡¯s hidden feelings of love for Harold.


    However, the problem came from Harold¡¯s side.


    He himself did not want to marry Erica. So he obviously wouldn¡¯t think well of Itsuki pushing him into this so intensely.


    And Erica knew why Harold was trying to avoid his marriage with her. In short, it was because she wasn¡¯t good enough.


    That day eight years prior, Harold had severely reprimanded Erica, telling her she was being too soft and that her kindness was just self-satisfaction. That was an opportunity for her to change, with a clear determination to grow into someone who could support Harold.


    Since then, she devoted herself to improving her heart, skills, and physique so that she would become a suitable partner for Harold. And yet, his back, that she kept chasing after, was still far away from her reach.


    Because, while Erica made progress, so did Harold.


    He just wouldn¡¯t stop. Therefore, Erica sometimes was crushed by uneasiness, wondering, how could she possibly catch up to him?


    But whenever that weakness that lurked within her rose to her head, she would recall those tears that Harold secretly spilled that one day. Harold was also desperately fighting against his anxiousness and fear; by thinking that, Erica could find the strength in herself to recover her crushed heart.


    She would tell herself that, someday, her efforts would bear fruit.


    ¡¾¡±Erica, is there something wrong?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you tired? Want me to go get some drinks?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Rather than that, let¡¯s go get some fresh air outside, shall we?¡±]


    While Erica lost herself in her thoughts a little, the surrounding men, having felt that there was something wrong, called out to her and competed to show their worry.


    This was the second day of the celebration. Erica was in the lobby, and the guests weren¡¯t all the same as the ones in the banquet hall the day before. Many participants were waiting in here because the preparations in the banquet hall, were they were supposed to gather, had yet to be finished.


    There was still time before the start of the day¡¯s assembly. And Erica, who came around a too early, was surrounded by men in the blink of an eye. She thought they would hold back a little considering the previous day¡¯s happenings, but seeing that Harold was nowhere around her, they rushed and flocked towards her en masse.


    Looking at their faces, half of them were part of the people who fell prey to Harold¡¯s blood thirst the day before, perhaps that meant that, in a way, they were quite mettlesome.


    However, because those men showed too much interest towards Erica, it seemed like the other women who were participating weren¡¯t very pleased. Erica felt some eyes, full of jealousy, aimed at her.


    She could keep her distances from them if she were to leave the room, but with her being the main guest¡¯s relative, that solution would not give a very good impression.


    And as Erica was troubled about how to settle this matter gently¡­


    ¡¾¡±Get out of my sight, you trash.¡±]


    That sharp voice instantaneously cut off the place¡¯s rising heat. The men surrounding Erica were frozen still.


    Harold was standing within the crowd, with a face that did not conceal his bad mood.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll give you three seconds. If you want to experience the same thing as yesterday, then stay right here.¡±]


    Without waiting for the three seconds to pass, the men left and scattered in all directions. As expected, it seemed like they had been quite frightened by the previous day¡¯s matter.


    That incident turned out to be of a great help to Erica.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you, Lord-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s my job. Keep your gratitude to yourself.¡±]


    Erica thought that way of speaking in the imperative form was quite characteristic of him.


    Without separating from Erica, Harold entrusted his back to a wall and crossed his arms. Having declared that it was his job, it seemed like he was planning to reliably play his role as Erica¡¯s guardian. His diligent personality, which was in complete contrast to his abusive language, was showing.


    ¡¾¡±Where were you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I was just keeping Itsuki company.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Once again, allow me to apologize in my brother¡¯s stead for troubling you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Like I told you, if you¡¯re gonna apologize, then just start managing that guy properly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I already told him not to do this but he¡­¡±]


    It was close to impossible to stop Itsuki, who was extremely fond of Harold, from being reckless. Erica instinctively felt like sighing.


    Having likely guessed Erica¡¯s sentiment, Harold did not pursue the matter any further.


    ¡¾¡±Which reminds me, are my brother and Francis-sama not with you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I left those two behind but¡­ Erica¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes?¡±]


    Just being called by her name made her heart throb. Erica hid that and replied while feigning calm as well as she could.


    ¡¾¡±Just now, you called Francis by his first name, didn¡¯t you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, he said he prefers I call him that way.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In other words, you don¡¯t think bad of him, right? ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±I was surprised yesterday because of his sudden actions, but I don¡¯t really dislike him since I don¡¯t even know his personality yet.¡±]


    She neither hated him nor liked him. The impression she had of him was that he was a kind of passionate person and was her elder brother¡¯s friend.


    However, after thinking about something, Harold asked Erica.


    ¡¾¡±If you were asked to marry Francis, would you accept?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±w-¡°]


    Erica desperately suppressed her voice so as not to let her emotions rise to the surface. She didn¡¯t understand what was Harold thinking when he asked that, but that question was enough to shake her spirit.


    Given her feelings, it would be very difficult for her to accept that marriage. Because that meant giving up on being Harold¡¯s companion.


    Erica¡¯s goal of supporting Harolddid not necessarily require her to be bound to him. She was perfectly aware of that, in fact, if Harold were to become the companion of a woman other than her, Erica intended to give him her blessings.


    However, it was unimaginable for Erica to marry someone else while Harold had yet to be bound to anyone. As long as she had the slightest chance of being chosen by Harold, it was enough for her.


    Therefore, she couldn¡¯t accept to marry someone else. That¡¯s likely what Erica would have answered if she was able to give priority to her own feelings.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Right. I¡¯m aware that you¡¯re not enthusiastic about getting married with me, so, though it would be difficult to do so right away, if it was my brother and father¡¯s decision, if it was for the sake of the Sumeragi household then I¨D¨D¡±]


    I think I would accept that marriage. Those were the words Erica was about to say, however, she was interrupted by Harold.


    ¡¾¡±You idiot. This has nothing to do with your relatives or your household. I¡¯m asking you, Erica Sumeragi, as a person. ¡°]


    What did Erica want to do as an individual? What if she could remove her situation and social status from the equation and make the decision with her own feelings?


    In that case, then she had decided on an answer. It was the hope that had been continuously warming up within her for eight years already.


    ¡¾¡±¡­. If I had the permission, then I would not accept the marriage. If at all possible, I¡­. I would like to be bound to the person I truly love.¡±]


    Erica answered so while looking straight at Harold¡¯s eyes.


    Harold took on that gaze for a short while, and then turned his face slightly down, as if to cut off his connection with Erica¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.I see.¡±]


    Erica might have been mistaken about this, but, as Harold said that with his cold voice, she saw some satisfaction on his face.


    (Just now, that smile was¡­?)


    Unlike his usual cynical sneer, it felt as if he had a gentle smile.


    But that was only for an instant and there was no way to ascertain it. Even if Erica tried to confirm it from him, he would only deny it.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, so you¡¯re back at last.¡±]


    Following Harold¡¯s line of sight, Itsuki and Francis were walking towards here, side by side. Upon seeing them approach, Harold moved his back away from the wall he had been leaning on.


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯re together with these guys, then you won¡¯t be approached by any of those disturbing insects. I¡¯ll be resting in my room until the start of the celebration.¡±]


    Having said that, Harold disappeared from the lobby.


    And Itsuki and Francis came around to trade places with him.


    ¡¾¡±Where did Lord ho?¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±He said he would be resting in his room until the start of the party.¡±](Erica)


    ¡¾¡±Well, I guess we tired him out.¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±If even Lord is tired, then what about me?¡±](Francis)


    ¡¾¡±Then, you¡¯re going to rest in your room, too, Franck?¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯d like to, but, before that, would you give me just a little bit of your time, Erica?¡±](Itsuki)


    ¡¾¡±Well, I don¡¯t mind but¡­¡±](Erica)


    Erica glanced at her brother. Although Itsuki disliked it when Francis interacted with Erica, this time he didn¡¯t say anything. In others words, he gave his permission for that.


    Had he somehow changed his mind?


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s a difficult talk to have here. Let¡¯s go out to the garden. ¡°]


    Following Francis¡¯ lead, Erica went out to the mansion¡¯s courtyard. Since there was a terrace in the garden, there were some people chatting there, but Francis went away from them, and when he came to a place where there was no one else nearby, he stopped his feet at last.


    Erica was a bracing herself a little considering Harold¡¯s question from earlier.


    ¡¾¡±So, what did you want to talk about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I thought I¡¯d apologize to you for yesterday. Sorry for my abrupt actions.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Please raise your head. I was certainly surprised, but you don¡¯t have to apologize, I¡¯m not angry.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you. However, I¡¯m not apologizing for you alone.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean? By any chance, were you told something by my brother?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, I¡¯m doing this for Lord¡­. or rather, Harold. Oh, hmm, I won¡¯t tell anyone else about him, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.. How did you find out?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I had no proof of it, but when I went to Itsuki to confirm it, he easily confessed the truth.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s so¡­¡±]


    Erica felt her head aching.


    It seemed like some punishment would be needed later on. This, including Itsuki¡¯s attempts to sway Harold, demanded something more than some healhearted warning.


    However, putting that aside, how was an apology to Erica related to Harold?


    ¡¾¡±So, as I was saying, I got quite the sermon from Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A sermon, you say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In summary, he said something like¡ºSomeone of your pathetic level can¡¯t possibly handle Erica.¡»He turned out to be way scarier as an opponent than Itsuki.¡±]


    Francis smiled wryly. From what he said, it seemed like Harold had repelled Francis for approaching Erica.


    However, that was impossible. Because Harold did not want to be married to Erica, so if she were to be bound to someone else, it would have been convenient for him.


    There was likely a misunderstanding. That was probably it.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Aren¡¯t you somehow mistaken? It doesn¡¯t quite seem like Harold-sama to put in a word about these kinds of matters.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Wha-.. Could it be that Harold didn¡¯t tell you anything, Erica? That man is so difficult.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You seem to believe that Harold doesn¡¯t think much of you, but it¡¯s not that surprising. This is what he told me:¡ºErica isn¡¯t some frail and fickle woman who can do nothing but be protected by others. She has the strength to fight, and an unwavering will to oppose her own fate. So don¡¯t got thinking she¡¯s just some pretty little flower.¡»¡±]


    ¡¾¡±D, did Harold-sama really say that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you still have some doubts, then just ask Itsuki. Honestly, it felt like he was showing me the large difference between my feelings towards you, and his.¡±]


    Something so convenient could not be possible. Far from her being half-convinced, her doubts had actually taken the advantage over her by far.


    However, on the other hand, Erica couldn¡¯t help but wonder, what if it was true? That reality was perhaps what she wanted more than anything else. And no matter how many times she told herself to settle down, she still had some hope.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Gee, if you show this kind of face, I won¡¯t feel like being jealous anymore.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re desperately trying to hide it or whatever, but your joy is clearly showing. I guess if it was me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get you to make that kind of expression, right?¡±]


    As that was pointed out, Erica promptly put her hands on her face.


    Her cheeks had shaped themselves in a way that displayed her great delight. Having become conscious of that, Erica was full of embarrassment.


    ¡¾¡±No, that, this, it doesn¡¯t mean that¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Pft¡­¡­ Ahahahaha¡±]


    Erica was completely flustered as she couldn¡¯t find an excuse. Looking at her being in such a state, Francis was unable to bear it and burst out laughing.


    That made Erica¡¯s shyness rise even more.


    ¡¾¡±P, please stop laughing at me¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My bad, my bad. But with this, I understand clearly. It would be quite boorish of me to try to force my way in between you and Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have no idea what happened between you two, but the both of you are seriously thinking of each other and you¡¯re just not being honest. Looks like there is no room for anybody else to butt in.¡±]


    Declared Francis, with a cheerful face.


    It was hard to believe for Erica, because Harold had never turned this type of words and feelings towards her, but she recalled his smile from earlier.


    Since the day before, Francis was constantly trying to appeal to Erica. What if that made Harold a little jealous or anxious?


    What if that smile meant that Harold was relieved that Erica said she didn¡¯t want to marry Francis?


    ¡¾¡±Then, I couldn¡¯t be happier¡­¡±]


    In a voice low enough that Francis wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it, Erica spoke her honest feelings.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    The Berlioz¡¯ family¡¯s celebrations lasted for three days. Then came the moment for Harold¡¯s stressful mission of guarding Erica to end at last.


    He was completely exhausted and wanted to let out a very long sigh. He felt like he owed himself some praise for carrying out his duty to its end despite the heavy mental fatigue it brought him.


    Through a conspiracy between Itsuki and Justus, Harold had been forcefully made to escort Erica, without even being notified. And once he stepped into the Berlioz¡¯ residence, he was attacked by the head of the household, a hot-blooded man with a muscle-brain who, once he was beaten by Harold, offered him to take his eight-year-old daughter as a bride. Just when he thought things couldn¡¯t get worse, he was attacked once again, this time by one of the original story¡¯s characters who was participating in the celebrations. To stop him and calm the matter, Harold proposed to have a duel, which somehow turned into a death match with a marriage with Erica at stake.


    Upon enumerating these events once more, it seemed to Harold like he had suffered through a massive series of disasters.


    Incidentally, on the last day of the celebration, Francis was acting over-familiar with Harold, while in contrast, Erica was acting somehow suspiciously, and, watching that happen, Itsuki was grinning from beginning to end despite being very calm on the whole. Due to Harold¡¯s presence, no other men gathered around Erica, so it was safe to say that Harold had carried out his duty perfectly.


    However, Harold did not feel any sense of fulfillment or accomplishment. What he felt however was pent-up resentment towards Justus and Itsuki who had deceived him.


    However, concerning Itsuki, is seemed like on the evening of the celebration¡¯s second day, Erica made him go through some intense moxibustion. Hearing him apologize to her with a tearful voice was sufficient for Harold to lose his grudge.


    So the only one left was Harold¡¯s annoying boss, Justus. After once again being shaken in the carriage for two days, Harold returned to the royal capital; he then single-mindedly went to the research center and forced the door to Justus¡¯ laboratory open with such strength that he almost kicked it down.


    Harold¡¯s anger was so intense that even the staff members, who would usually poor out all their hostility on him, averted their eyes.


    ¡¾¡±The hell was that about, Justus?!¡±]


    His tone of voice was horrifying, as if he had just crawled out from under the ground. But that did not break Justus¡¯ habitual cold behavior.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re back? I won¡¯t be needing a report for this time¡¯s mission. It was just for playing around after all.¡±]


    Said Justus, and after no more than single glance towards Harold, he returned to his work.


    Harold hadn¡¯t come here with the goal of making his report. Justus knew that perfectly well when he spoke those words to him, which made this all the more irritating.


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, what a lame farce this was. I won¡¯t cooperate with you to act upon such stupid matters again, bastard.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Cooperate? Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re just a pawn under my control. Know your place, Harold.¡±]


    Justus spoke that indifferently, yet it was an established fact.


    Even if Harold was sarcastic with him and complained, he was just abusing of Justus¡¯ goodwill. No matter the incident or the happening, Justus would always draw every single conclusion all by himself to bring said event to its completion. He could not be shaken by others, and it was impossible to influence him.


    The strength of his will was akin to a monster¡¯s.


    Still, Harold would have felt unsatisfied if he didn¡¯t talk to him about this.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll see if you can handle me. However, I have some ideas if you ever stick me to those people again. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Is that fiancee of yours that important to you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re joking, right? That girl and I are completely incompatible, just like you and I, if not more.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ahahaha, you say some interesting things! However, that¡¯s only natural, isn¡¯t it? Because you and I are the same.¡±]


    Justus exaggeratedly spread his arms, laughing as his shoulders shook.


    His eyes were like an abyss, there was no trace of light in them, and yet his cheeks were distorted up into a crazy smile as he looked at Harold. Harold could not bear to be treated as being similar to such a lunatic.


    He had said what he wanted to say at least, and speaking anything more than this would only make things worse and more unpleasant for him.


    While Harold was about to leave in a hurry, Justus kept talking to him with an intoxicated tone of voice.


    ¡¾¡±No matter how you try to smooth yourself over, at your core, you¡¯re just like me. We¡¯re both mad men who would do absolutely anything to reach their goals, aren¡¯t we?¡±]


    To cut off the insults that were being poured on him, Harold striked the laboratory¡¯s door with the same strength that had almost broken it when he entered the room.


    Though he had come to complain, in the end, he was even more irritated. He had gotten his priorities backward.


    Harold could not even hide his irritation from his outside appearance. In such a state, he, who was already disliked even at the best of times, would be approached by nobody.


    Nobody, except for one person.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, you came back.¡±]


    Harold suddenly came across Elu, who was coming from the opposite direction. Despite Harold having an aura of displeasure overflowing from him, Elu did not hesitate to call out to him.


    However, Lifa was nowhere near him.


    ¡¾¡±What about the girl?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you mean Lifa, she¡¯s in her room. She¡¯s preparing to go back to her hometown tomorrow.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see. Did you have any trouble in my absence?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d call that trouble, but Justus told me about how he met you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What kind of bullshit did he tell you?¡±]


    Having listened to Elu, who answered Harold¡¯s question, it seemed like he had been told an overly-dramatic version of the already kind of dramatic scene of Harold¡¯s encounter with Justus. Though the facts were included at 100%, there were many parts that differed from what actually happened. The part about the sword was completely untrue, and Justus had cruelly emphasized how dangerous Harold was as a person.


    And the exact words that had come out of Harold¡¯s mouth were¡¾¡±Give me power and I¡¯ll teach you what true hell is, bastard.¡±]but it seemed like even that had been somewhat dramatized.


    Harold did not understand what Justus wanted to do with him. He had predicted that he would be used a chess piece for Justus¡¯ plans, but for some reason, he was starting to feel like there was more to this than that.


    Well, as long as Justus did not stop his own plans, Harold would probably be able to secure a position where he could perceive the flow of events using what knew of the scenario of the game¡¯s story.


    ¡¾¡±And that¡¯s pretty much it, however, I¡¯m not the only one he told this to, Lifa was listening as well.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Is that it?¡±]


    Though Elu asked that with a dubious face, Harold had nothing else to respond.


    It was because he was under Justus¡¯ control that he could walk around in broad daylight, and the main cause was that he was supposed to be ¡°A test subject who¡¯s to test the sword developed by Justus for some practical experiments.¡± Even Elu had failed to grasp the actual truth of the matter, therefore, Harold could not easily speak of it,  and so it was safer to just confirm the things related to this.


    Well, Elu was going to become Harold¡¯s collaborator, so Harold had better find a chance to eventually speak of this to him.


    ¡¾¡±What else is there to say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I see your point, but Lifa got quite the shock from this¡­.¡±]


    (Shock, huh?¡­¡­)


    Though he didn¡¯t know at what level that shock was, it was a normal feeling to have upon finding out that someone she knew was going to die, even if said someone was a person she often quarreled with.


    Nevertheless, fact was that there was nothing Harold could say to her in particular. If, for example, he could speak to her in a sympathetic way to console her, it would only hurt Lifa¡¯s feelings as, to her, that would just feel like a dying man¡¯s attempt to cheer her up. Therefore, he thought that maybe it would be better to come in contact with her in the usual way rather than to take on a different attitude.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.You said she¡¯s in her room, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah, yes¡±]


    Still, though it was troublesome, he would feel bad if he simply ignored the situation. So Harold went towards the room where Lifa was staying to take a look.


    As for Elu, after saying¡¾¡±Please take care of her.¡±], he left and went towards the direction opposite to Harold¡¯s. However, even though Elu was being considerate, Harold actually wanted him to accompany him and back him up, because his mouth was not going to be able to say a single word of comfort.


    While thinking of deplorable things like that, Harold knocked on the door to Lifa¡¯s room.


    ¡¾¡±Who is it?¡±]


    It was a listless voice that did not fit the usually high-spirited Lifa. When he thought back upon it, Lifa had started acting strange a little while before Harold departed to Kablan.


    But still, that didn¡¯t help him understand the reason behind that.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and open the damn door.¡±]


    As soon as he said so, he heard clattering sounds from within the room.


    The noises of various objects falling down continued for a little while, and once it settled, the door opened at last. However, there was only a gap of a few centimeters.


    Therefore, Harold thrust the tip of his toes into that opening, and mercilessly forced the door open.


    ¡¾¡±Ah¡­¡­!¡±]


    Because of how forcefully the door was opened, Lifa stumbled forward. At that moment, Harold happened to see her face that looked surprised, but also worried.


    Probably because he expected her to look depressed, to Harold, Lifa, who was more slender than she used to be, looked more pretty and delicate than ever. Though the possibility that she had lost weight out of worry and sadness for him made Harold glad, his happiness was underwhelmed by the pain he felt in his heart as this worry was the result of a falsehood.


    ¡¾¡±I heard I¡¯d get to watch the rare sight of you looking like a sad sack but you¡¯re more normal than expected. This is boring.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s that?!¡±]


    Harold¡¯s sarcasm managed to trigger Lifa in but a second. Her boiling point was way too low.


    On the other hand, that meant she was easy to handle.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re speaking as badly as ever¡­ And whose fault is it that I was feeling down?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You listened to that story of your own accord, and you¡¯re feeling down of your own accord. I don¡¯t recall saying a single word to you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±- ¨C ¨C Uh!¡±]


    Lifa was so angry from Harold¡¯s complaint that she was at a loss for words. Her face was bright red.


    Though they had a tense relationship, he¡¯d probably be able to get along with her without that bringing him any trouble in the future.


    ¡¾¡±Enough already! If you¡¯re going to be like this, I won¡¯t worry about you anymore!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you kidding me? I haven¡¯t fallen low enough to need your worry, idiot.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You really have a comeback to everything¡­. And yet, it looks like you¡¯ll never be willing to break your own determination, no matter what.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I asked Doctor Justus about the details of what happened after the tribunal pronounced your sentence. And he said that, because you wanted power, because you wanted to become strong,  you allied yourself with him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold affirmed it through his silence. Accepting that, Lifa then asked him.


    ¡¾¡±But I think you¡¯re plenty enough strong already, and yet you¡¯re trying to gain strength so hard that you¡¯re willing to exchange your own life for power, why is that?¡±]


    That was a bad question to ask of Harold at this point in time.


    The reason why he wanted power was already clear. Because if he were directly attacked by a death flags, it was his fighting strength that would make the difference between life and death. And, moreover, if it wasn¡¯t for him going along with Justus¡¯ story until now, then he would have been executed.


    In any case, if he could avoid his death flags before they appeared, that would be the best, but if he followed the events of the game¡¯s story, then he would have to fight three times against the hero¡¯s party and manage to barely get away with his life every single time. Assuming the worst, there was even a risk that he would have to take over some of the events that the protagonists were supposed to deal with.


    In preparation for those times, Harold had to be strong. That was why he felt the way he did about death, so as to completely avoid, break, and survive against his death flags.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s a dumb question. There is something I have to do no matter what, even if I have to risk my life for it.¡±]


    He was genuinely hanging between life and death. Otherwise, he would not have been able to continue training ten hours a day or more for as long as eight years. He was able to do it because great efforts were needed to rework the reality of his death that he could not avoid by merely working on his character.


    ¡¾¡±Even if you have to risk your life for it? Really, you¡¯re so¡­.¡±]


    Probably from the fact that Harold intended to keep going even though she thought he didn¡¯t have much longer to live, Lifa was at a loss for words. For some reason, it seemed like she was not able to look straight at Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Well, still, I believe there is nothing in this world that is worth as much as my life. There is no way in hell I¡¯m gonna let myself get killed easily.¡±]


    He was not going to die, he said it so arrogantly and with such a mysterious self confidence that one could not simply find it in themselves to call out how incoherent it was. Any listener would just be utterly stunned.


    ¡¾¡±Hah¡­. You are that kind of person after all. If that¡¯s really how you feel, it¡¯s quite amazing.¡±]


    Just like Harold planned, a smile returned to Lifa¡¯s face, though only slightly. There was quite a lot of shock on her face as well, but it was still much better than her having a depressed facial expression.


    With time, she would come to realize that the story about Harold dying from his magical power being drained by a sword was a lie. But, rather than letting her gravely worry until said time, Harold was more at ease with getting her to perceive this as the slightly funny story of some reckless idiot who was just throwing his life down the gutter.


    Well, judging by how things currently looked, it was probably going to be fine. And in any case, they were probably going to be antagonists to each other the next time they would meet after their parting the next day. It would be bad but it would help her get over the matter.


    Harold thought so as he started leaving the room, but he stopped his feet as Lifa called him to a halt with a¡¾¡±Wait, one more thing.¡±]. But when he tried to turn his head around, Harold was deprived of his hearing, making him wonder what on earth was going on.


    And it wasn¡¯t by the use of some kind of magic spell either. He couldn¡¯t confirm it since he had his back turned the other way, but he guessed that Lifa was standing on the tip of her toes and blocking his ears with her hands.


    That lasted for a mere few seconds. And byy the time Harold grasped the situation, Lifa¡¯s hands had already gone away.


    ¡¾¡±What did you do?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Nothing really~ It¡¯s just that there was something I didn¡¯t want you to hear.¡±]


    ¡°Then just say it after I¡¯m gone¡±, Harold naturally wanted to retort, but he swallowed that back. He felt very sluggish due to the worry and tiredness that piled up during his long trip. Defeated by his desire to hurry and got to sleep, in the end, failed to see through the profound meaning behind the girl¡¯s action.


    When Harold thought back upon this later, perhaps things would not have developed in such a troublesome direction if he had questioned Lifa properly this time. Still, it was no use crying over split milk.


    However, in the future, this choice was going to come back to bite him.


    ¡ó


    The sky was clear, and the fresh south wind was calmly blowing on the many flowering plants.


    It was a good day to set off.


    Liner, who had grown from a boy to a young man, stroked the handle of the sword at his waist for a moment as he looked up at the empty sky and took a deep breath.


    ¡¾¡±Liner, are you really going?¡±]


    The one asking that with an uneasy voice was Colette, who could also be said to have grown from a girl to a woman. However, just like her voice, her facial expression was filled with worry, and she was teary-eyed. It seemed like one light push would get her tear glands to break down.


    To give Colette some peace of mind, Liner showed her a smile as dazzling as the sun.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry so much. They escaped towards the neighboring town so I won¡¯t be going far.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But it¡¯s dangerous! There are monsters outside of the village, and you¡¯ll probably have to fight the people whom even Leona-san and Olbel-san were unable to defeat, right?!¡±]


    Colette brought up the names of Liner¡¯s parents in an attempt to hold him back. To her, Liner¡¯s actions were wild and unrealistic.


    The night before, some thieves had trespassed in Liner¡¯s residence. Although the thieves had come to steal from a warehouse that was separated from the house itself, however Leona happened to notice them by chance and rushed to battle.


    The fight was two on two. Although they hadn¡¯t been in an actual fight in a long time, Olbel and Leona, who were once capable adventurers, were overwhelmed by the movements of the thieves who were moving as if slipping into the darkness while wearing jet black robes with hoods which were pulled low over their eyes. Since it was like that for Olbel and Leona when they fought them, there was no doubting the thieves¡¯ strength.


    By the end of the fight, Leona was severely wounded on her left leg, and Olbel on his flank. Then, in the nick of time, Liner barged into the place. Though he attacked the thieves having caught them off guard, the strike was not a direct hit; but still, he did cut off the robe of one of them.


    And at that moment, for just an instant, he saw the thief¡¯s pale face which was exposed under the light of the moon that was shining through the gaps in the clouds. Taking on that chance, the thieves dispersed and narrowly escaped from the Griffith¡¯s residence.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean that everything was fine. The thieves had stolen a treasured sword that the Liner¡¯s parents had obtained, from inside some historic ruins, when they were still active adventurers.


    In reality, it was supposed to be passed to Liner once he left the village for the sake of realizing his dream of becoming a knight leader. Liner could not let the sword be snatched away like that.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m the only one who knows his face. And, also, I¡¯m the only one who can fight them.¡±]


    Now that his parents had been injured, Liner was confident that he was the only one in this village who could fight with the thieves.


    Therefore, he was determined to get back the treasured sword with his own hands.


    ¡¾¡±So please just wait for a little while. I¡¯m entrusting you with my father and mother, alright?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Uh¡­¡­¡±]


    Colette knew that Liner wasn¡¯t one to yield after making a decision. Therefore, she was aware that she couldn¡¯t persuade him anymore.


    I don¡¯t want you to go. I want you to stay by my side.


    Though such thoughts were dominating within Colette, she could not let them out. She felt that if she said that, it would be akin to exposing her weakness as one who had become accustomed to being protected.


    If she had been able to tell him that she would follow him this time, if she had been self-confident enough to say it, then perhaps the journey that was awaiting Liner would have had a different conclusion.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, Colette, I¡¯m off.¡±]


    Step by step, Liner moved away. And Colette was only able to see him off.


    They had no way of knowing that these extraordinary steps were the first of a long and grand journey that would involve even the fate of the world.


    Translator¡¯s note: And this is the end of volume 3, next chapter will be the first of volume 4, the volume where the game¡¯s story finally starts¡­ that was one hell of a prologue!


    And of course, I¡¯d like to thank all the current Patrons for their support, this really means a lot!

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    It was underground, out of the reach of the outside world¡¯s light. Only some pale, and dim artificial light sources were lighting up the place.


    Moreover, those sources¡¯ original purpose was not to give off light, they were pods filled with a solution that just happened to give off a glow. The pods were arranged in line at a regular interval, and most of them had ¨D¨D human bodies in them.


    There were no common points between the ages and genders of the bodies, if there had to be any common points to mention, it would that they were all naked and unconscious. And there was one other common feature that one couldn¡¯t tell based on their appearance, they were all from the Stellar tribe.


    Cutting through the atmosphere of that dark, ominous space were the sounds of weapons clashing and flashing. Each time the weapons turned, the pale lights were reflected on their blades.


    The real source of those lights and sounds were a young man and a young lady who were crossing blades with each-other.


    The young man, who had slightly purple hair, was holding in his hands a long spear, as long as his own body¡¯s height. Even a grown adult would be unlikely to be able to wield the spear like the youth did, freely manipulating it while taking into account the spear¡¯s weight and centrifugal force.


    The weapon of the young woman facing him was a scimitar that she held in a reverse grip. The sword was already short as it was, let alone when compared to a spear. Moreover, even for a scimitar, the blade was quite short and it had a large curvature. And yet, despite being in such a disadvantageous situation, the young woman, who was holding the scimitar with both of her hands, was actually rivaling against the young man and was making many more attack moves than he did.


    However, in contrast to that intense battle, both of them were fighting with expressionless faces devoid of emotions. They had no fear of pain or death, nor did they have any killing intent to show their will to kill each other. They were so indifferent that it almost looked as if they were apathetically carrying out some simple task.


    Observing them as they did so was the owner of this place, Justus Freund.


    Upon being given a certain signal by Justus who had been looking at the scene for a while, the two young people halted their extremely fierce fight and all their movements, as if they were robots who had received a command to stop their actions.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­That was so-so. Their fighting ability has room for improvement¡­¡±]


    Justus had rather not continue developing them right now, not wanting to end up reducing the number of bodies he had in hand. Though the output of their strength was insufficient to start up the device, putting more efforts in getting more members of the stellar tribe would waste too much time. But there was someone who was fit to support those two, and Justus believed that if he put that someone in charge of managing them, then there would be no problem.


    Having come to that conclusion, Justus decided to apply his decision to the development he was working on. If that person was able to get their abilities up to Justus¡¯ expected standards, then it would show that his actions followed Justus¡¯ wishes.


    The moment Justus was longing for was finally coming. That was what he remained more than ten years in the dark for.


    He was finally reaching the point where he could realize his dearest wish. Justus spontaneously leaked a laugh out of his mouth.


    ¡¾¡±Hehehe, just a little bit¡­ Just a little bit more until I can meet you¡­ Just you wait.¡±]


    Justus looked at an empty space with an ecstatic expression on his face. And his usually calm and almost emotionless voice was now quite differently filled with madness.


    And so, the despair brought upon by the total destruction of the world was secretly starting to come to life.


    ¡ó


    Right now, there was a child in front of Harold. More accuaretly, it was a very recently born baby.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t Harold¡¯s child. Sleeping soundly in his crib, was Huey, Harold¡¯s younger brother born of a different mother.


    Harold got to know of Huey¡¯s existence shortly after returning from the celebration of the engagement between Itsuki and Silvie held at the Berlioz family¡¯s residence. In one of the letters that Harold¡¯s father regularly sent him to persuade him to reconsider the break off of his engagement with Erica, he added one sentence¡¾¡±Your little brother was just born, so come by to see him one of these days.¡±]


    Upon reading his letter, Harold first admired him for being energetic despite being almost fifty years old, but when he thought about it carefully, he, who was originally supposed to be the Stokes household¡¯s heir, had a bad reputation that was spread far and wide and had selfishly broken his engagement, so it was only natural that his father would get another son as an insurance, just in case.


    Although it was a rare concurrence, it was allowed within the kingdom for nobles to get a concubine, and his wife, Jessica, was already over forty years old. In consideration of her health and the child¡¯s, perhaps making an heir with a concubine instead was a reasonable choice.


    Putting that aside. Harold believed that, if he were to return home now, his father Hayden would certainly nag him, once again trying to persuade him not to break his engagement. Besides, even if he were to survive until the end of the game¡¯s story, Harold didn¡¯t know how the Stokes family would do.


    Though some parts of this world were different from the game, fundamentally, it was still very similar to¡ºBrave Hearts¡»¡¯s world. Although the LP farming method had made some profits for them, there was no change to Harold¡¯s parents¡¯ pure-blooded principles and the behavior that came with it, leading them to oppress their population. No matter how Harold thought about it, there was a high probability that their household would be crushed.


    Therefore, in case he survived until the end of the game¡¯s story and yet was still unable to return to his former world, Harold had considered the idea of leaving the household and throwing away the name Harold Stokes.


    Fortunately, he had obtained strength that would make it easy for him to make a living as an adventurer or a mercenary.


    Therefore, he had no interest in doing something as troublesome as voluntarily going back there, however, as Harold worried about that and looked at his brother, he realized something and froze up on the spot.


    If the Stokes household was crushed and Harold left it, what would happen to Huey, who was only a newborn? He would be left in the street, and at worst, he would likely die.


    The original Harold had no younger brother. He might have had one, but at least, there was certainly no depiction of such a setting within the game. In other words, there was no denying the possibility that Huey was born due to Harold¡¯s actions that differed from the game¡¯s story.


    And even if it wasn¡¯t for that, his brother was his brother no matter who his mother was. That¡¯s how Harold felt in the part of his emotions that had no regard for reason.


    Done with his worrying, Harold dealt with negotiating with Justus and got permission to return to his home for a few days, and so, Harold went back to the Stokes¡¯ mansion after five years of absence. And as expected, he ended up receiving a huge scolding from his father and kept fending off his words for over an hour, until he finally got to meet with Huey.


    But, standing on the other side of the crib, there was also a woman, Huey¡¯s mother and Hayden¡¯s concubine. She looked young and was probably of the same generation as Yuno. It looked like there was a difference of over 20 years between Hayden and her.


    She did come to the rescue of Harold who had no idea what to do when Huey got unsettled, but, except for the exchange of greetings she had at the very start, she was silent from beginning to end, and it seemed like she did not intend to launch the conversation herself.


    It wasn¡¯t clear whether this was because she was nervous, terribly reserved, or simply because she did not like Harold.


    So Harold tried to come in contact with her to test the grounds.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re called Dorothy, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How old are you??¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll soon be 25 years old.¡±]


    She was much older than Harold. So it would have been only natural if she looked down on him a little, and yet it seemed like Dorothy had chosen to use honorifics with him and to talk politely. Harold could not figure out whether that was normal or not.


    In the first place, he was troubled enough not knowing in the slightest what kind of stance he should take while interacting with her. From Harold¡¯s point of view, her stand as his father¡¯s lover was fine enough already, but she was married in the family register so she could also be said to be his mother-in-law.


    However, his father¡¯s wife Jessica was also live and well so perhaps it was more accurate to say Dorothy was just his second woman? If that was really what she was considered to be, then Harold was not familiar with what that position represented in the hierarchy and was confused as to how to communicate with her. Harold¡¯s mindset was still largely similar to the one from modern-day Japan.


    ¡¾¡±You chose to give the favor of being a noble¡¯s concubine at that age, huh. Did your family throw you away?¡±]


    Contrarily to his mind that was hesitating to talk, his mouth was completely straightforward. And Dorothy also answered without a problem.


    ¡¾¡±I wasn¡¯t married and it was too late for me to get married, so I am alright with it.¡±]


    According to Dorothy¡¯s words, it seemed like she was a former young noble miss from somewhere, but her family had a falling business and had to sell their title of nobility so as not to become poor to the point of not being able to live. Though around ten years had passed since they had reluctantly passed from being aristocrats to being simple commoners, they still were not able to stop their downfall towards extreme poverty.


    And at that time, a proposal was made towards Dorothy. Dorothy¡¯s father had jumped on this occasion. Apparently, the effect of that proposal made it so that the Stokes family took care of Dorthy¡¯s family¡¯s financial difficulties, therefore allowing them to regain their noble title, which they had sold off.


    It was in gratitude for that favor that Dorothy became Hayden¡¯s concubine. She was basically sacrificed.


    Because Hayden had used such vicious methods to have his way with her against her will, she probably did not have good thoughts about him, or even about Harold, who was the reason why Hayden took her to the household. Even when it  came to Harold¡¯s engagement with Erica, Hayden had never resorted to any methods that went as far as that proposal.


    Well, given the high importance Hayden attached to noble blood and given how Dorothy was a ¡°former noble¡±, that proposal was likely the result of his maximum and ultimate concession.


    In any case, Harold¡¯s heart was full of apologies for Huey and Dorothy.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, look, your thoughts are of no interest to me. As long as you don¡¯t annoy me, do as you like.¡±]


    Though he wanted to transmit those feelings of his ever so slightly, it was an impossible wish for him to put them into words properly. However, Harold was concerned about the future education of Huey, who was going to be raised in such a household, and especially about his future views regarding the commoners. As he worried about that, Harold looked at his younger brother¡¯s sleeping face from the side, and finally left the room.


    Although Harold had yielded to temptation and had come to meet Huey, it could not be said to be a good encounter for the emotional side of Harold. Watching people who were thrown around at the convenience of their families and surroundings was obviously depressing for him, especially since he was part of the cause behind that.


    And if the household were to fall to ruin, Dorothy, who was married to the Stokes family, would also go through hardships once again. Due to Harold¡¯s actions, it was almost decided that the destiny of Huey and Dorothy was to be unhappy.


    But that was only as long as Harold stayed true to his plans to desert the Stokes¡¯ household.


    (What should I do?)


    The downfall of the Stokes¡¯ household was not necessary for Harold. He was just thinking that it would be fine since it was supposed to happen anyway if the flow of the game¡¯s story was thoroughly followed. That was why Harold was considering leaving the household and did not feel the need to make a move or do anything about its ruin.


    It could be said that he could not afford to worry too much about the household as he had rather focus completely on protecting himself.


    However, because of Harold repeatedly acting against the world¡¯s original story, a change had occurred in the situation.


    There was no particular meaning to helping Dorothy and Huey. If he just discarded the issue as being someone else¡¯s problem, that would be the end of the matter.


    Though he understood that in his mind, Harold could not bring himself to be ruthless enough to abandon those with an unhappy future for the sake of his own future. He could not choose that method even though it would make things much easier for him. In a word, he was soft.


    That day eight years ago, Harold had reprimanded Erica, telling her her kindness made her too soft, but he did not have the qualifications to say that.


    But that didn¡¯t mean obstructing the collapse of the Stokes family would necessarily have a bad effect on Harold¡¯s death flags. Perhaps that was an irresponsible thing to say, but it was the goal he had determined for himself and that he would do his best to accomplish.


    But he still couldn¡¯t do the impossible. It would be good if as a result of his efforts he could help Dorothy and Huey avoid the unhappiness that was going to visit them. If he found himself unable to do that, then at that time, he¡¯d think of what to do next.


    Besides, Harold also had some vague feelings towards his family. Harold wasn¡¯t the type of person who was very fond of discrimination, but despite that flaw of theirs, Harold¡¯s family had raised him with great care so far, and he was quite thankful to his parents who did not abandon him, even when the people of the world turned their backs on him.


    He believed it would be best if the Stokes family could survive.


    Though that was going to give Harold some new issues to carry on his shoulders, the more occupied he was, the less time he had to be worried.


    The next day after arriving at his parents¡¯ house, Harold received a summon as a message on the machine attached to his wrist. Naturally, the sender was Justus. Unable to take his leisure time, Harold directly returned back to the research center and unwillingly dragged his feet towards Justus¡¯ location.


    The time when the game¡¯s story would start was very close. Harold wanted Justus to avoid giving him missions that were too time consuming if possible.


    While thinking so, Harold entered inside Justus¡¯ laboratory without knocking. That was the standard procedure whenever he entered the room, for Justus himself had complained that answering the door every time was troublesome.


    Harold had put himself on guard, not knowing what to expect. And he was right, for Justus was not the only one who had been waiting for him, as there were also a young man and a young woman, that Harold had never seen, in the room.


    The young man with purple hair was probably around 20 years old, and the young woman, who had light blue hair, was probably 17 or 18. Both of them were expressionless, as if they had no emotions.


    Without giving Harold the time to ask who they were, Justus skipped over any explanations and solely declared the role that Harold had to play.


    ¡¾¡±Harold, you¡¯ll be the leader of these kids.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    Harold responded by reflex, unable to understand the meaning behind Justus¡¯ words. What did he mean by leader? Or rather, who were these two people?


    If he wasn¡¯t under Justus¡¯ control, he would have immediately refused, however, that was not an option. Either way, for now, the priority was to clear out any doubts Justus had about him.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s with them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re dolls of my own design.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Playing with dolls at your age? That¡¯s quite a weird hobby.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is more to them than just being dolls. They are faithful servants that follow any commands given to them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­Did you brainwash them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, something like that. The people of the Stellar tribe can use some unique magic, they have special organs that allow them to use astral bodies in a different way than we do. While making them into dolls, I removed the unnecessary parts, such as emotions and the like. But although I¡¯m saying I removed them, I didn¡¯t completely eliminate them, I just made it so that they wouldn¡¯t appear on the surface¡­¡±]


    Although Justus was giving a long lecture, Harold¡¯s consciousness was gradually straying away.


    Dolls that obeyed orders, stellar tribe, removed emotions.


    By assembling those key words, a hypothesis assembled itself within Harold¡¯s mind. He had a very bad premonition.


    Translator¡¯s note: Sorry for the slight drop in quality, I¡¯m well aware of it, but I kind of did things in a rush. Also, I¡¯d like to thank to thank Leonard. L, Cedriel, and FrostyP for becoming patrons!

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    (Harold POV)


    ¡ºBrave Hearts¡»was an authentic, Oudou* RPG. The protagonist, Liner, grew up as a close witness to the strength of his parents who were quite skilled thanks to their past as adventurers. From his childhood, Liner kept training himself, yearning to become stronger than his mother and father, and before he knew it, he reached a point where he was dreaming of becoming the leader of the saint knight order.


    Anyone would acknowledge the leader of the knight order as a mighty hero and it was no exaggeration to say that most children aspired to become like him.


    On his 17th birthday, Liner was supposed to take over a certain sword that his parents had obtained in their adventurer days and head to the royal capital so as to enter the knight order.


    However, a certain evening soon before his 17th birthday, some thieves broke into Liner¡¯s house and stole the sword. Thus, after shaking himself off his parents¡¯ restraint, Liner went out of the village to get the sword back from the thieves, with his childhood friend, Colette, accompanying him.


    That was the introduction of the game, and this was the trigger that got Liner involved with an atrocious plan that was going to shake the whole world, therefore making him do all he could to get in said plan¡¯s way.


    Incidentally, sending the thieves away and fighting them was a part of the game¡¯s combat tutorial. At that point, the player could experience a real battle with magic mixed in. It was an event that could not be avoided when playing the game.


    Well, in this world, there was an extremely high chance to eventually experience such a battle at later times, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that this event was the first major turning point for the story¡¯s development. A turning point that would have been impossible if not for those thieves coming to steal the sword,


    and Harold was convinced that the whole operation had been carried out by the people under Harrison, the Minister for Defense. Those people had no name in the game, and even their lines of dialog were poorly prepared. They had no particular background to investigate or anything of the sort either. They were plot devices that merely played the parts they were given.


    However, that was just in the game¡¯s story.


    From Harold¡¯s analogical reasoning based on his dialog with Justus, the young man and woman were almost surely the ones who were supposed to trespass into Liner¡¯s residence and steal his sword. The problem was that Harold was ordered to join them and manage them, and that, in the game, the thieves were actually¡­ a trio.


    Having finished listening to Justus¡¯ lecture, Harold questioned him so as to clear his own doubts.


    ¡¾¡±I get what they are. However, why do I have to go with them? It would be fine if you just prepared some other doll, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve considered doing that but, to reach this point in the research, I had to expend more of the stellar tribe¡¯s members¡¯ bodies from my stock than I expected, so I¡¯d rather keep some spares.¡±]


    Those people of the stellar tribe had been captured by Justus in the middle of the confusion of the battle that he had caused between the knight order, the imperial army and the stellar tribe; and he had just declared that they were ¡°spares¡±. For him, they were not even human beings.


    That realization was frightening, but this time¡¯s matter was actually also due to Harold intervening in that battle and therefore obstructing Justus¡¯ plans. If Justus had been able to capture the stellar tribe members like he did in the original story, this issue would not have occurred, and in the first place, if Harold hadn¡¯t intervened in the battle, he would not have fallen to the position of Justus¡¯ subordinate.


    In short, this was merely the result of the seed Harold had sown himself.


    Harold was going to be working on two fronts, both as Harold Stokes and as the ringleader character responsible for the theft.


    Although he could somehow deal with the former role by maneuvering himself through it, the latter would make him a complete antagonist. So it would likely be a troublesome matter if his identity were to be discovered on the job.


    Justus, unconcerned about Harold¡¯s dilemma, swimmingly pursued the conversation.


    ¡¾¡±And so, from now on, the three of you are going to be under the commands of a man called Harrison. Are you acquainted with him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m not. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯s the military¡¯s defense minister, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. It really was¡¯t easy to make an inflexible and stubborn person like that succeed, but I was finally able to get him to a position where he could be of some use to me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve been keeping your eyes on him for quite a while, huh.¡±]


    In the game¡¯s story, Harrison was a foolish man who was too fixated on his pride, and in the end, he was pathetically killed by a subordinate who was supposed to be under his control¡­. thinking of that, Harold realized that the role of killing Harrison had fallen onto him.


    Harrison treated the automaton dolls just like tools. He forced impossible demands on them and mercilessly slayed them with his sword when they were unable to succeed, and in his final moments, his life was going to be snatched away by one of those dolls that was supposed to not have any emotions. That was the conclusion awaiting him.


    ¡¾¡±His thoughts are biased and he¡¯s too narrow-minded, but nobody¡¯s as easy to handle as he is. So at least, he¡¯ll make for a fine throw-away pawn.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Your hobbies are as bad as ever.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That sarcastic mouth of yours won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve explained to Harrison that the dolls don¡¯t have a language feature, so be careful not to talk to him. And while you¡¯re at it, cover yourself with a robe so that he can¡¯t see your face.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s face and name were pretty well known, so these types of measures were certainly indispensable.


    If he were honest, he wasn¡¯t all that up for the mission, but he could expect his returns to match the risks. To begin with, having been given an order, Harold had no right to refuse. If he did refuse, he¡¯d probably end up directly on the road to being culled or to becoming some experiment¡¯s test subject. Either way, he¡¯d have low chances of survival.


    Therefore, it was more constructive for him to put his head to work and figure out a way to accomplish his duty while doing his best to avoid making things worse. Due to his experiences so far, Harold had reached a point where he had resigned himself to having troublesome matters coming his way out of nowhere.


    He told himself that was just how things went with this body and decided it was best to just let it be.


    ¡¾¡±As for you two, you¡¯re forbidden to act without my permission or Harold¡¯s.¡±]


    At Justus¡¯ words, the young man and woman moved their heads vertically and nodded. From that, it looked like they were going to follow the command perfectly well, but there was still a part of said command that Harold could not possibly ignore.


    ¡¾¡±Hold on. I can order them, too?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course. There will undoubtedly be many situations that will require a judgement to be made on site. They¡¯re officially Harrison¡¯s henchmen, but if they listened to his orders only with no exception, then there would be no end to it.¡±]


    Justus certainly had a point, and if Harold was indeed able to get them to move at his own will to some extent, then when a critical situation came, he would have a wider range of actions to help him deal with it. That was pretty reassuring.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the order of priority on the commanding rights?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It goes I, you, and then Harrison. But even though it¡¯ll be up to you whether to follow Harrison¡¯s instructions or not, you should stay as loyal to him as possible.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That will depend on him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, well, that will be fine.¡±]


    Though it wasn¡¯t clear how Justus came to that conclusion, it seemed like he had given Harold a passing mark.


    Actually, so as to follow the flow of the original story, Harold had no intention to face Harrison head-on. So his primary concern was that his bad mouth would stand out in a conversation, but with Justus covering him, he would probably manage somehow.


    That left Harold with the question of whether to kill Harrison or not.


    There was no fight against Harrison in the game. His main fight was the one against the black-robed people under his control, whose role was now going to be played by Harold in disguise. Despite it being pretty tiresome, the three-way fight¡¯s experience value and reward items were comparatively lacking, but Harold left that aside.


    As explained before, in the game¡¯s story, Harrison was killed by an automaton doll that was supposed to be under his command. From the scene, it looked like the black robed person, who had been completely obedient before, rebelled when his/her companion was killed, but judging from Justus¡¯ earlier exposition, it appeared like that scene was actually a result of him ordering the doll to kill Harrison;


    or perhaps the doll¡¯s suppressed emotions simply overflowed when its companion was killed.


    Either way, Harrison died. But really, his death was completely irrelevant to the game¡¯s story. He was just a man who was used by Justus, moreover, he wasn¡¯t even aware of it at all, and he ended up bidding his last farewell to the world while attempting to assist some fake plan that Justus told him about.


    Then, what would happen if he survived? Well, nothing special. Thinking about it normally, if he wasn¡¯t killed, based on the proportions of the matters he was guilty of, he would surely be arrested for treason.


    There was no doubt that if the offenses committed by Harrison were to come to light, he would be tried in the tribunal, and Justus, who intended to discard him from the get go, would not go out of his way to cover up for him or help him.


    If so, then Harrison would definitely be sentenced to death. That was as far as he would get.


    He was also involved in the battle five years prior between the knight order, the Sarian Empire and the stellar tribe; and since he participated in guiding the imperial forces, he would not be able to find any excuses for himself.


    Many people had died because Harrison had tried to satisfy his selfish desires.


    While he thought that Harrison was a dead man anyway, Harold could not wipe off his feeling of wanting to avoid killing a person. Though he had almost killed Ritzert in the battle five years prior, he was not in a normal state of mind at the time as he was unable to handle having his Switch turned on.


    But with his own hands and out of his own will, he would not even be able to kill in self-defense if he didn¡¯t have a good enough reason for it, so could he really straight up ¡°murder¡± someone? However, Harold realized that thinking of such things at this point in time was pretty unreasonable.


    Well, it didn¡¯t matter since there would be no harm done even if he didn¡¯t kill Harrison personally.


    ¡¾¡±Then, I¡¯ll be handing you over to Harrison this evening. Do your best not to cause any trouble.¡±]


    Having heard those concluding words, Harold returned to his room. Though he had many more things to think about now, if he had to give a conclusion, it would be that this whole development was not bad.


    Justus said that he would be handing Harold over to Harrison, which meant that Harold would be able to get away from Justus¡¯ control for quite a while. With the original story starting, this turn of events was exactly what Harold was hoping for, as he wished to be able to move more freely. It was going to be somewhat easier for him to come in contact with Elu.


    And even though he was worried about being exposed by Liner and the others, as long as he was careful about that one thing, there would still be great benefits.


    While Harold thought of that, the day made way for the evening. Harold and the others, who were dressed in black robes that could slip within the dark of the night, were led to a quiet bar in the back of a popular little alley, far away from the city¡¯s center and main streets.


    In the bar, which was very dark, not a single light was turned on. One could not even see his own feet clearly inside. Nobody would be enjoying alcohol in such a situation; or rather, to say nothing of clients, there was not even any sign of a shopkeeper.


    Yet, why was the door¡¯s lock opened? Without giving any explanation about the mysterious, uninhabited store, the man who served as Justus¡¯ envoy directly went forward inside. Far in the back of the shop, there was a door.


    Though Harold thought it was connected to the shop¡¯s interior, what appeared behind it was actually a stairway made of stone that was extended underground.


    With that man in the lead, the group of four steadily descended the stairs. What was waiting ahead of them was a room made of the same kind of stones that composed the stairs. The ceiling wasn¡¯t very high, there were stone pillars installed here and there, and in terms of space, the room was pretty much as big as a tennis court, if not bigger.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±]


    Such a voice echoed within the room that was no less dark than the shop¡¯s interior. The owner of that voice was Harrison, who was sitting at a round table. Just like in the game, he had quite the protuberant belly. If Harold opened his mouth, he would probably insult him saying¡¾¡±It¡¯s not everyday that you get to see cattle chatting like that. Is this some sort of show?¡±]or something like that.


    He not having to talk was one really helpful setting.


    ¡¾¡±Are those the dolls the doctor was talking about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. Please look forward to their flawless work as your servants.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sounds promising. What are their names?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They don¡¯t have any. You¡¯re welcome to name them as you like, Harrison-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, I guess I¡¯ll just name them ¡°dolls¡±. I heard the doctor call them that.¡±]


    Harrison and Justus¡¯ envoy started conversing before Harold¡¯s eyes. Within that conversation, they talked about how Harold and the others did not have names, and the envoy explained that they had lost their language capabilities because their brains were tempered with while still in the development stage, but despite their lack of response, the dolls would obey orders perfectly well.


    However, the important part was that Harrison was well aware of Justus¡¯ existence. If so, then when a critical moment came, even if Harold did not take care of Harrison personally, it was highly likely that Justus would seal his mouth anyway.


    Harrison had some splendid death flags going for him. He could be said to be Harold¡¯s comrade in a sense.


    While thinking of such trivial things for a few minutes, Harold silently observed the scene before his eyes. Before long, the delivery was finished and the envoy went away.


    Having confirmed that, Harrison turned towards Harold and the others¡¯ direction, and a light yet eerie smile stretched itself on his face.


    ¡¾¡±Now then, my faithful dolls. Let¡¯s have you work immediately for my noble self¡¯s salvation.¡±]


    Translator¡¯s note: * An Oudou Rpg is a sort of classical RPG, with the hero going on a journey and the like, like Dragon

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    Though Harrison was exaggerating when he used words like ¡°salvation¡±, the command he gave was, as expected, to collect treasures scattered all over the kingdom. Overall, those treasures, including the Griffith family¡¯s treasured sword, were just different kinds of weapons.


    Though some of them would temporarily get into Harrison¡¯s hands, they would end up belonging to the protagonist¡¯s party. Perhaps this made it sound as if they were going to steal them, but it couldn¡¯t be helped as they were weapons that were supposed to be obtained in the game.


    Incidentally, those treasures¡¯ setting was that they were legendary weapons made out of materials scraped off star cores, which were ultra-gigantic solid astral bodies. But those weapons could never be produced again because, as a tradition, the method of processing solid astral bodies had been lost to time;


    let alone calling them valuable national treasures, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call them important international cultural properties. So the protagonist¡¯s party had to have quite some guts to use those treasures to their hearts¡¯ content in battle. But well, even if they were called out on that, it wouldn¡¯t achieve much, because if they didn¡¯t use those weapons and ended up being defeated in battle, the whole continent would fall. Therefore, when comparing between the fate of the world and the value of those weapons as cultural properties, it was pretty obvious which way the balance would tip.


    However, rather than this, it was more important for the game¡¯s story to begin at last. Harold had to start making his move.


    But Harrison¡¯s first instruction was to head to Liner¡¯s place. Before that, the actions Harold could take were limited.


    The day before the start of his task, Harold was in a certain restaurant which had the backing of the Giffelt family and that he used when exchanging information with Elu.


    Though the outside of the shop had a decrepit feel to it, the inside was tidy and neat. When Harold said the numbers that he was informed about beforehand to one of the store¡¯s people, he was led to a certain private room.


    While thinking that this bar had a similar system to an Izakaya while recalling his previous world, Harold kept waiting for several minutes. Then, the door to the private room opened, and the one Harold was waiting for, Elu, entered.


    Elu was now basically staying at Frieri¡¯s base. However, he had told Harold that when he wanted to talk to him, he needed to do it at this restaurant, and as one would expect, he properly showed up at the specified time and place. But that made Harold wonder, just how elaborate and concealed was Elu¡¯s information network?


    ¡¾¡±Hey there, sorry to keep you waiting.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and sit.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±As usual, getting right to it without a greeting.¡±]


    Elu took a seat while somewhat exasperated.


    Before getting to the main topic, there was something Harold had to confirm.


    ¡¾¡±Is it really safe to talk here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I guarantee it. The people are all clear, and they¡¯re being constantly monitored in case anyone suspicious shows up. If there is anything wrong, we¡¯ll be notified immediately.¡±]


    If Elu said that, then it was probably all right. With that thought, Harold started talking about his plans for the next day and the days after.


    ¡¾¡±Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be leaving the royal capital by the orders of a man named Harrison. Do you know him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course, he became the kingdom¡¯s Minister for Defense recently.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s a result of Justus pulling the strings behind him. Though I don¡¯t know whether Harrison himself is aware of that, we¡¯ll be leaving the royal capital as part of one of Justus¡¯ schemes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That smells like trouble. What¡¯s the goal?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s to go steal a treasured sword in a certain private house.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That kind of makeshift work doesn¡¯t seem like something you¡¯d do, Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t bother with that. We won¡¯t show Harrison our faces or talk to him, and we¡¯ll be executing his orders while acting as automaton dolls with no language ability.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In other words, Harrison doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re one of those dolls. Also, who¡¯s ¡°we¡± exactly?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There are two other people, and they¡¯re actual dolls that Justus made by experimenting on the bodies of people from the Stellar tribe. As I said before, they have no language ability, and I think that their emotions have been pretty much completely removed. Therefore, they don¡¯t feel fear, and they¡¯ve become soldiers who just execute the orders they¡¯re given without fearing death.¡±]


    Even though Harold explained that, there was no change in Elu¡¯s complexion and facial expression. Something of this level was probably not enough to agitate him.


    To Harold, that was proof that he was strong, not half-hearted in his actions and that he wouldn¡¯t be one to hide away when a real fight would come. He was a very reliable ally. If Elu were to abandon his post, things would immediately and certainly become very difficult, so much so that Harold would even kneel down to keep him in his camp.


    ¡¾¡±Is there anything to watch out for regarding those two people?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Justus can move them at will with his commands, and though they supposedly should obey my orders as well, his commands have a higher priority. Also, I¡¯m not sure whether the information about them not having a speech function is true. That guy didn¡¯t give me any more information than he needed to.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In short, you¡¯ll once again be moving while counter-plotting against Justus.¡±]


    That was right, but being told about it again made Harold feel down. Even with Harold¡¯s knowledge about the game¡¯s story, trying to outsmart Justus and the like was similar to walking on a tightrope.


    To begin with, right now he was already anxious about whether there was really nothing that was exposed to Justus so far.


    ¡¾¡±And so, how is this matter related to Frieri?¡±]


    Elu approached the core of the matter. As could be understood from his word, Elu was already involved with Frieri¡¯s operations.


    Yet, even now, Harold still didn¡¯t know how Elu came in contact with the organization. All Harold knew was that by the time he came back from the celebration in the Berlioz family, Elu already had had his first contact with Frieri.


    Harold couldn¡¯t imagine how Elu had slipped through Justus¡¯s surveillance; though there was no doubt he had done it. Based on the time and the place¡¯s location, Harold calculated that, to get to Frieri¡¯s base in that time frame, Elu had to have gotten going a day or two after the three-way date he had in the royal capital.


    However, Harold himself knew that Elu had done no such thing.


    So Elu had probably used the power of the Giffelt organization. But still, Harold thought, that group is really out of the norm.


    ¡¾¡±A red-haired man called Liner, and a blond woman called Colette will probably chase us after the theft.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s specific. Are you acquainted with them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Something like that. So, hereafter, you¡¯ll be supporting those two people as Frieri.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±In other words, our work will be restricted to this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. Also, all I¡¯ll tell you is that this is related to that longstanding desire of yours.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­. I see. If that¡¯s how it is, I¡¯ll completely devote myself to dealing with that matter.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do it. However, this time, it¡¯s fine to just get acquainted with them. Also, if you¡¯re ever asked, you don¡¯t know me, and of course, you¡¯re not acquainted with me either. Got it, bastard?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±All this to come in contact with them, seems like you once again have quite a few complicated circumstances going on. May I pry?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Roger that.¡±]


    There were some mysterious points to the story and Elu probably felt doubtful about many parts of it, but in the end, he didn¡¯t press the issue.


    Perhaps he thought that, even if he tried to ask, he wouldn¡¯t get an answer anyway. But Harold was grateful for that response, for it wasn¡¯t unlikely that he would let something slip by accident.


    ¡¾¡±But, in that case, we¡¯re going to be opposing you, aren¡¯t we?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine. Even if you support them, they can¡¯t be a threat to me.¡±]


    Of course, that was not true, but originally, Frieri was not directly involved during the fight between Harold and Liner.


    Basically, the main helper was Elu, who provided appropriate information when needed. In other words, his guidance was going to become important in making Liner¡¯s team move the way they did in the game.


    As a matter of fact, there weren¡¯t many scenes where Frieri was relied on in the game. Nevertheless, there was a possibility that Harold would end up being checkmated if there was no Frieri unlike the original story, so he had to establish the organization.


    However, it had also become a trump card for him, as he had war potential that he could deploy at will when it came to the crunch.


    So, even if not for Harold¡¯s hypothesis which he based on the game¡¯s story, establishing the group still would not have been a waste of time when considering the possibility of an emergency occurring.


    Afterwards, having discussed the place where they would meet to come in contact on the appointed day and the actions that they should take, Harold and Elu left and each went their own way.


    The next day, Harold left the royal capital together with the doll duo. He first rode on a boat for half a day, and from there, he went on land and spent three more days being shaken around in one public carriage after another. Then, at last, he finally arrived at a town right next to Bloche village, where Liner lived.


    The first thing he did was to settle down in the town for a night with the pretext of wanting to cure the fatigue he and the dolls accumulated through their long journey, so as to gain some time until Elu and his people joined him there.


    Thus, he first went to an inn. Just in case, he took three rooms, one for each.


    Though Harold did want to have his private time and space, he was also thinking of the other two.


    The two people were simply called dolls, they didn¡¯t have a name, and Harold was even told that they didn¡¯t have feelings. But still, they were living human beings, if they didn¡¯t eat or sleep, they would be exhausted and weakened. Moreover, there was a scene in the game that made it seem as if their feelings, that were supposed to have been lost, had returned to them.


    They were humans. Even Justus, who had created them himself, had said that their seemingly lost emotions were only asleep. Though it was nothing more than Harold¡¯s wishful thinking, he believed that perhaps if they survived to the very end of the story, there was a chance that they would return back to their original selves.


    So Harold did not and could not think of the two of them as dolls or tools.


    Perhaps he was also feeling guilty, for they were captured as test subjects during the fight that occurred in the Beltiz forest.


    Had he done things better, perhaps these two people would not have gotten dragged into this like that.


    Of course, that idea was driven by his feelings, because when considering the situation logically, it was hard to say that any wrong could be attributed to Harold. The ones responsible were Harrison and Justus.


    Therefore, Harold¡¯s guilt was a misdirected feeling. But even though Harold thought that in his head, emotionally, he couldn¡¯t convince himself.


    Nonetheless, he wouldn¡¯t be able to move about properly if he kept thinking about these things too much, so, for the time being, Harold¡¯s stance was to tell himself to regard the two as humans as much as he could.


    For that reason, Harold first pushed the two into their rooms and instructed them to take a proper rest and recover from their tiredness. If he did not do that, maybe they would just sit in the room doing nothing until the next day¡¯s evening. Though they were obedient to orders, it was quite bothersome that they would not take any actions outside of the instructions they were given.


    While thinking about it for the next time, he would order them to autonomously take any actions necessary to keep themselves alive; Harold strolled through the town which he was visiting for the first time.


    He was dressed in his usual black overcoat, and if there was a difference to point out, it would be that, in place of the two swords he usually had hanging around his waist; there was now only a single simple Katana.


    He did that as a prevention measure, for if he used his habitual characteristic weapons, it could expose his identity when the true colors of the black robed people would be discovered in the future.


    Incidentally, he had not put on the black robe that was the trademark of the trio. He was afraid that he would be misunderstood as a suspicious person with such an outfit, and a trio of black robed individuals would easily spark people¡¯s memories. Since it had been fixed that he would become a thief after the next day¡¯s evening, he wanted to reduce as much as possible; the chances of his steps being tracked by people other than Liner.


    Nevertheless, walking around with his head exposed made him a little anxious about being noticed due to his extremely bad reputation. But that appeared to be a needless fear given that this was just a rural town, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any fingers being pointed at him. The further away one went from the royal capital, the less Harold¡¯s reputation was known.


    Thanks to that, Harold was able to go out on a walk. But there was nothing entertaining about his stroll, he wasn¡¯t sightseeing or the like, he was examining places that appeared suitable to meet up with Elu and checking for escape routes in case he were to run away from the town.


    Along the way, Harold hit upon an idea.


    He was going to ask the two people from the Stellar tribe about their real names, and if that was no good, then he would give them names. That would be more convenient and would create a sense of affinity between them and Harold.


    Even though they had lost their ability to talk, they hadn¡¯t lost their intelligence or their ability to think. So, unless their memories were erased, they would probably be able to communicate by writing.


    Though he first praised himself for having such a good idea, he felt dejected by his brain a few seconds after that as it had taken him several days to realize something so simple. If Elu or Justus were in his stead, they would have come up with the idea the moment they were introduced to the two people of the Stellar tribe.


    Every time Harold thought of these kinds of things, he would realize the differences between him and the others and would get close to being discouraged. But still, he believed this idea of his would surely prove to be right.


    Translator¡¯s note: I know there are lots of explaining going on here, but next chapter, we finally get some action! Also, if you have any questions, well, just ask me on discord, I¡¯ll do my best to answer you ?


    Speaking of, I¡¯d like to thank Minh Vo and Omicron for their recent pledges, thank you very much for your support! And a huge thank you to all the other Patrons as well ?

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    The next day, having some time to spare before going to the Bloche village in the evening, Harold invited the duo from the Stellar tribe to his room. Then, he made them sit at a round table that came with the room and put pens and papers in front of them.


    He was standing motionless in front of the two people who were sitting expressionlessly.


    ¡¾¡±Hereafter, I¡¯ll be asking you some questions, bastards. You can¡¯t answer with your mouth but you can write down letters, right?¡±]


    They didn¡¯t show any reactions to Harold¡¯s sharp gaze, but he started asking his questions regardless.


    ¡¾¡±First, write down your names, morons.¡±]


    As Harold said that, the two people surprisingly easily spelled letters on their blank paper sheets. Although his idea had just happened to come into his mind, it seemed like that didn¡¯t make it any less valid.


    They finished writing almost simultaneously. Harold took a look at each of their papers.


    ¡°Lilium¡±


    ¡°Ventus¡±


    Those seemed to be the young woman and the young man¡¯s names, in that order. Harold kept going and made them write their ages, and it turned out that Lilium was 16 years old while Ventus was 22 years old.


    This was going very smoothly so far, however, ¡°What¡¯s your favorite thing to do? What are you thinking about right now? Do you want to be freed from being treated as dolls and to go back to how things were before?¡± when Harold asked them that, the two people¡¯s hands did not move at all. After thinking for a little while, Harold changed the general direction of his questions.


    ¡¾¡±How about your height?¡±]


    The answers were ¡°151 cm¡± for Lilium, and ¡°178 cm¡± for Ventus.


    ¡¾¡±Your dominant arm?¡±]


    The answer was ¡°left¡± for Lilium, and ¡°right-handed¡± for Ventus.


    ¡¾¡±Do you have any memory from before you were captured by Justus?¡±]


    Both did not answer.


    ¡¾¡±What do you think of Justus?¡±]


    Again, there was no answer from both of them.


    ¡¾¡±Do you have any combat experience from an actual fight?¡±]


    Lilium answered ¡°no¡± and Ventus answered ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡¾¡±Is it possible for you to use magic?¡±]


    Both Lilium and Ventus answered ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the structure of your family?¡±]


    Lilium answered ¡°Father, mother, elder sister¡±, as for Ventus, he ansewered ¡°Parents, grandmother.¡±


    ¡¾¡±Is it troublesome for you to answer questions?¡±]


    Both Lilium and Ventus did not answer.


    After that, Harold repeated all the question while trying to figure out the pattern behind which ones they did or did not reply to.


    And what he realized was that their answers were objective facts while the questions that involved their feelings and personal opinions were left unanswered. Though he didn¡¯t know whether that was because Justus had suppressed their feelings, it seemed like he would not be able to get them to give any answers about their memories, which were the best source of information.


    That was probably a security measure that Justus had applied on them. In other words, there was a chance that the two people had information, but there was currently no way to get it out of them.


    Therefore, Harold left that aside for the time being.


    For now, he was able to get to know the two people¡¯s names anyway, which was his original objective. Though he didn¡¯t know if treating them like people with an actual personality would have a positive effect, at the very least, knowing their names would make it easier for him to communicate with them.


    Meanwhile, someone knocked on the room¡¯s door. When Harold opened it, an employee of the inn was standing behind it.


    Apparently, someone had handed the employee a letter saying he wanted him to hand it over to a black haired man with red eyes who was staying at the inn. Though Harold asked the employee about the appearance of the one who made that request while making sure that the two people from the Stellar tribe could not hear him, it didn¡¯t seem like that person was Elu.


    Perhaps he had simply used some sort of disguise or diversion, or perhaps it was really another person, but there was no mistaking that the letter was from Elu.


    How did he know Harold was staying here? His information network was as amazing as ever.


    For the time being, Harold made Lilium and Ventus leave and he read the letter. The message said that things were progressing perfectly well and that the plans which Harold and Elu had decided on beforehand could be executed without a problem. Therefore, Elu had definitely sneaked into this town already.


    And so, when the sky was dyed by the shade of the evening, Harold and the duo started moving under the cover of the dark.


    It took about five hours on foot to from the town to Bloche village. Since they started moving now, they were going to arrive late at night.


    Of course, it would have been faster if they used horses, and Harold could have prepared some beforehand, but he was afraid of the possibility that Liner would be unable to catch up to them in the fog valley if they escaped on horseback after stealing the sword. Therefore, Harold decided to go by foot, like the black robed people did in the original story.


    Incidentally, the fog valley, like its name implied, was a valley that was covered in a dense fog.


    In the game, that was where Liner caught up with the criminals who stole his sword, yet even though he got back the sword, it was stolen once again when Liner was struck by another individual who was accompanying the offenders. It wasn¡¯t really clear why the gang of criminals would come to a halt in a place like that, but it wasn¡¯t hard to figure that out seeing how convenient it was for the game¡¯s protagonist, Liner.


    However, normally, such a convenient turn of events would probably not occur, but in this world, there was someone behind the scenes with knowledge about the game¡¯s original story, which made him the strongest individual in a way. Needless to say, that was Harold.


    After stealing the sword, the group of three was going to slightly delay their return, and then, this time around, they would pass through the town neighboring the village while hiding their faces with their black robes. If they left an impression on the people as a trio wearing black robes that left towards the fog valley, then Liner & co would be able to chase closely after them with almost no time lag.


    Afterward, Harold would just have to wander around at the bottom of the valley with a suitable pretext, and Liner and Colette would surely show up.


    While he was simulating his future actions, Harold was annihilating the monsters that occasionally came to attack him over the course of approximately five hours, until the Bloche village finally came in sight. The village seemed to be enclosed by wooden walls and gates, but unlike in the royal capital, there were no guards to be found.


    Though the gates were closed, that was no problem. Harold gathered a little momentum then leaped on the side of the wall with his right leg then his left, and then he jumped up. By doing so, he was able to reach the top of the four meters high wall.


    With his eyes having grown accustomed to dark, Harold observed the inside of the wall, but there was no sign of a person in sight. After confirming that, he jumped down from the wall and landed without a sound.


    However, neither Lilium nor Ventus followed behind him. Thinking that maybe they could not climb, Harold quietly retracted the gate¡¯s lock and opened it. Thereupon, the two people entered.


    He had heard from Justus that their combat efficiency was supposed to be high, and judging their fight in the game, they should have been able to pull off a stunt of this level.


    Well, he had no time to worry about these things, so he promptly started moving again.


    Only the weak moonlight was illuminating the dark of the late night. Sometimes, even that light would be interrupted as thin clouds obstructed that moon.


    Within such darkness, it would be difficult to really see the gang that was dressed in black from top to bottom. In the first place, there wasn¡¯t even anyone outside to identify them.


    It seemed like most of the villagers were asleep. There wasn¡¯t even a single house with its lights still on to be found.


    It was convenient for Harold¡¯s group.


    In addition to the map that was handed to him beforehand, Harold could also use his memories from the game to figure out the location of the place where Liner lived. Especially since he had a bird¡¯s eye view of the scenery still in his head, so it didn¡¯t take him much time to find Liner¡¯s residence


    While hiding under cover near said residence, Harold examined the situation.


    Just like the surrounding houses, their lights had been turned off. Apparently, they had fallen asleep.


    While he still did pay close attention to the house¡¯s state of affairs, Harold quickly and stealthily drew near another structure. His objective was not in the house but in a warehouse that was separated from it.


    That was where the ¡°Glamb Grand¡± sword was supposed to be stored.


    He cut what seemed to be the door¡¯s padlock in two with a single stroke of his sword, and he went inside. As one would expect, the inside structure of the warehouse was not part of Harold¡¯s knowledge. He did not want to lose too much time here for it would be troublesome for him if he was found out before he found the sword because he would have to run away.


    The inside of the warehouse was fortunately not very big, but it was dark. Therefore, Harold lit up a torch that was hidden in his robe so as to look for the sword.


    An important object would not be put in a place where objects were in a mess, arranged in a cluster, and the like. Narrowing down the search¡¯s range by excluding the places where they did not have to search made the task easy for the group.


    Like that, after about 15 minutes, they found a more than one-meter long, rectangular iron box, which was hidden behind some pots and baskets that were lined up on a shelf. Harold took off the the lid and opened the box, and there was the real, authentic, Glamb Grand sword.


    It had a wide leather shoulder strap that served to make it easy to lift it, which Harold made Ventus use to carry it.


    Telling them he was going to check the exterior, Harold made Lilium and Ventus stay in the warehouse and went outside. While he pretended to scout the area, he threw a small stone at a glass window and broke it into pieces. He felt sorry but if this mission was a flawless success, everything he had done would all come to naught.


    A shrill sound echoed as if tearing through the dark night. With this, the Griffith family, including Liner, would definitely jump up to their feet thinking there was an accident. Harold retraced his steps and returned to the warehouse, and although even he himself thought he was being too shameless, that would not have been clear at all to an outsider¡¯s eye as Harold irritatedly spoke to the two people of the stellar tribe.


    ¡¾¡±This is gonna be annoying. I don¡¯t know the reason, but there is a chance that our presence has been exposed.¡±]


    Even when Harold told them that, the complexions of the two people did not change. Thinking that he expected as much, Harold opened the warehouse¡¯s door just a little bit so as to take a look outside, where Olbel and Leona, Liner¡¯s parents, were already watching their surroundings while holding weapons in their hands.


    They slowly approached towards the warehouse where Harold and the others were hiding. Harold temporarily went away from the door, and once again, he quickly returned to the two people accompanying him and instructed them about their next actions.


    ¡¾¡±At my signal, you¡¯ll have to immediately dash outside together. Moreover, there are two skilled people there right now, but you two should be able to manage them by yourselves. However, if you kill them, we¡¯ll have some more troublesome work to deal with afterwards. Just hurt them enough so that they won¡¯t able to chase after you later on, and then leave. Even if there are any reinforcements, just ignore them and leave regardless, alright?¡±]


    Although they only answered with nods, it seemed like they understood.


    Having confirmed this, Harold sharpened his senses to detect the presences outside. His detection abilities had risen enough that he could consciously find the presences in his surroundings to some extent.


    Making good use of that, Harold waved his left arm to signal that Olbel and Leona were about one meter away. In response to that, Lilium and Ventus dashed out.


    However, contrary to Harold¡¯s expectations, the surprise attack was not a success for Olbel and Leona had properly prepared themselves to intercept it thanks to their past as adventurers. They stopped the first attack and immediately turned to the offensive. As a result, the duo was attacked before they could recover from their initial movements.


    ¡¾¡±¡­. Who are you? What were you doing in the warehouse?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Not gonna talk, are you? You¡¯ve got some guts. Then we¡¯ll just have to catch you and make you confess!¡±]


    Lilium, who was in charge of confronting Leona, handled her opponent¡¯s attacks one after another by skillfully using her two curved swords. The two fightersT were compatible with each other as they both made the best use of their short bodies to support their agile natures and many of their moves.


    On the other hand, after losing his advantage, Ventus, who was using his long spear, was slightly pushed back by Olbel. In pure strength, Ventus had the advantage, but when it came to battle techniques, Olbel was more than twice better.


    So then, Olbel used that opportunity to destroy Ventus¡¯ guard. But at the instant when the fight¡¯s balance was about to collapse¡­


    A dark grey shiny curved sword approached Olbel at a high speed. He narrowly avoided it and saw it pass before his eyes and pierce into the ground.


    The one who threw the sword ran toward Olbel¡¯s direction to chase after it. Leona tried to launch an attack at her back, but Lilium jumped right on time. As if on cue, Ventus rearranged his stance and threw his long spear with all his body¡¯s strength.


    That power was truly a windstorm. Having deemed that he would not be able to dodge on time, Olbel tried to block it with his sword, but Ventus¡¯ spear, which was filled with centrifugal force, easily broke it. The long spear continued its advance and bit into Olbel¡¯s flank, blowing away for several meters Olbel¡¯s muscular body which was over 180 centimeters.


    ¡¾¡±Aaaah¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Olbel!¡±]


    Upon witnessing that scene, his wife, Leona, shouted. For an instant, her focus had completely turned to Olbel.


    Lilium did not have the kindness to miss such an opportunity.


    After recovering the curved sword she had thrown, she immediately turned around, and while lowering her body close to the ground, she slipped through the path of Ventus¡¯ spear and kept rushing forward, aiming for Leona. Even though she was in a situation where she would likely fall prey to the spear if she raised her body ever so slightly, she did not hesitate for a second, and her speed did not falter at all either.


    When Leona escaped from the windstorm in turn, Lilium was already right in front of her. At this point, the outcome of the battle had been decided.


    Having noticed her opponent Lilium, Leona somehow responded but she was made to drop her weapon before she could ready her stance, furthermore, her left foot was slashed at.


    ¡¾¡±Arghh!¡±]


    Leona fell to her knees while frowning from the pain. Olbel was breathing roughly as he fell down, unable to raise his body.


    None of their injuries were fatal, but with those wounds, the couple would not be able to chase after Lilium and Ventus. The duo had perfectly executed Harold¡¯s instructions. He could only give his seal of approval to Justus¡¯ outstanding work.


    At that exact time, Liner finally intruded into the situation.


    ¡¾¡±Yaaaaah!¡±]


    The timing was suitable for a surprise attack, but if he was going to raise his voice like that, then his advantage wasn¡¯t going to be of much use.


    Though that was the thought of Harold, who was looking from the sidelines, the blow seemed to be sharper than he expected as it managed to cut off part of Ventus¡¯ robe. His face was exposed by the moonlight that shined through the clouds.


    It seemed like Liner had also properly saved that image through his eyes.


    ¡¾¡±Step back, Liner!¡±]


    With his current power, Liner would be defeated if he fought here. At worst, he would die.


    Having actually fought the assailants, Leona apparently understood that as she tried to make Liner fall back.


    However, Liner Griffith was not the kind of weak being that would step back in a situation like this.


    ¡¾¡±You step back, father, mother, it¡¯s dangerous!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This is just a scratch, step back already!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No!¡±]


    Liner had a strong willpower, the conviction to always keep going, and a solid resolution. There was only one thing he was lacking¨D¨D strength.


    To become strong, he needed experience, and from here on, he was going to start piling it up. By the end of that journey, he would reach the top as a hero who saved the world.


    Harold was going to witness the beginning of that heroic tale. Any fan of¡ºBrave Hearts¡»would be excited by that scene. He was trembling with eagerness as he hid under cover.


    However, he could not do so forever


    While Liner and his parents were concentrated on the intruders, Harold soundlessly escaped from the warehouse and blended with the dark. As for Lilium and Ventus, having recognized Liner as reinforcement, they withdrew without fighting either.


    At that time, when Harold looked at Liner¡¯s dejected facial expression as he left, it looked nothing but promising to him.


    Translator¡¯s note: Don¡¯t know about you guys, but this volume looks much better to me than the previous one, maybe it¡¯s just an impression, tell me what you think in the comments ? (yes, there are comments, and likes on wordpress ><)

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    (Harold¡¯s pov)


    Having stolen the Griffith family¡¯s Gram Grand treasured sword, Harold¡¯s group directly returned to the town neighboring the village. One way or another, they were able to come back to their inn before dawn. Harold temporarily took off his robe and entered his room as if he was guilty of nothing. When he was finally alone, he sat at his bed and let out a long sigh. On top of his physical tiredness from his ten hours long round trip, he was guilty of trespassing, robbery and assault; being responsible for that triple combo of crimes, tortured his conscience and placed a massive mental burden on him. There were many bad rumors about him, but this was the first time he did something so clearly evil. It was not a pleasant feeling.


    He looked at the rectangular box that was leaning against the wall. It seemed pretty neat and it didn¡¯t look like it had been carefully stored in a versatile warehouse among other object up until a few hours prior. The night was over, and the shining light of the morning sun was starting to faintly enter through the room¡¯s window. From here, this sword was going to be an important factor with great influence upon the fate of the story¡­.. Or rather, of this world.


    Suddenly, a certain development went through Harold¡¯s head, what if he obediently let Liner snatch the sword back from him? The Gram Grand sword was highly efficient, fitting of being called a treasured sword. If Liner got accustomed to it from the get go, perhaps he would eventually master that sword. However, once he got back the sword, Liner would probably simply enter the knight order. In which case, he wouldn¡¯t end up getting involved with the incident that Justus was going to trigger, nor with Justus¡¯ plans, and the probability that Liner wouldn¡¯t go through the process of solving the problem would therefore increase.


    Although he was thinking about whether returning the sword would be wise, considering it would make him unable to guide things towards the original story¡¯s direction, the time between when he was given the order and when he went to execute it was too short for him to devise a plan anyway. Moreover, Harold wasn¡¯t eloquent enough to ask for Elu¡¯s cooperation without him finding out about Harold¡¯s knowledge concerning the game and the future, and even just influencing Elu while hiding the truth from him would be almost impossible. Besides, above all, Harold didn¡¯t know what his standpoint would be if he were to fail his mission. So, rather than to take such a huge gamble, he decided that it was wiser to make use of his current position to get to know the whereabouts of the treasures and to control the pace at which they would be collected to some extent. Therefore, finding fault with the situation was useless. He had no other choice than to accept his fate and prepare himself to steal and maybe more. All he could do was wish that he wouldn¡¯t be exposed as the leader of the black robed thieves.


    While thinking about such things, Harold sank into a deep sleep as the sun rose, and surrendered himself to a temporary rest.


    ¡ó


    (Elu¡¯s pov)


    At the time when the traffic in the streets of the Bloche village became busy enough, the members of Frieri, including Elu, started taking action. They pretended to have no relation to each other, and they scattered through the village while acting as if they were simply visiting the place for some business they had. In a small village like that one, they¡¯d probably be able to gather information with some considerable accuracy. Elu soon started interacting with the villagers while playing the part of a young peddler who just happened to come visit the village, and he caught onto the information which confirmed his assumption.


    ¡°The previous night, some thief entered into the Griffiths¡¯ residence.¡±


    While two women at a shop¡¯s storefront, who were probably the shopkeeper and a client, were in the middle of some idle gossip about that, the topic of their conversation reached the ears of Elu, who was nearby. But he hadn¡¯t gotten any contact from Harold by the morning so Elu already knew the mission was a success. For the time being, Harold had managed to clear the first step, so they were off to a superb start.


    ¡¾¡±Say, miss, is that story true?¡±]


    Elu tried to indirectly bring up the subject with a shopper next to him, who had probably accidentally heard the idle gossip just like he did since she was very close. The woman in her forties was very pleased by the question of Elu, who had referred to her as miss. It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was because she was delighted to be called miss, or whether she was actually just itching to talk, but her mouth easily let louse.


    ¡¾¡±Yes, apparently, he broke in there to rob them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That seems quite violent for such a peaceful village. Are the people from that house all right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The master of that house and his wife were slashed at and have been hospitalized. Fortunately, it seems like their injuries ended up being minor, but for the thief to actually wound that couple, it¡¯s really¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are the Griffiths skilled people?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It has been awhile since they retired but they used to be adventurers. Even now, whenever there is a monster which is dangerous to be near to, even for the village¡¯s most skilled people, it¡¯s always that couple that takes the lead and exterminates it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That is to say, to surpass that Griffith couple, that burglar had to be quite talented. He must be a terrifying person.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why this is a hot topic in the village. I won¡¯t be able to have a peaceful sleep tonight thinking that he could enter into my house.¡±]


    Well, it was pointless to worry since the thief had already left the village. But this was a very natural reaction for the villagers who thought this incident was just a simple robbery, especially since their means of self-defense were scarce. However, leaving that aside, there was one more thing to confirm.


    ¡¾¡±What kind of person was that burglar? If someone saw him, the good thing to do would be to let people know what the thief looked like, or what he was dressed like at least, just in case, but¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, though I didn¡¯t hear it directly from them, it seems like the Griffiths said that there were actually two burglars.¡±]


    They were two. The situation was exactly as Harold has said beforehand. In case there was a battle, Harold would disappear and he would command the two people from the Stellar tribe to stay. That was one of the many decisions he had taken. For that battle-loving Harold to withdraw furtively, he probably wanted to lower the risk of being found out by a third party as being part of the thieves¡¯ gang as it would be very likely that they would know his face. That turn of events would certainly bring some trouble to Harold. Well, I don¡¯t quite see the point of worrying about these things by now though, thought Elu.


    For now, he had obtained the information he wanted. What he currently had to do was search for the boy named Liner and the girl named Colette as Harold had asked him to. According to Harold¡¯s words, Liner was the only son of the Griffith family that came up earlier, and Colette was his childhood friend. For Harold to know them that much, it either meant he was acquainted with them, or that he wanted to get them involved in all this for some reason. Although Elu was worried about that, he did not ask about it as he knew that if he did, he would just be rejected and be told ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±.


    Harold¡¯s name was quite well-known, in a bad way, so Elu couldn¡¯t just bring it up with Liner. It seemed like he was going to be associating with him for a long time anyway, so he was eventually going to have an opportunity to find out what was the relationship between those two. But first, Elu needed to get acquainted with Liner. His parents were hospitalized due to their injuries so he was likely in the hospital as well.


    However, Harold had suspected that Liner and that childhood friend would soon chase his group after the theft of the sword. If that prediction was right, then there was not much time for leisure. After bringing the flow of his conversation with the woman to an end in a natural way, Elu headed towards his next destination, the hospital.


    The Bloche village wasn¡¯t very big so it was easy to figure out where the Griffith couple was hospitalized. It was slightly old, yet quite cozy, however, rather than a hospital, it was more appropriate to call it a clinic. Yet, it seemed like this was the village¡¯s sole medical institution. ¡¾¡±The reserves of medicine that I keep in my journey for emergencies are almost finished, so I¡¯d like to replenish my supplies.¡±]Using that pretext, Elu visited the clinic.


    In the clinic, there was an examining room for the outpatients, a treatment room, and a waiting room, with only a single sofa for three people in it. Moreover, there were only a few beds for the inpatients.


    Elu thought this was insufficient, considering this was the village¡¯s sole medical institution. But according to a nurse whom he chatted with during his waiting time, recuperating at one¡¯s own home and using home remedies was the standard in the village. It seemed like only seriously ill or seriously injured patients would come to the clinic.


    ¡¾¡±Even so, it doesn¡¯t seem like my turn is ever going to come.¡±]


    Elu daringly grumbled that so as to guide the topic of the conversation, using it as an excuse despite having a rough idea about the situation.


    ¡¾¡±Do you have something in particular to do after this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, nothing special. I¡¯m planning to stay for a few days so it¡¯s not a problem, but I thought there weren¡¯t any other patients and that I wouldn¡¯t even have to be called.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, actually, right now, there are people here who have been hospitalized urgently.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re talking about the Griffiths?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh? How did you know?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because everyone in the village is talking about that, it¡¯s a hot topic.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see.¡±]


    Said the nurse, consenting to Elu¡¯s words. The Griffith couple, who were skilled as former adventurers, were injured by thieves who had trespassed into their house; that¡¯s what she was going to talk about, just like the shopper did some time earlier. That was why Elu had started off the topic as if that story had just come to his mind.


    ¡¾¡±However, I heard the Griffiths¡¯ injuries were minor, but still, they were hospitalized, so maybe¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, it¡¯s okay, no need to worry like that. The hospitalization was mainly for them to rest and for us to watch over the progress of their treatment, they¡¯ll be leaving the hospital in two or three days.¡±]


    Elu thought this would be difficult to bring up as it was related to the patients¡¯ privacy, but the nurse easily spilled the beans about the Griffith couple¡¯s medical condition. Turns out preparing all those coaxing techniques to draw out information was pretty useless. Well, this reduces my troubles so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Thought Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Good to hear. People have been talking about this story so much that even I came to be worried.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, this is a small village. The problems of others are often our problems as well.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, even without that, it¡¯s only natural that you would feel worried thinking that you might be attacked by such skilled burglars.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right, and why even bother to come all the way to such a remote village just to steal from people? They¡¯re being an annoyance and wasting their time.¡±]


    Her complaint was justifiable, but the thing was that Harrison had deemed the treasured sword as being worth that much. Well, based on Harold¡¯s words, Justus also had something to do with that choice. The fact that Harrison felt like having Harold and the others under his command was surely a part of Justus¡¯ plan as well; and Harold appeared to have an idea about the contents of that plan. Although Harold never spoke about said contents, they probably brought about some serious circumstances considering that Harold was obediently doing that kind of job. That was Elu¡¯s conjecture about the overall situation, though he had no clear evidence.


    In the end, the key to unraveling the truth was probably the treasured sword. Though Elu had not seen the real thing, he did acquire some information about it. Far below the earth, and deep into its crust; it was said that there was a giant, solid astral body, which was the core of the continent. That astral body was scraped and processed to produce a total of seven weapons.


    Elu didn¡¯t know if it was a true story, nor did he know how one could possibly arrive so far below the earth. Even the existence of solid astral bodies was likely a fake story that started off as a rumor, which was embellished over the years, and in the end, it gave birth to an exaggerated anecdote. Its origin was probably some kind of falsehood that the blacksmith who forged the sword came up with to raise his own fame and the sword¡¯s value. That was the most reasonable and realistic speculation.


    However, Elu couldn¡¯t say whether Harold and Justus took that into account or not. So, Elu, having judged that it would be worth examining deeply, had already started his investigation. But it wasn¡¯t only Elu himself, for he also made use of the Giffelt organization¡¯s capabilities. Depending on the results, perhaps he would realize what those two were trying to do.


    Although it wasn¡¯t an act of betrayal towards Harold, Elu still thought it would be better to do it in secrecy, as Harold most likely wouldn¡¯t appreciate Elu¡¯s investigation. Even though they weren¡¯t able to build trust between each other as of yet, Elu still needed to make things look good on the surface to keep a smooth progress going in their collaborative relationship.


    ¡¾¡±Ah, looks like it¡¯s finally over.¡±]


    Said the nurse, who had kept the conversation going while Elu was indulging in his thoughts. Moreover, as if in response to that, the door that led to the examining room opened. The one who came out of it was a slightly plump grizzled man. He was in his fifties and had quite the friendly face.


    Together with that man, appeared a red-haired boy and blond-haired girl. The expressions on their faces weren¡¯t great but their looks matched Harold¡¯s description. This boy and girl were very likely Liner and Colette. Harold had hypothesized that they would become key persons in ¡°something¡± that was coming now or perhaps soon in the future. The role that Elu was given was to support them from the shadows. Therefore, so as to slip into Liner and the others¡¯ hearts, Elu put on an extremely natural and refreshing smile intended for the duo¡¯s eyes which met with his.


    ¡¾¡±Hello. My name is Elu, I¡¯m a traveling merchant.¡±]


    This was the moment of the first encounter between the three people, who were one day going to share their destinies.


    Translator¡¯s note: Next time, we¡¯ll get to see things from Colette¡¯s point of view a little, not Liner though, I feel like there will never be a Liner pov lol

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    (Colette¡¯s pov)


    When Colette came out of the Hospital room with Liner, besides the nurse, there was someone else she had not seen before.


    The androgynous person had a friendly looking smile as he introduced herself as being called Elu. Colette got the impression that the person was around the same age as her and Liner or maybe younger.


    Elu said that he arrived at this village on this very day as a certain merchant¡¯s apprentice, and the moment he said that he came from the neighboring town, Liner butted in.


    ¡¾¡±On your way to the village, did you see a pair of people concealing themselves with black robes?!¡±]


    With Liner¡¯s words, Colette¡¯s bad presentiment turned into conviction. Liner was planning to chase after the robbers who had  taken away the sword and attacked his parents.


    Thinking about it normally, that was going to be difficult. Usually, Liner¡¯s parents were the ones who trained him, in other words, they were stronger than him, and yet, even they were defeated by the thieves. Therefore, challenging the robbers by himself would be akin to suicide for Liner. Moreover, if Elu were to testify that he happened to see the people who had attacked the Griffiths, Liner would likely immediately go run after them.


    Which was why Colette wanted Elu to answer that he didn¡¯t see them and didn¡¯t know about them. However, that prayer was left unheard.


    ¡¾¡±Come to think of it, I¡¯m pretty sure uncle told me he saw some suspicious people walking around at night. But I don¡¯t know about them being two.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Really?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, I¡¯ll ask him for more details.¡±]


    Their talk progressed swimmingly.


    The uncle Elu mentioned seemed to be the merchant that he followed.


    Following Elu, Colette and Liner went along with him to one of the few inns in the village.


    Elu left the two of them waiting for a little while and went to the inn¡¯s second floor.


    After several minutes, he appeared again while leading the way for a certain man.


    ¡¾¡±Sorry for the wait. Uncle, these are the two people I told you about earlier, Liner and Colette.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hello. I¡¯ve heard your story, looks you¡¯ve been through some great trouble.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes¡­¡­ Well, about that, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve seen someone suspicious yesterday, do you remember what he was like?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What he was like, huh? I was walking around at night with only one lamp to light the road, so it was pretty dark and I wasn¡¯t seeing all that clearly, but¡­. That is right, I saw two persons¡¯ silhouettes. They were wearing robes low over their eyes even though it was the middle of the night.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Anything else?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It also looked like they were holding a box or something, it was long and narrow.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That was them, that was definitely them!¡±]


    Liner suddenly exclaimed, with a loud voice.


    Those two people were wearing robes and holding a long and narrow box. Moreover, the direction of their escape also matched the thieves¡¯.


    With all those conditions together, it was extremely likely that the two of them were the burglars. In short, this meant that Liner¡¯s course of action was now clearly decided, unfortunately.


    ¡¾¡±I can¡¯t waste any time, I¡¯ve gotta hurry and go after them¡­!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±C-calm down Liner.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±She¡¯s right. There are preparations to do before chasing them, because even if you go after them now in a hurry, you won¡¯t be able to catch up with them.¡±]


    As Colette tried to calm Liner down, she was backed up by Elu¡¯s extremely calm comment that made perfect sense.


    As a result, the blood that had risen in Liner¡¯s head dropped down a little, and he lowered the tone of his voice.


    ¡¾¡±B-but¡­ no matter what, I want to get back the sword they stole. That sword is very important to me.¡±](Liner)


    ¡¾¡±Even so, fighting against the people whom even Leona and Olbel weren¡¯t able to defeat is too dangerous.¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±I know, but still, you want me to let them get away with what they did?¡±](Liner)


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not what I said! You already know what they look like and you can describe them, so if you ask the guards or the knight order for help, they will surely capture them.¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±If I use such a slow method, they could have time to escape!¡±](Liner)


    Liner was heating up once again. Moreover, as if lured by that, Colette¡¯s tone was becoming rough as well.


    No matter what they did, the two people¡¯s opinions were like two parallel lines.


    Then, a clack noise resounded as if to interrupt the two people¡¯s quarrel. The source of the sound was Elu, who had clapped his hands together.


    ¡¾¡±You two should calm down. Whether you chase after the thieves or contact the guards, you better hurry and do it. Your success regarding this matter will depend on how fast you¡¯ll act.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, that¡¯s certainly true¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Or rather, I think you should have contacted the guards earlier, but still, both of your choices are not bad.¡±]


    Colette had nothing to answer back. She was confused and therefore could not think that far, but beyond that, with Colette¡¯s anxiousness and fear that Liner would chase after the thieves, it was hard to say that she was thinking straight at all.


    With a sidelong glance at Colette, Elu took out a pen and parchment out of his big shoulder bag, and spoke with a sweet smile.


    ¡¾¡±Drawing portraits is my specialty. If you¡¯ve seen what they look like, then tell me. That can be kind of useful when searching for criminals.¡±]


    ¡ó


    (Elu¡¯s Pov)


    Elu let out a small sigh while looking at the portrait and description he drew and wrote himself.


    Harold¡¯s actions seemed to be well-thought-out, but did his escape go all that well? He wondered.


    The person Liner had informed Elu about was a young man with somewhat hollow cheeks and purple hair. The testimony said he had no life in his eyes, and that was likely because he was missing his emotions, as Harold had said.


    If this were to spread, it would assuredly become difficult for Harold and the others to move. No matter what, Harold could not afford to just hide his face all the time. Someone who did that would stand out, and if he often came in contact with people¡¯s eyes that way, it would increase the risks of him having his true identity exposed.


    But it was a simple matter really.


    Telling them he was going to deliver the portrait to the guards, Elu temporarily separated from Liner and Colette. Then, as soon as he came into an area with no one around, he put the portrait away inside his bag.


    By chance, this time, he was able to prevent it from being reported, which was really fortunate. Although it wasn¡¯t Harold¡¯s own face, Elu did not believe that Harold would let his partner¡¯s face be exposed on purpose, but this happening was a complete surprise so he wasn¡¯t sure.


    While he was adding the finishing touches to the portrait, Elu had indirectly investigated, and it turned out that Liner had yet to inform the other adults or the clinic¡¯s doctors about the fact that he had seen the burglar¡¯s face.


    If Elu got rid of the portrait, then it would somewhat reduce Harold¡¯s chances of falling into a troublesome situation. So, he naturally chose to conceal the truth, in case this was not part of Harold¡¯s plans.


    For now, since he was going to send a messenger on a fast horse to Harold¡¯s place, Elu was going to have him confirm if having his partner¡¯s face exposed was intentional or not. If it turned out to actually be intentional, Elu would just have to go back and notify the right place about said partner¡¯s portrait and description.


    The process was more troublesome than it should be, but that was because Harold would always stubbornly give as little information as possible. He was probably thinking that there was no need to give more information than he had to. In short, he did not trust Elu.


    If Elu at least knew the goals behind Harold¡¯s actions, he would be able to move somewhat more easily, but¡­.


    Well, I can lament about this all I want, but it just can¡¯t be helped.


    Elu had other things to worry about.


    He thought back upon his exchange with Liner and Colette from some time ago. Although Liner wanted to promptly chase after the burglars, Colette was using the appropriate means, seeking for a solution through a third party.


    It didn¡¯t matter who was right and who was wrong. If things stayed as they were, the two people¡¯s opinions would diverge, so there was a risk that, in the end, only Liner would start pursuing Harold.


    From Harold¡¯s words, those two were both going to chase after him. Or at least, that was certainly what he was expecting.


    Then, what if Liner and Colette were to act differently from each other?


    This was yet another troublesome story, but for some reason, it was going to be necessary for Elu to have Colette pursue Harold and the others. For the time being, he was going to tell Harold through the messenger on the fast horse that there was a chance Liner and Colette would take different actions from each other.


    Then Elu would wait for a reply while observing the two people.


    While thinking of these things, Elu returned to the two people¡¯s location. However, Liner was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡¾¡±Huh? What happened to Liner?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±¡­ He¡¯s preparing himself to go chase after those people.¡±](Colette)


    She was probably referring to him preparing his weapons and equipment. Liner was really thorough, perhaps he was planning to go chase after them immediately right now.


    Colette, who was thinking of that, was looking gloomy, as Elu expected.


    ¡¾¡±Are you worried about Liner?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±Yes. No matter how I think about it, this is going to be dangerous¡­.¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±True. But if that¡¯s what you think, then why not accompany him?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s impossible. I am bad at fighting¡­.¡±](Colette)


    Bad at fighting, Colette had said. Perhaps that in itself was true.


    However, on her legs and thighs, there were holders, made of black leather, where a round rod could fit. Though there were nothing there, the holders were likely made to put weapons inside them.


    Being bad at fighting and being unable to fight were not really the same thing. Given that she had been with Liner from her childhood, it wasn¡¯t hard at all to think that she had received some kind of initiation into martial arts from Liner¡¯s parents.


    With that in mind, was it her natural character that made her so extremely conscious of being bad at fighting? Or was there some incident in the past that planted in her the feeling of wanting to avoid fighting?


    (In the past, huh? Which reminds me, Harold was talking as if he was acquainted with Colette and Liner¡­)


    At that moment, the face of  his collaborator whose past, or rather, whose entire history he couldn¡¯t figure out at all, came to Elu¡¯s mind.


    Let¡¯s investigate a little while including that part in the search, thought Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Even so, I wonder, just what kind of people were the burglars who broke into Liner¡¯s house?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±What kind?¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±I chose my words poorly, but this is a small village far away from the royal capital, there can¡¯t be that many valuable things here, right? Yet they went through the trouble of coming to steal here, so I think they had a precise goal.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±Was that goal the stolen sword? Wasn¡¯t that just a coincidence?¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±So the burglars who came and stole the sword just happened to be stronger than Liner¡¯s parents, who used to be adventurers? A coincidence like that seems very unlikely to me.¡±](Elu)


    Such a happenstance would need a huge number of consecutive coincidences. This case was obviously all planned out.


    When it came to the crunch, the duo¡¯s actions would depend on whether they had the recognition to notice things like that or not. So, Elu wanted Liner and Colette to obtain the awareness to see things with a doubtful eye. Maybe it was because they were born in the countryside, but those two were too honest.


    ¡¾¡±Certainly, when you put it like that¡­¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±Is the stolen sword worth that much? I¡¯m a little curious.¡±](Elu)


    No matter what, treasured swords were thought to be a thing of fantasies. That naturally tickled the interest of the lump of intellectual curiosity that was Elu.


    Moreover, for Justus to go through such roundabout means to collect the sword, there was no way that it had nothing special to it.


    ¡¾¡±Apparently, Liner¡¯s father and mother discovered the sword in a dungeon when they were adventurers.¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±A dungeon? Sounds exciting.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±Really?¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±I mean, that¡¯s the classic example when you think of getting rich quick, isn¡¯t it?¡±](Elu)


    So as to explore Colette¡¯s past, Elu first made some small talk with her, in an attempt to become more friendly. He didn¡¯t feel there was any wariness to relax her from, but still, he couldn¡¯t suddenly rush into talking about things like this. He wasn¡¯t going to get results on this day nor on the day after, however, he was definitely going to meet her a lot from here on. If taking that into consideration, accumulating small interactions like this would be fruitful later in the future.


    Afterwards, Elu and Colette kept chit-chatting about this and that while waiting for Liner.


    Then, aiming for the moment when the conversation came to a pause, Elu muttered something meaningfully.


    ¡¾¡±Anyway, about the black robed robbers¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you know something?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No. Just that, when speaking of black robes or people dressed completely in black, there is someone that really comes to mind, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Someone that comes to mind?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did you not hear about him, Colette? His name is Harold Stokes.¡±]


    The moment that name came up, Colette¡¯s complexion clearly changed. That was enough to tell without a doubt that there was some sort of connection between her and Harold.


    Though she herself was trying to conceal her agitation, she seemed to be fatally bad at lying.


    ¡¾¡±I, I haven¡¯t heard of him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? He¡¯s famous in the royal capital. He¡¯s in the same age range as you and Liner, and yet he¡¯s called the kingdom¡¯s number one villain.¡±]


    Colette¡¯s facial expression turned sad.


    While observing that, Elu did not stop talking.


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s a traitor who betrayed the country while being a knight and tried to cause a war.  Moreover, he¡¯s a ¡°knight killer¡±, who left the knight order and then killed more than dozens of the knights that used to be his comrades. Those are the typical examples, but there is no end to the anecdotes about his heinous actions.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    In the end, Colette kept silent. She cast her eyes down as if saying that she did not want to hear about those stories.


    When they didn¡¯t know about the rumors regarding Harold, most people were surprised upon hearing of them, saying ¡°Is there really someone that evil out there?¡±. When they did know, they would agree, saying, ¡°That guy is really one outrageous sinner.¡±.


    So, then, what kind of person would show a reaction like Colette¡¯s?


    Perhaps, for someone who knew of Harold¡¯s essence, so to speak, and therefore knew that he was not the villain from the rumors, Elu¡¯s story would indeed be unbearable to hear. In other words, maybe Colette was one of the rare people who got to experience the extremely difficult to understand kindness of Harold, whose mouth only let out scorn and cynicism.


    ¡¾¡±So, I¡¯m thinking, maybe the criminal behind this time¡¯s theft was that Harold guy¡­.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not true! Harold would never¡­.!¡±](Colette)


    After that, she was likely going to say¡¾¡±never do that¡±]but in the end, she did not let those words out. However, she wasn¡¯t refraining from talking because she had doubts about Harold, this was likely the result of her trying to stop the words that she let out of her mouth on an impulse.


    But it was completely too late.


    Colette¡¯s face quickly turned pale. As if she had said something that she was not supposed to say.


    ¡¾¡±Say, Colette¡­¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±T-that¡¯s not it. Just now, that was not what I meant to say¡­¡±](Colette)


    She shook her head from the left to the right, desperately repeating¡¾¡±That was not what I meant to say.¡±]. That state made her look much younger than her actual age, she also seemed frail and somewhat frightened.


    For her to get this concerned about wanting to hide what she said, she was probably deeply involved with Harold¡¯s past. Elu was convinced of this, and so he made a decision, that could be said to be quite heartless, concerning Colette.


    ¡¾¡±I get it. I won¡¯t ask.¡±](Elu)


    Elu put on a smile on his face to make Colette feel relieved. Colette innocently thought she had easily deceived Elu, and she muttered a small ¡°thank you¡±.


    There was no way for her to know what was really going on in the mind of Elu, whom she had just thanked.


    Colette Ameller. By looking into her past, one could probably get a glimpse at a part of Harold¡¯s secrets.


    So, after that, Elu immediately started digging up Colette¡¯s past.


    Translator¡¯s note: Not cool, Elu, not cool! Well, don¡¯t go judging him/her/it/them too fast, I¡¯m sure he/she/it/they have /his/her/its/their reasons¡­. probably. ><

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    In the dusk of the day that followed the theft of the treasured sword, a certain report came from Elu. Harold, who was thinking of starting to move by the end of the day under the cover of the dark of the night, was greatly agitated by that report which came just before his departure.


    It was fine that Ventus¡¯ face was seen. It would have been a problem if that was not the case as the same had also happened in the original story.


    ¡ºIt¡¯s very likely that Colette won¡¯t follow after Liner. ¡», that was the problematic part. According to Elu, while Liner wanted to chase after the criminals right away, it seemed like Colette¡¯s opinion was the complete opposite, as she believed chasing after them would be dangerous and that Liner had better stop himself and fall back.


    Huh? Why did this happen? This was the honest doubt that Harold had at first.


    So he tried to look for an answer in his confused mind. Due to what had happened in the game, Harold had never considered the possibility that Liner and Colette would take separate actions.


    Why would such a fatal deviation from the original story happen?


    What was the difference between the Colette from this world and the original one? There was only one factor worth mentioning; Colette¡¯s mother, Clara, had survived. That was it.


    Then, which changes had taken place because of that? In the original story, Colette had a grudge against Harold because of the irrational killing of her mother. That was likely the driving force that pushed her to train herself with Liner.


    However, with her mother being alive, then wouldn¡¯t she have had no need to have any desire for revenge within her? This was not necessarily true, but considering that Colette had become a young lady who was far away from the bloody stench of the world of revenge and battle, there was nothing strange about her decision. Rather, it could even be said to be the normal choice to make.


    Why would a girl like her follow after a childhood friend who was going to chase after actual robbers? For someone with common sense, the right choice would be to rely on professionals, although that did not seem to apply to Liner whose emotions always took precedence due to his reckless nature.


    Well, putting that aside, Harold had a major problem to deal with.


    If Colette did not follow Liner, that would mean one less member for the main party, which would be a very hard blow to the team¡¯s war potential. In the game, despite her lovely appearance, Colette was a robust vanguard. Her physical attack value was the third highest among all the party members, and she had the highest HP and defense value.


    However, when it came to magic, she was helpless. Her attack magic could only inflict damage on lower-rank opponents, and she could not learn even a single recovery magic spell. Even Liner could use some minimal recovery magic, though it wasn¡¯t very effective.


    As a character, Colette did not seem very girly, rather, she had a muscle-brain¡¯s status that she made use of to wield a tonfa, with which she would beat her opponents to death.


    Furthermore, adding to the decrease in numbers, Harold could not predict how this situation would change things from the flow of the game¡¯s story. So far, it had already broken the flag of Colette¡¯s revenge event, but there was a chance that, beyond this, the situation would have a big influence on the whole story. It was a difficult problem that had come into Harold¡¯s path many times in the past eight years.


    At any rate, in order to keep the problem¡¯s influence to a minimum, and in order to control the developments that he knew of, Harold had to get Colette to join the party members by all means necessary. Although this was an early stage of the story, if Liner were to act solo, it could likely lead him to the worst outcome, death.


    (What should I do? Though Elu said it¡¯s just a possibility, if he bothered to give that information, then it will almost certainly happen. )


    Even if supposedly this was just a very unlikely worst case scenario, if said worst case scenario were to actually happen, then it would be too late to act upon it. Whether the possibility was high or low, if it could bring him danger, then Harold could not overlook it.


    Harold wanted to leave it to Elu, who was on site, and let him deal with the problem, but that would not do. Even if Harold were to get Elu to persuade Colette, there were no phones or emails in this world, so it would take some time for him to convey his intention to someone at a far away distance. Therefore, no matter how Harold would go about persuading Colette, if he didn¡¯t go to the Bloche village right away, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.


    It was around sunset. In his original plan, Harold was supposed to have left the town more than an hour before.


    Moreover, he had already given Ventus and Lilium their action schedules. Telling them that they would be going through the fog valley after the sun made place for the dark, in order to make it hard for them to be found from their surroundings, and to evade the eyes of anyone that might have been pursuing them.


    The two of them would not utter a complaint even if Harold simply split up from them at the last minute, but once that is exposed to Justus, maybe Harold would be asked about the reason for said change. With his ingenious brain, there was a chance that the mad scientist would start having doubts just from that.


    He was Justus after all, a single opportunity could perhaps allow him to uncover every single one of Harold¡¯s secrets.


    Then I have to find a solid pretext to split up from them, thought Harold.


    Based on the fact that Liner and the others¡¯ assailants were known to be two and even that Ventus¡¯ face was seen, it wasn¡¯t unimaginable that some eye-witnesses would catch up fast to the duo by relying on that information. If there were indeed people pursuing them, then Harold could turn the tables on them as the third, unknown member of the gang, by knocking them down by surprise.


    If, on the contrary, there were no pursuers, then the three people could just escape, as planned before. Moreover, by concealing himself within the dense fog of the fog valley, Harold could render his surprise attack many times more effective. With that many motives for it, it wasn¡¯t all that odd for him to split up from the group.


    If he was asked why he went that far, he would just say that it was a precautionary measure and it would settle the matter. If the pursuers did come, then there would be no mistake with Harold¡¯s judgement and Justus would not inquire too much.


    While thinking that, he instructed Lilium and Ventus to split up from him with the pretext that, in consideration of the possibility that some pursuers would appear due to Ventus¡¯ face being seen, Harold was going to confirm whether anyone was following them to the fog valley, so as to clear his anxiety; and during then, if there were indeed some pursuers, he would get rid of them.


    He also told them to just wait on standby at the fog valley until he joined them. Naturally, the two people obediently followed his instructions.


    When it came to those two, it was useless for Harold to worry about them getting killed by monsters. Also, just in case Liner would come in contact with Ventus and Lilium before Harold¡¯s return, he ordered them to figure out their opponents¡¯ abilities without killing them. This would surely reduce Liner¡¯s chances of getting killed.


    Thus, after watching them leave together with the disappearance of the sun, Harold went towards the Bloche village, on foot.


    Anyway, there was no more time to waste. In the game, Liner and Colette left for their journey a day after the incident. In other words, it was on this very day¡¯s morning, or perhaps at noon; either way, it was early in the day, so no matter what, Liner had surely already started moving.


    Speaking of which, Liner is on one very forced schedule, thought Harold. In the span of a single, nightmarish evening, his parents were beaten up by some trespassing burglars and his treasured sword was stolen. Yet, as soon as the sun came, he directly went to chase after the criminals. It was safe to say that he was full of energy.


    Well, Harold wasn¡¯t one to talk, he had gone to steal the sword in the last evening and returned to the inn before dawn, then, after only a few hours of sleep, he pushed himself on yet another late-night, five-hours-long walk for the second consecutive day.


    He had also changed his action plan after receiving Elu¡¯s report, and had little time to actually put it into practice. If he arrived at his destination a little early, it would be possible for him to borrow a horse, but if that turned out to be impossible, he would only be able to rely on his own two feet.


    After Harold advanced for tens of minutes at almost a running speed, his ears caught onto some peculiar noises.


    There were dull metallic clanks, and a loud, beast-like voice. But it wasn¡¯t anything unusual, someone nearby was simply fighting a monster.


    Harold was in a hurry, but when it came to the monsters that would appear in this area, there was none that Harold could not just instantly kill in passing. Therefore, while thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be bothersome for him to help out whoever was fighting if he was in a pinch, Harold approached the path where the battle seemed to be happening. In doing so, he identified the person¡¯s identity.


    He had fire-like red hair, and a voice that Harold was quite familiar with. As it turned out, the one who was fighting against the monster was Liner, the protagonist of this world.


    Harold narrowly bore with the impulse of saying ¡°What the hell, it¡¯s you?!¡±. Moreover, since he was concentrated on his fight, Liner fortunately did not notice Harold, who was hidden under the cover of the dark.


    Therefore, Harold made use of that occasion to observe Liner¡¯s battle. The monster wasn¡¯t really strong, and there was a sense of stability to Liner¡¯s movements, so he was very unlikely to be defeated.


    Although he appeared to have a few injuries, none of them seemed like they would prove to be fatal. Liner had likely obtained those wounds from fighting some other monsters while he was on his way towards here.


    Despite being a little worried, Harold decided to ignore Liner and let him fend for himself.


    He didn¡¯t think that Liner would be defeated by this monster even if he was fighting alone. Furthermore, the next town was right next to here, and there were no powerful monsters to be encountered on the way there.


    But, above all was the fact that Harold was Liner¡¯s acquaintance. Being the friendly boy that he was, Liner would probably start getting all too familiar with Harold if he were to come across him. Harold regrettably did not have the time to do that at the moment, so he had rather avoid any contact with Liner.


    Thus, Harold took his leave from the place, but not before altruistically leaving a recovery item on the path that Liner would likely take after beating the monster. That was the best consideration that Harold could currently give him.


    A few more hours after that, close to midnight, Harold finally arrived at the Bloche village.


    By the side of the gate that served as the village¡¯s entrance, he noticed someone¡¯s presence. That person who was standing within the darkness was none other than Elu. It seemed like he had somehow foreseen Harold¡¯s actions and was waiting for him.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve come early.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±Tell me about the situation.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±Liner left by himself. It seems like your expectations were off.¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­What about Colette?¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±She was worried, but there were no signs that she had any intention to follow after him.¡±](Elu)


    Without any hesitation, Elu gave Harold the information he wanted. Perhaps it was selfish of Harold to be thinking ¡°Then go persuade her already¡±; from the very start, this whole problem was brought upon by Harold¡¯s lack of foresight, so this would be quite a harsh demand considering that Elu knew nothing about the situation. Besides, Elu had properly accomplished what Harold had personally requested of him, which was to get acquainted with Liner and Colette.


    I¡¯ve gotta fix my own mistakes by myself, he thought.


    ¡¾¡±Prepare two horses. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s the ones that you and the others ride.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±When do you need them?¡±](Elu)


    ¡¾¡±You have an hour.¡±](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±Alright.¡±](Elu)


    Elu readily consented to the sudden request, showing once again to Harold how reliable he was. Harold really appreciated the fact that Elu did not inquire more than necessary. He also asked him to give out some instructions to the Frieri personnel that was still in the town where he had been staying.


    Moreover, having acknowledged Elu¡¯s generous cooperation, Harold was now strongly determined to reward him no matter what, by bringing some actual results.


    Once he separated from Elu, Harold went to look for Liner¡¯s house. From what he had heard, Colette and Clara¡¯s new home was neighboring Liner¡¯s residence. Harold had received that information from Zen, who used to peek into the Bloche village once in a while out of worry for Colette and Clara, and he had said that they seemed to be getting along with their neighbors. At the time, Harold had indirectly investigated the identity of said neighbors, and when the words ¡°red-haired boy¡± came up, he was greatly delighted within the closure of his own mind.


    As he recalled such things, Harold headed for his destination while relying on the moonlight to lead himself through the sceneries, which he still recalled, within the village that was not as small as the map of the game. If Colette did not accompany Liner, then she was surely at her home.


    After advancing for a little while in the village that had fallen silent, Harold saw the house he was looking for. It was a two-storied house, that he had seen more times than he could count, there was also a wooden warehouse that was built beside it and a bungalow directly facing the house. Perhaps that bungalow was where Colette and Clara lived.


    They had likely already gone to sleep as there was no light coming out of the windows. While apologizing in his mind, Harold knocked powerfully on the bungalow¡¯s door. The deep sound of the knocks echoed within the house.


    There was silence for a short while, then Harold felt some signs of movement from the opposite side of the door. However, the door did not open.


    (Well, I guess it¡¯s only natural that they¡¯d be vigilant of someone coming at such a late time. Especially since there are only two women there, all by themselves.)


    Considering Colette¡¯s strength in the game, Harold didn¡¯t think she would lag behind any man out there, but that had nothing to do with it. Their reaction was all the more justifiable since some thieves had trespassed in the neighboring house the previous evening.


    But, even so, Harold could not withdraw, and he did not want Colette and Clara to be scared.


    ¡¾¡±Is anybody here? I¡¯d like to ask about last night¡¯s robbery incident.¡±](Harold)


    For the time being, he tried to appeal to the fact that he was not a robber. However, his words alone were not enough to be trusted as the entrance door remained tightly closed.


    Harold let out a sigh, and then, he decided to pull out his trump card.


    Even if his bad reputation had reached her, as the one who had saved the person¡¯s life, he would likely be welcomed inside. Thinking that, Harold pretentiously and conspicuously introduced his name to the person on the other side of the door.


    ¡¾¡±I know you¡¯re inside. If you¡¯re going to oppose me, Harold Stokes, then prepare yourself for the consequences because ¨D¨D¡±]


    But Harold couldn¡¯t finish his line. That was because the door was powerfully opened before he got to do that, and he almost collided with it.


    He could tell from the other party¡¯s state and facial expression that she was extremely flustered. That person was Colette¡¯s mother, Clara. She was greatly surprised as she found herself before Harold, and her eyes opened wide with tears rising in their corners.


    ¡¾¡±It has been so long, Harold-sama¡­!¡±](Clara)


    Translator¡¯s note: Honestly, I had forgotten her name, but hey, nice to see old characters come back ><


    Speaking of which, I¡¯d like to thank Benjamin. H, Paween. H, Karl, and Eliot. A for their recent pledges, thank you very much for supporting me everyone! Naturally, I¡¯d also like to thank all the other older Patrons as well!

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    Clara was crying. She was not raising her voice, but there were so many tears spilling down from her cheeks through the gaps between her fingers as she covered her face with her hands, that even the ground became wet. She could pretty much be said to be sobbing.


    That confused Harold.


    Certainly, considering he had saved Clara and her daughter Colette¡¯s life, crying from gratitude was an understandable reaction from her.


    However, Harold was not guilt-free regarding the chain of incidents that had befallen the two of them. He had not done it on purpose, but that situation was only due to his own carelessness, coupled with the Stokes couple¡¯s false accusations. Clara was not at fault in the slightest, and yet, she and her daughter were forced to move from where they used to live. Given those details, rather than her being thankful to him to the point of crying, he felt like he should be the one seriously apologizing to her.


    In addition, it had been about eight years since he had taken Harold¡¯s body. In that time, most people he had met with would only show him two feelings, fear or hatred. It had been a long time since he had grown accustomed to those circumstances.


    This was why he was stumped on how to interact with such frontal feelings of gratitude. However, he knew that the current situation looked bad from an objective point of view. A man was making a widow cry at her front door in the dark of the night; such a scene would probably immediately be reported to the authorities.


    For the time being, Harold had to make Clara settle down and show him inside the house.


    ¡¾¡±Are you freaking done yet? I recall saying that I have questions to ask.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±M-my apologies. Sorry if the house doesn¡¯t look too good, but please do come inside.¡±]


    As she said that, Clara made way for Harold towards the wooden bungalow. A lamp was on with its light illuminating the house¡¯s interior that was certainly modest when compared to Harold¡¯s living environment. However, even though it was small, it was a neat living space which was not displeasing in the slightest from the point of view of Harold, who still couldn¡¯t let go of his common man¡¯s way of thinking, no matter how much time had passed.


    Rather than such things, the problem he had at present was with the person who was looking his way, peeking at him from the shadows; that girl who shared the same characteristic blond hair as her mother was no other than Colette.


    ¡¾¡±Colette, Harold-sama is here. Come greet him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I-it¡¯s been a long time, Harold-sama¡­.¡±]


    Colette talked nervously and bowed her head. It was his first meeting with her in five years, but as expected, she had grown to be so lovely that one could not help but call her a beauty. She had the same appearance that Harold knew from the game.


    The last time Harold met her was at Delfit¡¯s fighting tournament. At the time, wanting Colette to become stronger, Harold riddled her with some slightly severe words, and it seemed like she was somewhat scared because of that.


    ¡¾¡±Colette, huh? You come here, too.¡±]


    He made Colette sit down without giving her any chance to protest. The Ameller parent and child were now sitting at a small table, facing Harold. While trying the tea that Clara had given him with a ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will suit your taste, but¡­.¡±, Harold once again started exposing the circumstances of the current matter.


    ¡¾¡±I heard that some thieves broke into the neighboring house last night, correct?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How many were they?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I heard they were two.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did anyone see them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡± The Griffiths couple, who live in the house where the burglary happened, and their son, Liner-kun. As far as I know, only the three of them saw the burglars, and the rumors say that they were concealing themselves with black robes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But your neighbors aren¡¯t here.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The parents were attacked by the criminals and are in the hospital. As for Liner-kun, he went to chase after the burglars this afternoon and left the village¡­..¡±]


    Harold compared all the facts that Clara knew with the information he had. It seemed like there was no big inconsistency. But naturally, she didn¡¯t know about the criminals¡¯ objective yet.


    While feeling relieved, Harold turned his gaze towards Colette, who had been silent for quite some time.


    ¡¾¡±That Liner guy who chased after them, is he the one with the red hair?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y-yes.¡±]


    Having understood who Harold was referring to once he spoke of ¡°red hair¡±, Colette nodded her head, although her response showed she was still somewhat scared.


    Thinking that was no good, Harold spoke words aimed at purposely making her anxious.


    ¡¾¡±If my expectations are right, then that guy is going to die.¡±]


    Colette and Clara got their breaths taken away from them. As Harold expected, saying that so bluntly gave them a big shock.


    However, this was not a harmless threat. If Liner were to take action by himself and to end up fighting against Ventus and Lilium, he would suffer a heavy defeat. Moreover, in this world, a defeat was most often equal to death, unlike the game where it just brought a ¡°continue¡±.


    In order to avoid that, Harold had ordered Ventus and Lilium not to kill, but even so, what if some unforeseen accident were to occur during the combat? Therefore, if possible, Harold wanted Colette to quickly follow after Liner right now.


    Hence, that¡¯s why he chose to urge Colette to move.


    ¡¾¡±Based on the eye-witnesses¡¯ reports, it is very likely that the criminals responsible for the robbery are the members of a thief group which has been making a fuss around the royal capital lately, ¡ºTrinity¡». The problematic part is that those guys tend to have high fighting abilities, and even if they¡¯re caught on the crime scene, they¡¯ll just force their way through and escape. ¡°]


    Of course, that was a downright lie. There was no such thief group. Harold just halfheartedly came up with that name and setting on the spot. Even in the game, that trio had no title, so Harold had to think of one himself.


    However, since they had no way to know about that, Colette and Clara¡¯s faces turned pale. Thanks to this, they did not even think of questioning Harold about why he was chasing after such dangerous people. If he could get them to keep ignoring that part, it would really help him.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­.¡±]


    As she thought of the possibility that she would lose Liner, Colette felt sad. She was regretting the fact that she did not force him to stop, and that feeling was clearly transmitted through the tone of her voice.


    However, Harold disregarded the pain in her heart and questioned her mother, Clara, once again.


    ¡¾¡±So, where did those guys escape to?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They went to the next town, towards the west¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Humph, then I guess I should go back to the royal capital for now and set things up.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A-aren¡¯t you going after them?¡±]


    Just as planned, Colette was pulled by Harold¡¯s words.


    Colette likely wanted Harold to run after Liner and help him. Harold knew she did, but, after all, if he did that, Colette would end up not following Liner. On the other hand, taking Colette along with him would leave him with an extremely narrow timing to withdraw.


    Not doing it well could expose him as being the head of the criminal group.


    ¡¾¡±Not right now. Some preparations are needed to capture trinity.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But, then, what about Liner?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You want me to put myself in danger to rescue that guy? Is that what you want to fricking say?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s harsh words daringly crushed Colette¡¯s alternative of letting others deal with the problem.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not what I¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, I see, then what did you actually mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Colette hanged her head in shame while biting her lip. It seemed like she had nothing to answer back with.


    Moreover, in order to persuade her, Harold kept on talking.


    ¡¾¡±Those guys kill people just to steal from them, it¡¯s also guaranteed that their fighting power is the real deal, and you¡¯re telling me to go chase after them for your own damn convenience?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But¡­. still, you¡¯re strong so¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, certainly, I could win against them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then-!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I told you, didn¡¯t I? They¡¯re a group. It¡¯s meaningless to capture one of them if the others manage to escape. In short, I¡¯ll need some more people backing me up if I¡¯m to capture Trinity myself. And how could I guarantee those people¡¯s lives? If you can bear all the responsibilities for this, I¡¯ll go chase after the criminals right away.¡±]


    ¡°Giving a sound argument is not always the right thing to do¡± Harold was pretty sure someone somewhere had once said something along those lines, and he felt that it certainly applied to the current situation. Even if Harold¡¯s arguments were 100% correct, could crushing the wishes of an innocent young girl really be said to be the right choice?


    No, to begin with, there was no sound argument that could justify his unreasonable behavior. But while he did think that, Harold still did not change his conduct.


    ¡¾¡±Stop acting like a spoiled child, Colette. Depending on someone and relying on them is not the same thing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh¡­.?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡ºI thought you had experienced for yourself how helpless it feels to be weak. But if you¡¯re still going to choose a weakling¡¯s way of life despite that, then suit yourself. ¡»¡±]


    Harold repeated the words he had said to Colette five years prior.


    Relying on people was good in itself. Family and friends¡¯s relationships are structured around mutual reliance and support.


    However, Colette was dependent on her surroundings. Not doing anything herself and just relying on her surroundings one-sidedly was completely wrong of her. For the past eight years, she had kept holding onto her worries and her fear of death without being able to speak of it to anyone, and yet, Harold, or rather, Kazuki Hirasawa, wanted to tell her to hang in there some more, like he did as he struggled through this world.


    Well, that¡¯s awfully selfish of me, but still. He thought.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know if you remember those words, but is this the result you came to from being saved and surviving? Pathetic.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±-!¡±]


    The noise of a moving chair resounded. Unable to bear with Harold¡¯s rash remarks, Colette had shaken herself off from Clara, who tried to stop her, and ran out of the house. Harold wondered if the slight reflection of light within the dark came from her tears.


    Silence fell in between Harold and Clara.


    (¡­¡­ Maybe I said too much. )


    Harold¡¯s mouth already had an established reputation for always going too far. The current situation was what would happen when Harold, who had to put a stopper on himself by nature, got too passionate.


    While drinking his black tea that had started to cool down, he was having cold sweat thinking about what to do. He had no more spare time to try anything.


    Even though he had asked Elu for a horse, if he didn¡¯t get out of Bloche village soon, he would be unable to arrive at the neighboring town before the break of dawn; in which case, Liner would get to the fog valley all by himself. Harold intended to stealthily follow behind him for safety¡¯s sake, so he could not just linger here.


    ¡¾¡±Clara.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..Yes?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If Colette tells you she¡¯s going to run after Liner, don¡¯t stop her.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Why? If the situation is as you described it, then as Colette¡¯s mother, it¡¯s impossible for me not to stop her, Harold-sama. ¡°]


    That was only natural.


    However, Harold could not just nod and agree here. If his persuasion failed, he would have no choice but to get Elu to incite Colette to follow Liner, but even then, Clara would be the one to become a barrier to Harold¡¯s plans.


    Hence, that¡¯s why he said that to her.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, like mother like daughter, huh? You both haven¡¯t changed at all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What are you talking ab-¡­..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m talking about how you always stupidly get caught in absolutely pointless worries.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t tell me you¡­ does that mean you intended to help that child from the beginning, Harold-sama¡­.?¡±]


    He did not plan to say that much, but in order to keep things on the same track as the game¡¯s story, he intended to offer as much support as he possibly could from the shadows. Perhaps this was Colette¡¯s highest chance for survival.


    If Justus¡¯ plans were to succeed, most people would die, therefore, being a part of the protagonist¡¯s party that spared no efforts to obstruct those plans, Colette would surely be able to find a way to escape from the jaws of death.


    ¡¾¡±Our talk ends here. You already know this, but, you better not tell anyone that I came here.¡±]


    With those parting words, Harold left the house.


    There were three hours remaining until the break of dawn.


    ¡ó


    Even though spring had passed and the weather had gotten warmer, the night wind still pierced the skin a little. It was too much for Colette, who had promptly rushed out in light clothes.


    However, she did not feel like going back to her house at all.


    ¡ºDepending on someone and relying on them is not the same thing.¡»


    ¡ºI thought you had experienced for yourself how helpless it feels to be weak. But if you¡¯re still going to choose a weakling¡¯s way of life despite that, then suit yourself. ¡»


    Harold¡¯s biting words were still echoing in her mind.


    His way of speaking made her feel angry. The fact that she could not answer back to him made her feel vexed. But, the feeling that overtook the rest was shame, for she had not grown up at all. She had been so satisfied with the status quo that she had not paid attention to Harold¡¯s advice. She regretted all those days she had wasted doing nothing.


    As she wondered why things had turned out this way, Colette endured the tears that were welling up in her eyes while looking up at the starry sky.


    Until the previous day, she had a modest life, however she was happy. She was with her dear mother, and with her close childhood friend, and she had no dissatisfaction or anxiety.


    In the blink of an eye, that daily life had crumbled to pieces. All she was left with was her helpless self, and her regret from not being able to do anything. Maybe this was what Harold was concerned about five years before.


    Powerless and aimless, Colette was just wandering about, walking totteringly. The memories of the times she spent with Liner were flooding her from everywhere. So far, they had been common and ordinary to her, but it was not until this situation came to be that Colette understood how important those memories really were.


    ¡¾¡±Oh? Is that Colette?¡±]


    Suddenly, the night wind carried a voice to Colette¡¯s ears. From the sound¡¯s direction appeared Elu, with the exact same smile that he had during the day.


    Colette came to herself, and realized that she had walked all the way to the west gate of the village. She did not remember how she got there.


    ¡¾¡±What brings you here so late at night? And why are you so lightly dressed?¡±](Elu)


    Colette could not possibly say that she had run away due to her own foolishness being pointed out.


    Since she didn¡¯t want to answer, she questioned Elu in return.


    ¡¾¡±Lots of things happened. What about you, Elu? What are you taking a horse for? Is something the matter¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, it¡¯s jut that some scary man came and woke me up earlier. He told me to sell him a new horse ¡¯cause he had ridden his own horse to its death.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A scary man?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. He was a man with red eyes, about as old as you are. He had a sharp glint in his eyes, and I just immediately sold him the horse without thinking.¡±]


    From Elu¡¯s description of the ¡°scary man¡±¡®s features, Colette knew who he was referring to. It was definitely Harold. And judging from his words and actions, it seemed like he had come to this village in a great hurry.


    Now, he was heading to the royal capital and¡­.


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    At that point, Colette noticed something odd. Why did Elu, who had sold the horse to Harold, not come from the east gate, which led to the royal capital, but came from the west gate, which led to the neighboring town?


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡±](Elu)


    Colette couldn¡¯t help but ask a question to Elu, who seemed puzzled.


    ¡¾¡±Say, Elu. Which way did the person you sold that horse to head to?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He went towards the west. Seemed like he was going to the neighboring town in a hurry. Maybe he had an emergency?¡±]


    But, why? That was the question and sentiment that swirled within Colette¡¯s mind.


    Harold had said that he would be returning to the royal capital. He had said that chasing after Trinity would be dangerous, and that he would not be able to get any results from it.


    So why did he head towards the neighboring town, that was in the complete opposite direction from the royal capital? Moreover, he was in such a hurry that he had woken up a peddler, who was sojourning in the village, in the middle of the night.


    (Don¡¯t tell me, to help Liner he¡­?)


    A convenient thought occurred to Colette. She believed there was no way that it was true since Harold had told her explicitly that he would not run after Liner.


    But Colette did not have enough elements in hand to actually deny that thought of hers.


    Moreover, at the same time, she recalled something. It was the story about the time Harold saved her and her mother, which Colette had heard many times from Clara.


    He had lied to his parents, had sheltered Clara in the dungeon, and at the same time, he arranged a meticulous plan.


    He also asked his father for a sword, and therefore received a large sum of money to go buy it, but he gave it to Clara and Colette instead, free of charge.


    Then, when his coachman told him that he would not be able to buy his sword without the money, Harold decisively said ¡°Are you an idiot? Just choose whatever cheap sword you can find and buy it¡±.


    As a result of all this, he was despised as a murder, but he accepted it and sacrificed himself so that people wouldn¡¯t know that Colette and her mother had survived.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I am really an idiot.¡±]


    Colette knew that his kindness was not upfront.


    She knew that his severity was just the inside out of his kindness.


    She knew from her own experience that he was an extraordinarily gentle person.


    She was supposed to know that when he lied, it was to save others, even if it hurt him, and yet¡­


    Hadn¡¯t he said that he would not chase after Liner? Then, why was he galloping his horse towards the opposite direction from the royal capital right now?


    Even the bad rumors about him were probably yet another thing that he just carried on his shoulders, because he was a man who would sully himself to help out someone else.


    When Colette thought back upon it, even that one time was the same.


    ¡ºI thought you had experienced for yourself how helpless it feels to be weak. But if you¡¯re still going to choose a weakling¡¯s way of life despite that, then suit yourself. ¡»


    There was a continuation to those words. After saying that, Harold had added¡ºI don¡¯t care, really. ¡». Colette had memorized that part word for word.


    And now, she was realizing that it was not true.


    (¡°I don¡¯t care, really¡±? That¡¯s a lie. Harold-sama has been caring for us for a long time¡­.)


    Although Harold had never personally visited her, Colette knew that a coachman would occasionally come to the village to examine the state of affairs there. It did not happen just once or twice, it was a regular occurrence.


    That man was most likely in charge of reporting to Harold about Colette and her mother¡¯s lifestyle.


    Perhaps Harold had a bad feeling about their situation and was therefore worried. Maybe that was why he spoke such harsh words after meeting them again.


    Colette was not able to notice that. On the contrary, although it was for just a moment, she had even felt angry at Harold for not helping Liner.


    Colette was submerged by shame, embarrassment, and regret that were incomparable to what she had felt earlier.


    While Harold was pushing himself so far, what was she doing? Getting depressed and cowering was pointless.


    She had to help Liner, and to live up to Harold¡¯s expectations.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D I¡¯m going after him.¡±]


    Colette retraced her steps to the house so as to pick up some items she was going to need.


    At that moment, her back was struck by Elu¡¯s voice.


    ¡¾¡±You want to chase after that scary man?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Isn¡¯t it kind of impossible to catch up to someone ridding a horse by running on foot?¡±]


    That was a very pragmatic and correct judgment.


    But it was nothing more than that. Even if she was being absurd and unreasonable, Colette no longer had a reason within her to stop her feet. She felt that, if she were to give up here, it would be the true end of something important.


    ¡¾¡±Even so, I¡¯m going.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? By the way, I¡¯m just speaking to myself here, but that scary person was in too much of a hurry and gave me some extra money by mistake. Specifically, he gave me two horses¡¯ worth. So I pointlessly prepared one horse too many for him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±However, if I just go back as is with that amount of money on me, uncle might suspect that I¡¯ve deceived a customer, so I¡¯m keeping the remaining horse here. Somebody might end up taking it, but it can¡¯t be helped. Anyway, I made a good amount of money selling two of them so¡­¡±]


    Yes, yes, it can¡¯t be helped, it just can¡¯t be helped.


    While repeating such words in a monotone way, Elu left towards the direction of the inn he was staying at. Colette, who was still in her pajamas, was left there all alone with a fast horse that was tied to a gatepost.


    Colette lowered her head towards Elu who was in the process of leaving.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you, Elu.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t have the slightest idea what you¡¯re thanking me for, but I will still gratefully accept your words, I guess.¡±]


    Seeing Elu shrug his shoulders in an excessively unnatural way, Colette unintentionally let a giggle escape from her. The tied horse also let air out from his nostrils, as if it had understood the exchange between the two of them.


    There were two hours remaining until dawn.


    Translator¡¯s note: Congratulations for reading all this! Next chapter we¡¯ll see Elu¡¯s part in all this, and what he thinks of it¡­. or maybe she? Really, this gender thing is pretty confusing ><


    And while I¡¯m at it, I¡¯d like to thank all the new Patrons, Evan. N, Abyss. K, Dan. S, Moh. I, Mihaw. K, and Dago. A, Thanks a lot for your support everyone! Naturally, as always, I¡¯d also like to thank all the other older Patrons!


    Have a wonderful day everyone ?

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    Inside the rattling and shaking carriage, Elu seemed to be absent-minded. However, he was actually thinking about what could be the intentions behind Harold¡¯s actions, with the numerous information he had obtained thus far.


    Perhaps Harold¡¯s aim was to get Colette and Liner to attain back the sword that was stolen under Harrison¡¯s orders. Moreover, guessing from Harold¡¯s actions, it was very likely that Colette and Liner necessarily had to be together as a set. Otherwise, he probably would not have taken on so many troublesome measures.


    At worst, he could have just given up on Colette, who was hesitating, and could have made someone from Frieri accompany Liner and act the part of being his comrade. However, from the beginning, Harold did not seem to have taken that option into account.


    Was it necessary to have those two people together? Or was Colette, in particular, absolutely needed? Elu didn¡¯t know the answer, but he figured that both of these answers were close to the truth.


    That idea was backed up by the words that Harold had said before. He knew that Colette and Liner were in the Bloche village. Furthermore, based on Colette and Harold¡¯s respective reactions, they definitely already knew each other.


    Perhaps Harold was even acquainted with Liner.


    With all that, a certain question naturally came to Elu¡¯s mind. Did Harold get them to chase after him because he already knew them, or¡­


    ¨D¨D Did Harold get acquainted with them just so that he could get them to chase after him now?


    Elu didn¡¯t know about Liner and Colette¡¯s circumstances, nor did he know about the relationship between them and Harold, so this was nothing more than a mere speculation.


    Elu¡¯s personal subjective opinion told him that there was nothing special at all about Liner and Colette. They seemed like just a simple boy and girl from the countryside that could be found anywhere. That was the impression they had given him.


    However, in the end, that impression was overturned.


    Elu didn¡¯t know what Colette was told by Harold. But, when she decided that she was going to run after Liner, there was a great sense of determination within her eyes. Though just for a brief moment, Elu was swallowed up by the assertive atmosphere emitted by her.


    Elu had seen many great and valorous people, so he understood. That kind of atmosphere was held only by people with a hero¡¯s disposition, who had special, natural talents. There was no way something like that would come from any ordinary girl.


    Therefore, Elu was thinking that there was something peculiar about Colette. Moreover, Harold likely knew that as well. Perhaps he had already known for a long time.


    Elu had also been curious about Harold and Colette¡¯s past. Yet that past came out to light much more easily than Elu had expected.


    The reason for that was simple; it was because the Bloche village was adjacent to the territory occupied by the Stokes household which Harold belonged to. As soon as Elu started investigating, using the Frieri personnel that wasn¡¯t busy and the Giffelt¡¯s information network, the answer to his question came to light.


    It was so easy that Elu wondered whether Harold really had any desire to conceal it. But anyway, the relationship between the two was clear; one had saved the other¡¯s life, therefore making him the other¡¯s benefactor.


    Eight years prior, Harold had killed Clara and her daughter, who were his servants at the time, with his own hands¡­¡­ That was what was said among the Stokes territory¡¯s populace. However, that was naturally not the truth.


    This was the case, since the mother and daughter are currently alive.


    When Elu had said that the outfits of the burglars who broke into Liner¡¯s house made them seem quite similar to Harold, a scoundrel he had heard about from rumors, Colette had strongly denied it, saying that he was not such a person. Then she tried to take back her words, claiming she didn¡¯t know him.


    Moreover, the expression she had immediately after that, showed that she had made a blunder. Thus, from all this, Elu could infer that Colette was in a position where she had to conceal the fact that Harold had saved her.


    Harold had probably strictly ordered her to do so. Due to this, Harold was made to burden himself with the infamy of being a murderer. Perhaps this could be said to be the starting point of the many bad rumors concerning him.


    Furthermore, there was no evidence that Harold had ever denied the false gossips. That man, with his massive pride, had probably accepted the unreasonable false charges so as to keep the survival of the mother and daughter a secret, no matter what it took. He likely did that to allow them to escape from the Stokes territory, to a place of his choosing where nobody knew them.


    Elu could think of several other reasons for what Harold had done, but his attention was focused on what came afterwards, in the mother and daughter¡¯s lives.


    They were a fatherless family with only females. At that time, Clara¡¯s life was saved but she had lost her job and Colette was still a nine-year-old child who could not work. Economically, they should have been in quite a distress.


    However, currently, although they had modest lives, they were not living in poverty. Though it was just a small bungalow, they were still properly living in their own, bought, detached house. Indeed, their house was not rented, they had bought it. Moreover, it was with a single payment, immediately after they came to this village.


    Had Clara been her employer¡¯s exclusive attendant, this would be another story; however, the earnings of an underservant like her were insignificant. She could not really have been said to be scraping by, but it would have been extremely difficult for her to purchase her own detached house with a single payment by just using her personal savings.


    So, where did those two get the funds to buy the house? It was pretty clear that Harold was deeply involved with the situation.


    In short, Harold likely had saved Colette and Clara¡¯s lives, and, while shouldering the false charges of murder, had given them enough capital that they would not have trouble making ends meet. Helping others by sacrificing himself, that behavior was worlds apart from his usual impudence.


    No matter what Harold¡¯s real intent was, for him, helping Colette and Clara was worth it.


    If that was because Harold had already seen through Colette¡¯s natural talents at the time, then¡­


    As Elu¡¯s thoughts arrived there, he felt shivers running down his spine.


    When he was ten years old, Harold had estimated what was going to happen eight years later, and had therefore helped Clara and Colette in preparation for the current situation; that was the absurd supposition that crossed Elu¡¯s mind.


    No matter what, Harold could not just make people and things move as he wished. However, considering Harold¡¯s behavior, Elu could not deny that supposition. The reason he thought that was because this was not the only time that Harold had seen too far ahead in the future when taking action.


    When Elu thought back upon it, there were other suspicious parts in Harold¡¯s history. The most conspicuous one was in the Beltiz forest¡¯s battle.


    The Sarian Empire had crossed the mountains and penetrated into the Liber kingdom¡¯s territory, causing a tragedy that combined a total of over 100 casualties from both the knight order and the local citizens, who were the stellar tribe. In that battle, Harold was put under suspicion of being a spy and had been imprisoned.


    As for why he was suspected, it was because he was dressed in the service uniform of an enemy nation, the Sarian Empire.


    However, though this information was not made public, during the Beltiz forest¡¯s battle, Harold brought down a major general of the empire¡¯s army, Ritzert, the magician. If Harold really was a spy of the imperial army, there was no way he would have done that.


    So, if for argument¡¯s sake Harold was not a spy of the empire, then maybe he had actually disguised himself as the empire¡¯s troops so as to make the knight order clearly aware of who their enemy was in the battle. In fact, according to Cody, who was Harold¡¯s superior officer in the knight order, Harold¡¯s actions had played a major role in limiting the damages on the order¡¯s troops.


    Then, what if, from the beginning, Harold¡¯s purpose in disguising in the imperial army¡¯s uniform was to cause a disturbance in the battlefield and to defeat Ritzert?


    That would mean Harold had perceived the imperial army¡¯s raid before it had even happened. Ordinarily, Elu would just be surprised and think ¡°He has one great information network¡±. However, Harold was not ordinary. Moreover, in order to accomplish all this, he had to accomplish the precondition of belonging to the knight order.


    What had to be kept in mind here was that Harold was under the established age limit for joining the knight order at the time; he was barely 13 years old, which made him the youngest person to ever come knocking on the order¡¯s doors. This situation could not have happened unless there was a clear intention behind Harold¡¯s actions.


    If all along his purpose in joining the knight order was to participate in the battle of Beltiz forest, then just when had Harold started preparing himself?


    No matter how talented he was, it would have taken him more than a year or two in order to acquire the ability to join the knight order at the age of 13.


    In other words, he might have known for years that the battle was going to happen. Furthermore, before the moment of the attack, there were absolutely no signs that the battle would occur.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Yeah, as if. I guess I¡¯m thinking too much after all.¡±]


    Elu unintentionally let these words come out in response to his own thoughts. If his absurd hypothesis were true, then this would no longer be on the scale of what excellent planning and a superior intelligence network could do.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s impossible¡±, though the murmur with subtle meanings escaped from Elu, his tone of voice was so thin that even he was surprised.


    That was because Elu¡¯s biggest questions regarding Harold still remained.


    The first question was how could Harold confidently declare that Elu was Giffelt while he had not given him any information? Elu had his doubts about this, but he could still somehow understand the situation if he had been tricked into revealing himself by some leading question.


    However, thinking about it normally, it should have been impossible for Harold to hit on the truth after a day or two from the very few conversations he had with Elu.


    The other question Elu had was about Harold¡¯s knowledge concerning the star memory. While it connected the lives of many clans, those who were given the name ¡°Giffelt¡± had been pursuing it for several hundreds of years; this star was ¡°something¡± that contained all things of nature within. What it might look like, or even what it might be, was completely unknown. The star was the truth of this world.


    It was no exaggeration to say that the Giffelt organization was formed for the sake of obtaining the star memory. Yet Harold knew of its existence all along and perhaps he even knew where it was located.


    But if Harold did know, then that would mean he knew much more than he should.


    About Giffelt, the star memory, the occurrence of that unpredictable battle, about how Harrison was going to order him to collect treasures, including that treasured sword; and perhaps, there were even more things that were awaiting in the future.


    In view of how Colette¡¯s actions this time had not met with Harold¡¯s assumptions, and based on how he was struggling to deal with Justus, one could assume that that ability of his was by no means perfect.


    It was likely limited. However, even if it was limited, it was still possible that Harold had it.


    ¡¾¡±The power to see the future ¨D¨D Precognition.¡±]


    In his own carriage, Elu finally said the words.


    If he were to say that to someone, he would likely be scornfully laughed at. If he was told that this was just a forced and distorted reasoning he made, so as to find an explanation to the situation, then Elu would not be able to show any proof of the contrary.


    However, the more he knew about Harold¡¯s actions, the more he became unable to deny this theory of his. Moreover, he just could not help himself from thinking like this.


    Thus, he wondered; if his idea was correct, then how far ahead in the future could Harold see? What was he trying to accomplish with that power?


    Translator¡¯s notes: Well, I know you might think Elu¡¯s deduction is over the top, but Harold did screw up a little too much with a knowledge that he wasn¡¯t supposed to have, and Elu is awesome too, so there is that >< Next Chapter we¡¯ll see Liner¡¯s side of things, for the first time, I think? I don¡¯t remember any Liner POVs, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I like that we get to see his point of view for once ? (I know, you¡¯re all missing Erica, but¡­ blame the author ><)


    Also, I¡¯d like to thank all the new Patrons for supporting the translations, Paween. H, Junior. H, and Hermes. Q! Naturally, all the other Patrons have my sincere thanks as well!


    Good day everyone ?

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    (Liner¡¯s pov)


    ¡¾¡±Damn it, I can¡¯t see ahead¡­!¡±]


    Unable to see even a few meters ahead, Liner cursed at the poor view that was hindered by both the night¡¯s darkness and thick fog.


    The previous day, he had dashed out from Bloche village around noon and had taken almost no breaks till he entered the fog valley. As for why he went there, it was due to a conversation he had overheard from two men who were sitting next to each other at a diner that Liner had gone to, due to having felt some hunger on the way.


    ¡ºWhat was the deal with those suspicious people dressed all in black earlier?¡»


    ¡ºWho knows? Still, they were going to pass through the fog valley apparently, that¡¯s quite unusual at this time of the day. ¡»


    Suspicious people dressed all in black. Upon hearing those keywords, Liner gave up on his meal, and as if flaring up at them, he forcefully asked the two men about those people.


    Maybe due to how forcefully Liner asked them, the men were slightly shaken, but they still did answer his questions.


    About an hour prior, just before sunset, they had seen two people dressed in black robes enter the fog valley; that was all the two men had to say.


    The fog valley, as its name implied, was a valley shrouded by fog. There, even in the middle of the day, one¡¯s field of vision would be limited to a few meters ahead. Obviously, after sunset, the valley was dominated by a complete darkness that even the light of the moon could not penetrate through, regardless of any fog. Moreover, it was a rocky peak which made it difficult to walk through. No one would ever go there at night.


    After hearing that story, Liner immediately dashed out of the diner. Of course, he was heading towards the fog valley.


    He had no solid proof, but, given the situation and timing of it happening, it was highly likely that those two people were the criminals Liner was looking for.


    Thus, Liner recklessly rushed ahead and managed to turn up at the fog valley as the night¡¯s veil of darkness was coming down, but due to the bad field of vision he had and the uneven ground, this was going to take him some time whether he liked it or not. With that, by the time the sun started to rise, Liner¡¯s legs were slowing down due to the accumulated fatigue that came from having kept walking all throughout the night.


    Feeling naturally tired, Liner sat down on a nearby rock to catch his breath.


    While repeatedly taking deep breaths, Liner was thinking about just how long it would take him to catch up to the criminals.


    Based on the talk Liner had with the two men in the diner, the pair of criminals had entered the fog valley one or two hours before him. So he had thought that if he hurried ahead and didn¡¯t take any breaks, he would immediately catch up to them, yet even though he had been walking without any rest so far, he had not gotten a glimpse of anyone.


    Therefore, Liner decided to lay down on the rock that was under him. If he did not get a small break soon, he would have no stamina left.


    This was a very peaceful place; aside from Liner¡¯s own disturbed respiration and heartbeat, there were no sounds to be heard.


    As he inhaled the clear air of the early morning, Liner¡¯s heart gradually calmed down. That was not limited to his heartbeat and respiration, for it also included some of his emotions, such as his anger and anxiety.


    By no means did he start feeling like forgiving the people who stole the sword from him. However, he felt that the impatience he had been holding onto for a while had now declined, to some extent.


    (Right, I don¡¯t have to be impatient. I am definitely getting closer to them.)


    Liner would sometimes be warned by his parents during his usual fencing training sessions about how he let the blood rush to his head too easily.


    It was a bad habit that made him concentrate on one thing and ignore everything else around him. Thought it was not bad thing in a fair, one-on-one battle, it could make him expose a fatal gap in his defense when taking on multiple opponents at once.


    Hence why his parents had instructed him to broaden his field of view, and for that purpose they were always telling him, over and over again, to keep his mind steady.


    Clearly, keeping control over the mind was not a good field for Liner. However, that also meant that if he could overcome this weakness, he would be able to become stronger.


    That was what Liner believed, therefore, whenever he felt his mind was excited or in disorder, he would engage in a spiritual training that he was not fond of, so as to calm his mind by his own will in order to be able to fight without any sort of hesitation weighing on his spirit.


    Liner believed this was the right attitude to have. However, by nature, human beings had fortes and weak points, and one could not overcome them so easily.


    Suddenly, Liner noticed his consciousness returning. This implied that, before he came to, his consciousness had actually faded away.


    Liner felt like the sun was quite high up. He could not see the sky as it was obstructed by the thick fog, but he could still roughly tell the sun¡¯s position thanks to the glimpses of light that somehow pierced through the fog. The sun, which was supposed to have merely started its rise a little while ago, was much higher than it should.


    ¡¾¡±¡­. this is bad! I fell asleep for a moment there!¡±]


    This was largely due to the fatigue Liner had accumulated. The clear air was not free of guilt either, as it lured Liner to sleep and allowed him to ignore the lack of comfort of his rocky bed.


    However, the biggest reason was Liner¡¯s total lack of control over his mind which got him to doze off whenever he tried too hard to calm down. Still, given how he was able to fall asleep in his current situation, it could at least not be denied that he had nerves of steel.


    Liner jumped up with great vigor from his sleeping spot. Though he did not have any sense of time, from the surrounding air, he guessed, wishfully, that it was still around the early morning.


    I¡¯ve probably been asleep for only a few dozen minutes, and at the very worst, it shouldn¡¯t have been more than an hour, right? Liner wondered. At any rate, he had taken an unexpectedly long break. It would have been bad if he didn¡¯t get back to his pursuit immediately.


    While seriously reflecting on his mistakes, Liner quickened his pace.


    Still, he felt like his unexpected overstay was not a bad thing at all, even though this was just an after-thought. His body had rested for a moderate time, and although the night had already come to an end, it was still dim at that time, so his eyes had to get used to the darkness for him to be able to traverse the valley. But now, the sun had completely risen, and the only hindrance left was the thick fog, which made Liner feel like it was easy to walk forward. Actually, his field of view was still pretty narrow, but as it became brighter, he could rely on his sight more and more.


    Then, a little while after resuming his pursuit, Liner finally found the people he was looking for.


    He suppressed his impulse of dashing at them immediately, and he hid behind a rock to observe the situation. The fog was still pretty dense, but by concentrating his eyes, Liner managed to confirm that those people were a duo. However, he didn¡¯t know whether they had the box that contained his treasured sword or not.


    While being careful not to make any sound with his feet, Liner reduced the distance between him and the two people.


    As for them, they did not show any signs of movement. They did not seem to be talking to each other either. Perhaps they were taking a break, just like Liner did.


    (In that case, I might be able to take them by surprise and take back what¡¯s mine.)


    Liner concealedly adjusted his breathing. Then, the moment the state of his body and mind coincided, he rushed out of his hiding spot without any hesitation.


    He immediately dashed at a speed that made him unable to feel the rocky ground beneath his feet. When there were only a few meters remaining between him and the enemies, they finally sensed his presence and started moving.


    One of them was wielding a long spear, there was no mistaking that. Liner accelerated his pace even more.


    He had the opportunity to make the first move.


    (I¡¯ve got to crush the distance between us and get close to the enemy with the long-ranged weapon!)


    Liner faithfully applied his parents¡¯ teachings and moved to attack at a distance from which the man with the spear could not use his weapon properly.


    However, this was no ordinary opponent; he completely parried Liner¡¯s surprise attack that could not be said to be perfect. He had used the solid shaft of his spear to catch the slash of Liner¡¯s sword.


    If Liner were to stop his attack here, he would be defeated. The battle from that night had been burned in Liner¡¯s eyes, and he knew that the abilities of his current opponents were above his own. Moreover, they had the advantage in numbers.


    Liner¡¯s only real chance of winning was to settle things before the enemies could make use of their superior abilities. Hence, he went with a surprise attack.


    Liner put all his weight into his sword so as to cut into the shaft of the enemy¡¯s spear. The spear-wielder stayed his feet without warding off Liner¡¯s power, and he changed his stance to face Liner in a contest of strength.


    What Liner did was only natural. There was one other enemy to worry about, and if Liner could just take advantage of these few seconds, he would get to attack said enemy while he was was still defenseless. But before that, Liner had to render the spear wielder powerless.


    Liner kept putting strength into his sword, and with his right leg, he kicked the spearhandle as hard as he could.


    The spear suffered damage from Liner¡¯s strength and from the spear wielder¡¯s strength that came to counter it from the other side. Then, Liner¡¯s kick had also struck there. As great force was accumulated on both of its sides, the spear broke in half.


    Perhaps because he had not imagined this situation would happen, the opponent¡¯s body was stiff. Liner did not overlook that chance, and he kept the uninterrupted flow of his right leg¡¯s kick going right up to the man¡¯s face.


    The kick had lost almost all of its strength when it hit the spear. Liner could not expect any damages to be made.


    However, the man who was kicked had slid his body to Liner¡¯s left. Liner, on the other hand, fled to the right, to separate himself from the man. This was also aimed at taking some distance from the dual-sword wielder who was approaching from the left as well. The spear wielder staggered, and the speed of the dual-sword wielder was somewhat lowered as he had to change the direction he was heading at. So, he took a detour and charged once again.


    This made the dual-sword wielder lose maybe less than a second. However, that was enough for Liner to prepare himself.


    ¡¾¡±Dragon fire, Hiryu!¡±]


    A crimson dragon manifested itself from the sword that Liner was wielding. It was a high temperature flame in the shape of a dragon, and it swallowed the dual-sword wielder whole¡­. or rather, that¡¯s what seemed to have happened.


    ¡¾¡±As expected, it¡¯s not going to be that easy¡­¡±]


    Jump; that was all the opponent did. However, that alone was enough for the dual-sword wielder to avoid the Dragon Fire at the last moment.


    That dual-sword wielder was faster than Liner and could use many elaborate moves, too. Were he to approach, it would become almost impossible for Liner to defend himself.


    Therefore, Liner did not let the opponent come near him, and he was fighting him from a distance. That was also why Liner had used the longest ranged attack that he could currently use. The truth was that, if possible, Liner had wanted to corner the enemy and to make him unable to fight with that blow.


    In a fight, accounting for one¡¯s distance from the enemy was extremely important. If someone fought at a distance that fit him, it could allow him to overcome a difference in abilities and it could be a deciding factor between victory and defeat in a battle.


    Therefore, in order to crush all his opponents, Liner was trying to erase the advantages that both the spear wielder and the dual-sword wielder respectively had.


    However, the reality did not fit Liner¡¯s expectations. The opponent was able to avoid his dragon fire, and was now ready to retaliate.


    He had made the other opponent¡¯s spear unusable, but even so, if he was attacked head-on by the dual-sword wielder all by himself, it would still be a heavy load to bear for Liner.


    Moreover, even now, the stolen sword was still in the hands of the enemies.


    It was impossible to win for Liner.


    But those chilling thoughts were drowned on the spot by him, who had a disproportionate smile on his face.


    He recalled a day from five years ago. On that day, he suffered a complete defeat for the very first time in his life, excluding the bouts he had with his parents, it was someone close to his age at that.


    He was extremely vexed. Thus, he had promised himself that he would absolutely get his revenge some day.


    Since then, catching up to him, to his rival Harold, had always been Liner¡¯s objective.


    ¡¾¡±Compared to Harold, this guy¡¯s speed is pretty slow! ¡°]


    In his fight with him five years ago, Liner had witnessed a much faster speed from Harold. Harold was also stronger than the dual-sword wielder.


    In his mind, Liner pictured the image of Harold, the man he was constantly chasing after.


    His next objective after this was to gain victory against Harold. So as to be on par with him, who was his rival and friend.


    ¡¾¡±Am I going to be defeated here? Harold is going to ridicule me if that happens!¡±]


    Five years had passed, and Harold had surely become stronger. How am I ever going to win against Harold if I can not defeat the enemy in front of me? Thought Liner, so as to encourage himself.


    That was enough for Liner¡¯s power to surge from deep within his body.


    He was going to win, and get back his sword.


    With such intentions in his eyes, Liner fearlessly confronted the opponent that was blocking the way in front of him. For now, he took a small breath, and shouted.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go!¡±]


    Liner¡¯s shout resounded all throughout the valley that was covered in a thick fog.


    Translator¡¯s note: Liner seems like a fine fella to me, what do you think? Pretty sure many people hate him, but try to give him a chance >< Next chapter we¡¯ll be seeing the fight and the Harold of it all, do look forward to it! ?


    Also, I¡¯d like to thank Ornali and Deluxe for their recent pledges, thanks a lot for the support! ?  And naturally, thank you to every other Patron as well!


    Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone ?

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    As he watched the violent fight unfold, Harold was drilling his feet to the ground as they seemed like they were somehow going to rush out. ¡°Still not here, huh?¡± Thought Harold impatiently, as he prayed for Liner¡¯s safety while wishing he would be able to hold on a little longer.


    It had been five years since Harold had last seen Liner fight, but in his present condition, Liner was still one step behind Lilium and Ventus. Rather, it was better to say that Liner was already doing well for being able to take on the two of them so far.


    Even so, he could not win. The difference in ability between Liner and his opponents was gradually becoming clearer.


    The reason Liner was somehow able to hold on was because both of his opponents had a short reach, due to Lilium¡¯s fighting style, and to Ventus¡¯ spear being broken.


    Perhaps having seen that he could not win in close combat, he was focusing mostly on long-range attacks. This was a fancy way of fighting that could not have been expected from the reckless Liner of the game¡¯s story.  Harold knew that Liner was currently giving his everything.


    However, Liner could not do anything more than that. It was possible for him to fight a good fight, but victory was out of his reach. He might have been the protagonist of the original story, but if he was too lacking, if he was too weak, then defeat was still the inevitable conclusion for him.


    However, conversely, if his lack of ability could be dealt with, if he were strong enough, then he would be able to win; and Harold knew exactly what Liner needed for that.


    That was why he had led her here. The piece that would help usher Liner to victory.


    (Right on time!)


    As if cutting through the heavy fog, she ¨D¨D Colette appeared and went to confront Lilium with perfect timing. Having confirmed that, Harold, who was still in hiding, tightly clenched his right hand.


    ¡ó


    When Liner thought he was done for, a voice that should not have been here reached his ears.


    ¡¾¡±Yaaah!¡±]


    He heard a yell, a whoosh, and the sound of a metallic clank. It took Liner some time to understand what had happened.


    Then, when he got a grasp on the situation, what followed was a feeling of astonishment.


    ¡¾¡±Colette?! Why are you¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Liner, I came to help!¡±]


    With a pair of tonfas on both of her arms, Colette had taken a stance in front of the duo of criminals without any sign of hesitation. From behind Colette, Liner could feel an overflowing determination that he had never seen before.


    Apparently, using her tonfas, Colette had repelled the twin swords that were coming for Liner. While the opponents had taken barely any damage, they seemed to be vigilant due to Colette¡¯s sudden appearance.


    Using that chance, Liner started talking.


    ¡¾¡±You came to help? But I thought you were afraid.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, I was. And I still am.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But even more than that, I don¡¯t want to lose you, Liner. So, even though I¡¯m scared, I¡¯ve decided to fight.¡±]


    Though Colette¡¯s voice was trembling a little, Liner could not feel any hesitation in her words.


    ¡¾¡±Liner, you said you¡¯d protect me, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­yeah.¡±](Liner)


    What Colette was referring to was the promise Liner had made to her when the two of them had just met. When Liner had just met her, Colette was afraid of strangers, was very bad at making friends, and was always frightened by something or the other. Liner could not stand seeing her like that, and had therefore made that promise to cheer her up.


    Yet, currently, Liner was the one who was being protected. That situation made him feel embarrassed and ashamed, hence why he had a hard time enunciating his short answer.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve been depending too much on that promise. I knew you¡¯d take care of protecting me if you were there, and I didn¡¯t think of doing it myself¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Liner.¡±](Colette)


    Colette¡¯s voice was still trembling, maybe out of fear of the enemies in front of her, or maybe it was out of regret from her past behavior.


    Even so, in a loud voice, she made an oath.


    ¡¾¡±Therefore, I¡¯ll also protect you, Liner. Say goodbye to the old me who only depended on others!¡±]


    Seeing her like that, Liner was bewildered, he wondered if this was really Colette.


    Though she often showed a firm side to her when she warned Liner regarding his rash behavior, the real cause behind that was actually fear, a fear that came from wanting to avoid any reckless actions being taken. Colette had a personality that did not think well of change and danger.


    Liner did not know the reason for that, but he figured it might have been related to the bygone days when she was young and had moved to the village after her life was put in danger.


    She hoped to keep the peaceful status quo and she would always completely keep away from any sign of turbulence or danger. That was the girl called Colette that Liner knew.


    Yet, she was now standing before the enemies, with weapons in her hands. Just like she had said, she was trying to protect Liner.


    However, looking closely, her body was faintly shaking.


    It¡¯s only natural, thought Liner. Colette had also been taught how to fight alongside Liner by Liner¡¯s parents for the sake of self-defense. She was praised as being quite talented, and indeed, she was certainly not lacking in talent and power. After Liner, she was likely the strongest person in the village.


    However, her being able to show those capabilities in a real battle was another story. While Colette would show considerable strength in training and in friendly bouts, when it came to fighting monsters, her strength would decline and she would find herself unable to attack properly. Liner¡¯s mother, Leona, had said that Colette¡¯s fear of fighting, getting wounds or dying was acting as a limiter on her movements.


    She was that fainthearted, and she could not possibly be unafraid of facing an enemy stronger than herself. Nevertheless, she had pushed her fear away and had come this far just to save Liner.


    Power circulated everywhere through Liner¡¯s body. He motivated himself by telling himself that he would not be a man if he did not stand up in this situation.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Then, I¡¯ll leave my back to you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And I¡¯ll be protecting your back too!¡±]


    Liner was still at a disadvantage in the battle.


    However, strangely, just because Colette was next to him, he did not feel like losing at all. An uplifting sensation he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time was welling up within him. The last time this happened was in his fight against Harold in the tournament.


    With fleeting sidelong glances, Liner and Colette confirmed each other¡¯s presence and nodded silently. Using that as a signal, Liner was the first one to dash ahead.


    ¡¾¡±Dragon fire, Hiryu!¡±]


    He once again fired a dragon-shaped flame. However, his attack was different from the one earlier for it was not aimed at the enemies.


    He had aimed at the space between the two opponents. His fire dragon attacked right in the middle of said space. The criminals both evaded the attack, the dual sword wielder to the left, and the spear wielder to the right. Liner¡¯s aim was to push them away from each other like so.


    Not missing that chance, Colette and Liner went right after the dual-sword wielder, in a straight line.


    The spear wielder¡¯s weapon was broken and he was burdened with the task of carrying the stolen sword. As for the dual-wielder, he could still fight perfectly fine. Normally, one would likely aim for the former rather than the latter. But what Liner was thinking was that, if he and Colette could defeat the dual sword wielder, then it would be their win.


    Looking only at the numbers, both sides were an equal match, with two people against two. However, both of the enemies were stronger than Colette and Liner, so attacking them directly would most likely only lead to defeat.


    But by turning the situation into a two against one, they would be able to defeat the dual sword wielder first. Then, only the spear wielder would remain, he did have some power but his weapon was broken and his speed was inferior to Liner¡¯s. So, in that turn of events, Liner would have a higher chance to take back his sword.


    ¡¾¡±Ha!¡±]


    Liner¡¯s sword flashed ahead in an attempt to hit the enemy right from the front. The opponent took a step back to dodge, but immediately after, Colette passed by Liner, approached closer while rotating on herself to raise her own speed, and swung her tonfas at that dual-sword wielder.


    A shrill noise resounded. As they met with the enemy¡¯s two swords, Colette¡¯s tonfas were blocked.


    However, in doing so, the dual sword wielder¡¯s body was sent flying away. This was because, in addition to the attack¡¯s power, the dual sword wielder had leaped behind to kill the attack¡¯s momentum, having assessed that his weapons would be destroyed if he were to take that blow up-front.


    While he was still in the air, the enemy could not possibly make use of his superior speed. To be done with the enemy¡¯s evading tactics once and for all, Liner made use of his strongest attack, which he took pride in.


    ¡¾¡±Heaven¡¯s roar, Ten Shou Hoko!¡±]


    The sword was swung at such a speed that it left an afterimage. Though the dual-sword wielders¡¯ weapons were smashed up as a result, the real value of this attack came after.


    The sword¡¯s high-speed swing generated a shock wave akin to an actual roar that attacked the opponent. Unable to resist, the enemy was pushed back by the pressure, to then be blown away. At the end of his short flight, he hit his back on a rock and collapsed on the spot.


    It seemed like he had passed out and it was unlikely that he would be getting back into the fight any time soon.


    ¡¾¡±Careful, Liner!¡±]


    However, Liner had no time to take a breath of relief as Colette warned him with a sharp voice. A broken spear¡¯s violent thrust was coming at him from behind.


    With that speed, Liner instinctively realized that he could not avoid the attack. Moreover, he had a hard time figuring out the right timing to. That was when Colette came in.


    Using her tonfas, she repelled the spike from the side and slightly deflected its trajectory. Together with a thunderous sound, the spike grazed Liner¡¯s ear. However, without flinching from that attack, Liner took a step ahead to shorten the distance and took on the rear of the spear wielder.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll be taking this back!¡±]


    Due to the speed of his thrust which was evaded, the spear wielder¡¯s balance was destroyed. Then, Liner took the box of his treasured sword which was hanging on the man¡¯s back.


    He felt its heavy weight in his hands. This was the proof that his parents, who were very strict when it came to swordsmanship, had acknowledged his growth. For Liner, that symbolic meaning was more important than the sword itself, and he could not surrender it.


    That¡¯s the reason why he absolutely wanted to get the sword back. Thus, the moment he recovered the sword, he was fatally careless.


    The weight in his hands suddenly disappeared. It was too abrupt, so much so that Liner could not immediately understand what had just happened. He thought he had dropped it, but that was not it. He had not felt it fall, nor had he heard the sound of it dropping down.


    Moreover, from behind him, he felt the pressure from someone who had not been here up to now as far as he knew.


    Liner instantly turned his head around. There, was someone who was concealing his face and was dressed in a black robe similar to the robes of the spear wielder and dual sword user from before. No matter how one looked at him, that person seemed like the enemies¡¯ comrade, and in his hands was the sword that Liner had taken back just some time ago.


    ¡¾¡±Who, who are you? Give that back!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Although Liner took a stance and threatened him with his sword, the other party did not show any reaction. Rather, the man passed the sword to the spear wielder as if he had not heard anything. Thereupon, the spear wielder threw away his weapon, he carried the sword¡¯s box and the dual-sword wielder who could still not move, and he escaped, vanishing within the valley¡¯s thick fog.


    ¡¾¡±Wait!¡±]


    Though Liner tried to chase after him, the third opponent was still standing in his and Colette¡¯s way.


    That same opponent slowly drew a sword that was sheathed by his waist, as if to show it off. It was a plain long sword that could likely be bought from any weapon shop.


    However, to the two people facing him, the sword appeared like an extremely wicked and dangerous weapon. Liner realized that this was not due to the long sword but to the one holding it.


    Without having to fight the duo, he had made them understand that he was on a whole other level. Not to mention Colette and Liner, even the two criminals they had been fighting earlier could not compare to the pressure released by the long-sword wielder.


    (Can we win against him¡­?)


    Liner could still feel that uplifting sensation from earlier in his body. However, even with that, he could not picture himself winning against the long-sword wielder at all.


    Liner had sweat flowing out from his whole body, and at the moment he and Colette were pressured to the point of losing their nerves¡­ The long sword wielder was already standing behind the two of them.


    ¡¾¡±Wha¡­!¡±]


    While they did not understand why he had done that, the duo promptly took some distance away from him.


    However, even though their defense was full of gaps, the long sword wielder did not go after them to attack them, nor had he made any moves against their exposed backs before. It seemed like he was telling them that he could easily kill them whenever he wanted.


    Such a difference in ability was not something that could easily be overcome. Liner could somehow bear with this using his fighting spirit which had almost ran out, but even so, feeling that his life was in a real crisis for the first time, he could not get his body to move as he wanted.


    If he chose to survive, Liner would likely have no choice other than to escape. However, that would mean giving up on the sword, moreover, there was no guarantee that he would be able to run away either. Therefore, he made a bitter decision.


    ¡¾¡±Colette, you have to run away.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?! What about you?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll keep him busy.]


    Liner had judged that the very best scenario would be if he managed to allow Colette to escape by herself. The problem was, how long would he be able to hold onto that opponent¡¯s attention and delay him?


    ¡¾¡±I can¡¯t just leave you!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine, just run away already!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No!¡±]


    While the two friends quarreled, the long sword wielder who had been carefully watching the situation finally made a move.


    His body soared into the air like it was being pulled by strings as he jumped backwards. Then, he got down on top of a rock, and he disappeared once again.


    Thinking he was behind them again, the duo simultaneously looked over their shoulders, but there were no signs of the enemy there. As the two were getting perplexed over the enemy¡¯s position, they started hearing several, consecutive noises of falling stones in their surroundings. The sounds showed no signs of settling down; rather, as they kept repeating over and over again, the intervals between them were getting shorter.


    The visibility was certainly bad due to the thick fog, however, even if not for that, the enemy¡¯s speed would still be too fast for Liner and Colette to follow with their eyes.


    Indeed, this was just like the time Liner had fought against Harold.


    For a moment, a thought crossed Liner¡¯s mind. However, he immediately denied it.


    There were no logical grounds for this denial. His judgement was simply based on emotions as he told himself that Harold would never do such a thing.


    While that inner conflict occurred within Liner¡¯s mind, he had completely lost sight of the man wielding the long sword. Then, the sound he had been continuously hearing stopped.


    What replaced that sound was silence, a silence where even Liner¡¯s own heartbeat felt like an obstruction. Liner and Colette concentrated all their senses in searching for any presence in their surroundings.


    For dozens of seconds, it was overwhelmingly quiet.


    But that calm was broken by the low sound of an impact that came from behind Liner. Out of a conditioned reflex, Liner and Colette looked behind toward that. Or rather, they had made the mistake of looking behind.


    The origin of that sound was a pebble. It had likely collided with a rock as it feebly rolled towards Liner¡¯s feet.


    The moment Liner figured out he had just been caught, something else approached his back. But this time, it was a sign of death. While feeling regret, Liner prepared himself to die.


    Then, when it seemed like the sword was going to attack Liner and cut his life short, a sharp sound assaulted his ear as he heard a low groan, and¨D¨D


    ¡¾¡±Know your place, small fish.¡±]


    Liner heard a certain voice. The voice had a lower tone than in his memory, but it still felt nostalgic.


    He did not understand what had happened as he could only look at the back of the man who was standing before him and Colette to protect them.


    The man was taller than Liner, at a height of about 180 centimeters (5¡¯9¡å). He had black hair that was clearly visible within the white fog and he was holding two swords in both of his hands.


    ¡¾¡±How dare the likes of you get in my damn way!¡±]


    But the most distinguishing feature above all was those sharp words that looked down on others from far too high.


    It had been a long time since that day, and Liner had been continuously chasing after him for just as long. This was the back of Liner¡¯s friend, rival, and objective.


    Translator¡¯s note: The ¡°uplifting sensation¡± is actually a skill or like, a rage mode, that Harold has mentioned before. Same happened to Francis before actually.


    Also, next chapter, we¡¯ll be back to Harold¡¯s POV at last!


    Anyway, have a good day everyone! ?

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    ¡¾¡±Ha, Harold¡­?¡±]


    From behind, Liner said Harold¡¯s name in blank surprise. He had grown as tall as Colette, and his fearless countenance was now similar to the Liner that Harold knew from the original game.


    However, even though his name was called, Harold did not have any room to respond.


    The current situation was considerably delicate. He had to make the black robed man in front of him leave as quickly as possible.


    He, who had attacked Liner earlier, was not devoid of emotions like Ventus and Lilium, nor was he sent by Justus. He was a member of Frieri.


    Back in Bloche village, Harold had asked two things of Elu. One was to station two people to guide Liner towards the fog valley after he reached the town. The other was to prepare a black-robed dummy.


    The reason behind his first request went without saying. The second was that, because Colette¡¯s actions did not correspond to his plans, Harold had to make an appearance in front of her. To agitate her, Harold had said that he would not be helping, but had he really not helped, it would have given Colette a bad impression of him.


    In order for Harold to openly rescue her and Liner, he absolutely needed a substitute for himself. So, he chose someone from Frieri. Using him, Harold had to allow Ventus and Lilium to withdraw no matter what.


    He was worried that, if not for this, Liner and Colette would end up following them all the way to Harrison¡¯s place; and rushing into such a mid-game event from the very beginning of their story would certainly lead the two friends to their defeat. Anyway, if Harold were to just let things proceed as they did in the original story, the treasured sword would eventually get back to Liner.


    Moreover, since it would be troublesome if the man from Frieri were to be slandered as a criminal by the authorities and the knight order due to Colette and Liner, Harold had to promptly bring this case to a close, somehow or other. However, he could not slay an innocent person, so it had been decided in a previous meeting that he would defeat him with his bare hands.


    That did not mean he would really hit the man, he would just make it look as if he did. Hence, the man put on an act, pretending to be staggering. Since he could not match Harold¡¯s speed, he made it look like he had taken some damage before.


    This way, it would not seem too suspicious even if he was easily knocked down by Harold¡¯s bare hands.


    The man weakly took a stance with his sword. That put Liner and Colette on alert, but Harold talked to him with an air of composure.


    ¡¾¡±How unsightly. I have no need to draw my sword against the likes of you.¡±]


    In reality, that line was rather made to be heard by Colette and Liner. After ascertaining that the two of them had heard him properly, Harold made his move.


    This was quite easy for him. He took an extremely fast step forward to cover the distance separating him from the man, and he drove his fist into the other party¡¯s abdomen¡­ Or rather, he pretended to do so.


    Thankfully, the man was wearing a robe that was too baggy for one to figure the outline of his body, so it was not possible to visually confirm that Harold¡¯s fist had stopped right before hitting him. All that was left was for the man to bend his body as if taking on the hit¡¯s impact, and to drop his sword while falling down.


    As Liner looked at him fall, his face turned stiff.


    ¡¾¡±O-one blow¡­?¡±]


    Harold could understand Liner¡¯s feelings, he had had an extremely difficult face-off against that opponent and yet he had been brought down this easily. Well, that whole display was just an act though.


    Leaving Liner alone for the time being, Harold cracked his fingers. Thereupon, a group of men appeared out of nowhere. They were from Frieri.


    ¡¾¡±Take that man.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Understood.¡±]


    Having received Harold¡¯s instructions, they started restraining the fallen man. Harold figured that this would serve to ease Liner and Colette¡¯s worry.


    Then, after confirming that the job was done, he finally faced the two friends.


    ¡¾¡±Looks like you¡¯ve had a hard time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, shut up¡­ But still, you saved us. Thank you!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Humph.¡±]


    As usual, Liner was too straightforward, the shine in his eyes seemed painful to Harold who moved about for his own self-interests and who was always scheming this and that.


    He unintentionally turned his eyes away, and there, was Colette¡¯s face. She had a big smile on her face, an earth-shattering smile. It looked like Harold had not left a bad impression on her, which was nice, but her attitude was troubling. He decided to pretend not to notice.


    Then, at just the right timing, his men¡¯s voice reached his ears.


    ¡¾¡±The target has been taken, sir.¡±]


    Perhaps because they had lived through some brutal circumstances as mercenaries, their wording was generally rough. However, that did not mean they treated their employer, Harold, with contempt. Given the right amount of money, they would have no complaint about acting in a cheap play like this one, or even about working like utility men in town.


    In short, they were workers, tied to Harold by money, in a give and take relationship.


    Conversely, that meant that if Harold ever became short of money, his connection with them would break. But at the present, he had enough funds to say that there was no need for him to worry about such things.


    ¡¾¡±Transport him to the town and interrogate him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Understood. Hurry and carry him, maggots!¡±]


    The three men carried their fallen, restrained comrade, and disappeared towards the town. After watching that scene, Liner came to ask Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Say, Harold, who are those people?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My underlings.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that what you meant when you said you needed to make preparations, Harold-sama?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. But in the end, it was all for nothing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Uuuh, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±]


    Although Colette offered words of apology to Harold, Liner did not understand what she meant and simply tilted his head in doubt.


    For the time being, there was nothing left to do in this place, so they returned to the road they had originally came from and headed for the nearby town. They had not particularly planned it beforehand, but Liner and Colette spontaneously followed after Harold. While being fed up of Liner who kept asking again and again about the secret of his strength, Harold warned him not to tell others about his presence in this occasion or about the people working for him; meanwhile, those same people had carried the robed man to some abandoned and deserted ruins, where Harold later joined them.


    Liner tried to follow him there, but Harold told him he would give him information afterwards, under the condition that Liner would temporarily step back. Then, out of the reach of any outsider¡¯s eyes, he instructed the four people working for him, including the man who was restrained earlier, to join with Elu, and he dismissed them.


    For now, believing he had managed to put things on the right course, Harold took a rest. It was due to a miscalculation on his part that he had been forced to offer his help in that scene, but when considering the distant future, there was some value in giving a good impression to Liner and Colette.


    For now, the both of them were supposed to once again chase after Ventus and Lilium to get back the treasured sword. That being the case, they were going to need to know where to go, and the current situation was great for Harold, as he could point out the way for them in a natural fashion. This way, he would be able to smoothly guide Colette and Liner.


    With that intention in mind, and having spent enough time, he headed towards the inn where he had kept the two of them waiting.


    After Harold knocked on the door of the room that was assigned to them, Liner¡¯s face came out from inside.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve been waiting, Harold!¡±]


    He approached like a faithful dog that had been waiting for his master and captured Harold, pulling him inside the room by his arm. His eyes seemed to be begging Harold to hurry and share his information.


    ¡¾¡±Calm the hell down! What are you? A child?¡±]


    With his palm, Harold forcefully pushed back Liner¡¯s excessively close face. Colette then pulled him back by grabbing the nape of his neck.


    ¡¾¡±I, I am sorry for that, Harold-sama]


    ¡¾¡±Seriously¡­¡±]


    While letting out a sigh of shock and amazement, Harold let himself fall on a chair that came with the inn¡¯s room.


    ¡¾¡±What do you want to ask?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you know where the guys who stole the sword escaped to?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±From the information I have, it seems like they¡¯re escaping towards the southwest. Their destination might be Lorenz. ¡°]


    To be more accurate, they were going ever further from there, to Solesphere, where the whole trio would meet up to then take a boat to the royal capital. However, Harold wanted things to follow the original story and did not need to tell the truth.


    Upon being informed of the destination of the people who stole his sword, Liner was once again in high spirits despite having fallen into a dangerous situation just a short while before. That power of will was admirable.


    ¡¾¡±Alright! Knowing that, then¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re not about to say that you¡¯re going to chase after them right away, are you?¡±]


    However, that excitement was immediately frozen by Colette. Colette acted as a limiter on the recklessness of Liner, who would easily get caught up in the spur of the moment. These kinds of exchanges were also a common sight in the game.


    It seemed like the pessimistic Colette who lacked energy had now returned to her normal condition. With her muscles-for-brains battle style, and, in contrast, her personality that allowed her to calmly assess things; she could be said to be quite a good fit for Liner.


    As for Liner himself, he was overwhelmed by the power of his childhood friend.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m not, but¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No buts about it.¡±]


    As Harold was having such inconsequential thoughts, Liner was argued down by Colette. In the end, they rested their bodies properly, and they were going to chase after the thieves only after getting prepared.


    It seemed like without a doubt that Colette was going to tag along. For Harold, that meant that standing out personally like he did was all worthwhile.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, Harold-sama. Excuse me, but, what happened to the person you caught earlier?¡±]


    As Colette asked that, her attitude was completely different than the one she had directed at Liner. She had asked her question quite nervously.


    Harold could not possibly tell her about how the man had been released etc., so he deceived her.


    ¡¾¡±He was appropriately dealt with. But well, he was a dead lead.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A dead lead?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That man was not a comrade of the Trinity group. At most, he was just collaborating with them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What does that change?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He doesn¡¯t have any information on the people who stole the sword. So we¡¯re not going to be able to reach trinity¡¯s base, or at least, not through his aid.¡±]


    While avoiding to speak of the specifics, he appealed to the fact that the man was almost unrelated to the case.


    Liner was dissatisfied, but, in the end, he comprehended Harold¡¯s words. Perhaps it was just Harold¡¯s imagination, but it felt like this Liner was a little more understanding than the one in the game, or maybe this was due to the influence of Harold¡¯s own actions. Well, Liner having the ears to actually listen to Harold could not be a disadvantage.


    The honest truth was that Liner being this friendly was a surprise to Harold. Judging from Liner¡¯s personality, Harold did figure he would not be disliked as much as his character was in the original story, but still, due to the harsh words he had spoken during the tournament¡¯s contest, he thought Liner would at least have a little bit of a grudge against him.


    Still, even if not for that, for a meeting after an interval of five years, Liner was being far more friendly than expected. Harold had no complaints about that, but he wondered, why did he leave such an excellent impression on Liner, Itsuki and all those other guys?


    He was perplexed as that had happened again and again.


    ¡¾¡±With this, our talk is over.¡±]


    Saying so, Harold stood up and tried to get out of the room, but a question was thrown at his back along the way.


    ¡¾¡±Harold, what are you going to do after this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve no need to tell you that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t be like that. Could it be that¡­ You said their name was Trinity, right? If you intend to pursue them, then let¡¯s go together!¡±]


    Was he being invited by the protagonist right now?


    Harold had never considered the idea of joining them before, but regardless, he could not predict how the future events would change if he were to join the hero¡¯s party. He would not necessarily fall into a fatal situation because of it, but rather than doing that, proceeding in accordance to the original story was a more reliable solution to get to the key points that would lead to stopping Justus.


    But above all, his relation to Erica was disastrously awful, and she was absolutely indispensable to the hero¡¯s party. He did not want to bring to the party any discord that did not exist in the game.


    So, his reply to this was ¡°No¡±.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t make me laugh. I have other things to do.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see¡­ Still, it would be reassuring to be together with you.¡±]


    Liner seemed terribly disappointed, but not in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the one, who was currently in his presence, was the one responsible for the theft of his sword. Despite the possibility of that fact coming to light, Harold had no choice but to act together with Liner.


    Still, at great pains, he had obtained the opportunity to talk face to face to Liner. He felt like it would be a shame if he had just parted from him right now.


    Besides, like what had happened this time, some other unexpected development could occur in the future as well, so Harold decided to indirectly give some warnings to Liner.


    However, it could be suspicious if he was too direct with that or if he brought up the subject out of context. So, he needed to convey the important matter, and yet do it in a way where it wouldn¡¯t be suspicious in the flow of the conversation¡­ After thinking for a short while, Harold slowly opened his mouth.


    ¡¾¡±Look, you¡¯re still too weak. And you¡¯re still very far from reaching me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±W-what?!¡±]


    Liner got stirred up from the sudden harsh words. However, he lost his fire immediately after, and turned his head away with a sour expression on his face.


    ¡¾¡±Well, compared to you, I¡¯m certainly weaker¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Our status are different, so that¡¯s only natural.¡±]


    Even Harold found his manner of speaking to be horrid, but what the word ¡°status¡± was referring to was the game¡¯s balance. It was a fact that there was a big difference in combat and movement capacities between Harold and Liner, as, in the game, Harold was set up to cross swords all by himself with Liner who was supposed to have a party of four in the fight.


    Well, Harold could not declare that this was surely the case either, as it depended on Liner¡¯s efforts and way of fighting. This was because, although this world did look like a game, it could hardly be said to be exactly the same as a game.


    ¡¾¡±Therefore, engrave this into your mind: you must not overestimate your strength.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s foolish for a weakling to fight with his power alone. When your power is not sufficient, then you have to group up with others. That is the fate of the weak.¡±]


    In better terms, he was telling Liner not to slack off in making companions. If Liner were to act alone again like he did this time, it would be bad for Harold¡¯s heart.


    Though Colette was going to become a companion in Liner¡¯s party from now on, what made Harold anxious was whether Liner would be able to add more members thereafter. That was why he wanted Liner not to forget his weaknesses, to gather some companions that complemented him, and to cooperate with them in battle.


    If he did not do so, then in the future, some difficulties that he would not be able to overcome would be awaiting him.


    ¡¾¡±The weak¡­¡±]


    However, perhaps Harold had said too much as Liner was slightly dejected.


    Harold had expected a more rebellious reaction, but it seemed like his words had struck deeper than he had thought. Perhaps Liner was keenly aware of his lack of strength without having to be told about it.


    ¡¾¡±¡­However, the one thing you must never neglect is trying to become stronger. That¡¯s all the more true if you believe you¡¯re weak.¡±]


    At those words, Liner¡¯s head, which had been hanging in shame, promptly rose up again. After Liner took on that blow, Harold next turned his eyes towards Colette. Despite receiving Harold¡¯s look, Colette returned his glance and nodded strongly, without getting flustered. Perhaps she had gotten ahold of this lesson for herself in the previous night¡¯s matter.


    With the current Colette by his side, Liner would surely be quite encouraged.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, time to leave.¡±]


    There was nothing more to be said.


    Having concluded that, Harold left the room, this time for good.


    Translator¡¯s note: Next time, we¡¯ll finally follow Harold again, and honestly, I missed this, it has been too long since his last death flag! Sometimes, I feel like the author forgets what kinds of flags are supposed to be raising ><


    I¡¯d also like to thank Louis.K and Sager.A for their recent pledges, as well as all the previous Patrons; thanks a lot for your support!


    Anyway, good day/night everyone ?

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    Having successfully stolen the treasured sword, Harold¡¯s group avoided Liner¡¯s pursuit and safely returned to the royal capital. Their purpose was to deliver the sword to Harrison.


    Since they were supposed to not be able to speak, the delivery went smoothly and quickly ended. However, because of that, they did not get any rest and they were immediately given a new order.


    Their next destination was some ruins. The appellation ¡°Ruins¡± was a substitute to what was rather referred to as dungeons and labyrinths in RPG terms.


    According to this world¡¯s, or rather, to the game¡¯s settings, what was commonly referred to as ¡°ruins¡± were the remains of an ancient civilization, and within them could be found items and weapons that were impossible to reproduce using the current day¡¯s technology. Discovering those objects, and making easy money out of them, was the main goal of adventurers. Having been adventurers in the past, Liner¡¯s parents had also been in some ruins before, and that was where they had found the Gram Grand treasured sword.


    While a few of those ruins did appear in the original story, there were countless ruins in this world that were not shown in the game.


    Well, when thinking about it, it would have been ridiculous if only two of them had been left by the civilization of the ancients on the whole continent like in the game¡¯s case, especially since that was not the only thing which was not actually shown in the game in favor of convenience.


    As such, the ruins that Harold was now going to explore was part of those that had not appeared in the original story.


    On the way towards his new destination, Harold did feel some anxiety regarding the exploration of the unknown, but that sentiment was completely thrust aside by his excitement. In short, to him, this was a call to going on an adventure.


    He had cleared the game¡¯s ruins dozens of times, yet after coming to this world, the only information he had gotten about them were from books.


    But this was his first time actually seeing these ruins with his own eyes, and he was extremely intrigued about what was going on inside these ruins.


    While thinking that it would be nice to become an adventurer if he ended up being unable to return to his former world after clearing the game¡¯s scenario, Harold came to the Haibar ruins. Naturally, he was together with Ventus and Lilium.


    The Haibar ruins, where Harold and the others were made to go, had yet to be fully explored by anyone. As a matter of course, it was unknown how deep it went. It was quite unreasonable to expect three people, among which there were no professional adventurers, to explore such ruins by themselves.


    Moreover, it was strange how Harrison even came to know about a treasure being in those ruins. But well, Justus had probably somehow gotten some relevant information about them.


    Still, even if Harold thought of these things, there was not much he could do about the situation, he could only quickly go inside and find the object he was looking for.


    The huge entrance to the all-important ruins was halfway up a rocky mountain; however, the bottom of said mountain was still considerably prosperous regardless. Although this was also because there was a populated town right next to the ruins, in general, adventurers would naturally gather around these sorts of big ruins. Moreover, those adventurers needed food and items, so even some merchants would come so as to sell their products at unreasonable prices.


    Exploring ruins was not a short process; it was therefore easier and cheaper to make a base near the entrance rather than to go back to town every single time. In short, since the adventurers would live on site, they needed some supplies to support their lifestyles.


    It was a cycle, the adventurers would sell the items they discovered in their exploration, as well as any fangs and furs of monsters that had commercial value, and then they would use the money they made from that to buy the articles they needed.


    This place gathered people and objects together, and gave birth to a back and forth exchange of money and goods. With that, different goods were distributed amongst the people, and an economy had come to be. As the scale of that economy increased, the surrounding shops and simple post stations were maintained, and so people kept on gathering. As a result, a community akin to a small town had been born.


    Although some monsters did appear, there were always adventurers on site who were experienced with weapons. They would defend the place in case of an attack, which was a great help to lower the merchants¡¯ anxiety to a minimum. Or so Harold had heard.


    (Still, this place is livelier than I expected. I don¡¯t want to stand out too much though¡­)


    The order that was imposed on Harold was to bring back a treasure that was said to be at the deepest part of the Haibar ruins.


    However, he also had to be aware of the fact that he could not spend too much time on that task. First of all, this was to help keep Harrison in a good mood, but more importantly, Harold had to gather all the treasures by the time Liner would finally reach Harrison.


    No matter how long this time¡¯s operation would take, Harold wanted to get this done within a month. There were thousands and thousands of ruins that had yet to be fully explored by adventurers after decades, and yet he had to do this with a group of only three, in the span of a month. If he were to actually accomplish such a tremendous feat, it would surely attract lots of attention.


    After that, perhaps not only his identity as Harold, but even his black-robed identity would get a bad reputation, which would make it difficult for him to move around. All he could do was to get to the deepest part of the ruins while being seen by as few people as possible, and then to leave as if nothing happened.


    That was his decision; however, although he wanted to just go ahead and do it, he still believed that challenging a labyrinth without any prior knowledge would be too reckless. It would have been helpful for Harold if there was someone kind enough to share the common knowledge and information regarding the exploration of the ruins, but while adventurers would cooperate with each other depending on the situation, they were still basically rivals. It was unthinkable for them to share information about the job that brought bread on their tables in exchange for nothing.


    So Harold had no other choice than to give them something in exchange for the information he needed, an information fee.


    The problem was that Harold¡¯s mouth was not suitable for negotiations. If he flicked a big sum of money at the adventurers and condescendingly asked them about the ruins, he would only end up provoking them no matter how he thought about it. Therefore, he decided to change his approach accordingly.


    ¡¾¡±Now then, let¡¯s talk.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Heh, of course, you¡¯ve bought so much from me after all.¡±]


    If the adventurers were no good, then the merchants were the key. For them, money came above their pride, as long as they were paid, they would share some of the information they had; and above all, Harold figured they were well aware that that kind of information could turn a profit.


    However, the people he was facing were professionals at making money who therefore tried to take advantage of him upon seeing him buy their goods as he was told to, so it was necessary for him to moderately threaten them and to ask the same question from multiple merchants to increase the accuracy of the information he had in hand.


    Because of that, Harold had ended up using a big sum of money. He even wondered whether Justus would cover his expenses if he asked him.


    (Like hell he would¡­.)


    Harold¡¯s idea was quite foolish.


    He had not been employed by Justus. Officially, Harold was just offering his services to him to redeem himself from the crimes he had committed; he was no more than something like a servant under Justus¡¯ control.


    When he thought back upon it calmly, the way he was being treated was depressing, but dwelling on it was a waste of time, so he just cleared his mind and went to take on the exploration of the Haibar ruins.


    For now, through the tactics Harold had used to get information, he had already bought food, recovery items, and some other essential articles which he carried with him as he swimmingly ascended the mountain till he reached the ruins¡¯ entrance. To aid him in his ascent, there was an artificially made path that had been well maintained.


    However, in contrast to the light steps Harold was taking, the many adventurers he caught sight of had a tense atmosphere around them.


    There were monsters and many other causes for distress on the roads of these ruins, so lots of people had lost their lives there. Therefore, those who had become professionals on said roads were always that tense. Harold took a deep breath at once and settled down his heart.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go.¡±]


    Ventus and Lilium followed closely behind Harold who took the first step forward.


    They had a good field of vision near the entrance thanks to the light that came from outside. As for when they reached places where the outside light could not reach, their path was lighted by multiple lamps that were hanging along the road.


    The true nature of the light within those lamps was actually ¡°light stones¡±, a type of stones that were naturally luminescent. Their grades were divided depending on the color and strength of the light, and it was said that, when it came to the top quality light stones, even a fist-sized sample could be sold for enough money to build a house. That being said, the stones that were used in lamps like these ones were worthless.


    Under the guidance of the light, Harold advanced through the narrow passages that were around two meters wide. After slowly descending for a few minutes, his field of vision suddenly opened up.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Fascinated, Harold forgot himself for a moment at the sight of the room he was facing. While slightly distorted, the room was shaped like a dome, and the best part of it was that every single rock that could be seen was actually a light stone. There were soft, light purple lights glowing from every direction. It was a fantastic sight.


    Certainly, judging from the strength of the lights and their color, those were low-grade light stones that did not have much value as products. However, that had nothing to do with how beautiful they were.


    Looking up, Harold assessed that the highest part of the ceiling was likely at a height of no less than ten meters. From that shape, it would be hard to believe that the room was made by nature, which left Harold wondering just how it had been dug in. Was that the work of adventurers or was it built by the civilization of the ancients who once lived in these ruins? Harold was sincerely interested.


    When he looked below, there was an underground space which was so deep that even the ceiling could not compare.


    Along the walls of the room, there was a very long pathway built as a spiral that went deeper and deeper, layer by layer. Along the way of that passage, Harold could see many tunnels which appeared to be connected to the inner part of the rocky wall. Among them, there was probably a road that led to the center of the ruins and perhaps even further inside. But while Harold had these thoughts, it did not mean he did not understand that he needed to take his time to explore the ruins so as to avoid any accidents.


    In case of a monster encounter in this construction, it would be extremely difficult to fight. That was why, apparently, one was basically supposed to just run away upon any monster encounter inside the ruins. Not only was it difficult to fight in narrow spaces, but it also seemed like the monsters that lived in ruins had a habit of forming groups. So there was a risk of being attacked by said groups, and Harold had heard that, when these monsters fall into an agitated state, things could get way out of hand.


    That was probably one of the main factors that hindered people during explorations.


    While looking out for any signs of monsters in the surroundings, Harold and the others went down the spiral-shaped pathway, aiming for the deepest part. They kept descending without sparing a single look into the tunnels along the way.


    That was because, considering the structure of the map and how RPGs worked, Harold had judged that the important items would be at the deepest part of the ruins. He would rather search the place with the highest priority first, and only after that would he sweep the place clean.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Stop. ¡°]


    The duo behind Harold followed his instruction. The three of them stopped their feet as Harold felt a presence different from a human¡¯s in the depths of the 20 meters tunnel ahead of him.


    As the trio concealed their breaths, a three-meter tall Golem emerged from the tunnel. That monster made of soil, with its body that stuck out of the earth with rocks attached to it like armor, was a regular sight in the game. Slowly and gradually, it went down the passageway. Apparently, it was moving towards the same direction as Harold and the others.


    Harold was hesitating about what needed to be done. Perhaps it would be better to wait for the Golem to go somewhere else. However, there was no way that the Golem would be the only monster the group would encounter; and so, if a different monster were to come out from another tunnel from behind the group, there was a risk of being attacked from both sides.


    Although the trio would not be defeated, it would still cause an uproar that would cause even more monsters to appear, in which case, they might have to return to the entrance temporarily. That would be troublesome.


    Harold sharpened his senses even further, and assessed that there were no other monsters than that Golem, or at least, there were none in the range that he could sense.


    So, there was only one enemy. Its movements were dull, and it had not even noticed the existence of Harold, Ventus and Lilium.


    Harold quietly put down his luggage, and without any sound, he pulled out the two swords that were sheathed at his waist. Within the dim place, the swords shone bewitchingly under the glow of the light stones.


    There were two rays of light. They weren¡¯t rough like thunder, rather, they were refined, and sharp lights. The rays intersected with the Golem¡¯s body, and after a very short pause, the monster collapsed to pieces. Harold went down on top of that wreckage, and looked down with cynical eyes on the mountain of soil that used to be a Golem.


    Then, he had a thought. If they¡¯re at this level, then no matter how many groups we face, we should be able to deal with them.


    Perhaps this was an effect of the great efforts he had put in, having grown accustomed to fighting alone against a many. Harold realized that he had seriously grown.


    But that atmosphere was cut off by a single scream.


    ¡¾¡±Uoooooooooooh!¡±]


    That deep voice sounded as if it had come from the bottom of the earth, but rather than a scream, it was more like a war cry. Along with that, Harold¡¯s feet felt an earth tremor, much like an earthquake.


    ¡°I have a bad feeling about this¡± Almost at the same time as Harold thought that, he finally saw the source of these happenings. A single man came rolling out from a tunnel at the bottom layer of the room, with a cloud of a dust and a thunderous noise accompanying him. As the man was still too far, and due to the combined work of the cloud of dust and of the dim lighting, Harold could hardly see him. But judging from his voice, he was certainly a man.


    Perhaps because he was injured somewhere, the man was having a hard time standing up after rolling out of the tunnel. Then, multiple groups of monsters appeared from the tunnel and surrounded him.


    The monsters were bipedal moles that had some sort of mechanisms at the tip of their noses; those were thick, drill-like horns that could rotate on themselves. The monsters also had long claws that they would clang together to threaten their enemies. This was a group of spiral moles. As for the man, he was still collapsed on the ground and looked quite miserable.


    Letting out a sigh towards the troublesome matter that was occurring before him while thinking ¡°So that¡¯s what happens when you agitate the monsters.¡± as if this was someone else¡¯s problem, Harold jumped down into the middle of the groups of spiral moles.


    Translator¡¯s note: You¡¯d think he¡¯d know how to avoid death flags by now, but nope, here he goes, raising them again, thinking ¡°this is going to be easy¡±, smells like a pretty big flag to me >< One more thing, since I can¡¯t translate this novel too fast ¡¯cause of the author, I¡¯m with pick another project in parallel, so, if there is Japanese novel that you want me to translate, I¡¯m open to suggestions!


    Also, I¡¯d like to thank Jay.K and Gracious.A, and all the other Patrons for their pledges, thanks for your support!


    Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you an excellent day ?

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    He was running out of breath. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would explode at any moment, and his limbs felt as heavy as iron or lead.


    Nevertheless, the man, Hugo Grafton, did not stop running. Given what was behind him, he did not have much of a choice in the matter.


    While scrapping their claws on the ground and raising a cloud of dust in their wake, a group of Spiral moles were approaching. Their numbers were over twenty. He would be able to do something if they were five or less, but Hugo did not possess a superhuman strength that would allow him to fight these numbers.


    Therefore, he had no other choice than to use all his energy to escape. For, if the monsters were to catch up, he would undoubtedly end up dying.


    As he ran, he was frantically swinging his arms and pouring his strength into his feet, that seemed like they were about to get tangled up at any moment.


    When it came to speed, he would have been able to shake the Spiral Moles off a long time ago if he was going in a straight line. However, in the zigzagging passages within the tunnel, that wasn¡¯t so easy, especially since his pursuers were accustomed to moving here.


    The reason Hugo had fallen into such a situation was his very own greed.


    In the depths of the ruins, there were countless small rooms, and in one of them was a treasure chest.


    The only monster in that room was a lone Spiral mole. Hugo had thought that that one monster alone would not be difficult to handle. But, perhaps as a retribution for being taken lightly, when the Spiral mole was on the verge of being killed, it called its companions. Three new Spiral moles appeared. If Hugo had run away then and there, perhaps he would have managed to do something.


    The truth was that Hugo did want to escape. However, unfortunately, the Spiral moles were blocking the small room¡¯s only exit. To make matters worse, they seemed to be in an agitated state, so time was of the essence.


    Still, he somehow managed to knock down two of them, but when there was only of them remaining, Hugo hesitated. Since there was only one enemy left, escape was a possibility. Although Hugo had not taken any direct hits, he did have wounds as he had taken some damage before, and his stamina was consumed as well.


    Hence why he wanted to run away, but due to the fight, the Spiral mole was still in an agitated state. If Hugo just left the mole as it was, it could end up calling its companions, in which case both victory and escape would become extremely difficult. As Hugo hesitated like so, he dropped his guard ever so lightly, and the Spiral mole let out a strident squeak-like cry. That was a signal to call its companions.


    ¡¾¡±Damn it! Why did I hesitate? I should have just run away!¡±]


    Although Hugo blustered that, it was already too late. Immediately after he escaped from the small room at full speed, Spiral moles suddenly appeared from everywhere. From that point onwards, the situation turned into a game of tag, with Hugo¡¯s life on the line.


    He somehow managed to pull through the fierce attacks of the monsters that came flooding in, until finally, he saw an exit that led to an open space.


    ¡¾¡±Uoooooooooooh!¡±]


    Evading a claw attack by a hair¡¯s breadth, he dived through that exit in a falling motion.


    He rolled on the ground while scratching his limbs on the rocks that were protruding from there. Then, when he struck his abdomen on a slightly large rock, his body, which had been rolling with a strong momentum, came to a stop.


    ¡¾¡±Aaargh¡±]


    That impact forced the air out of his lungs. Due to the pain, he couldn¡¯t breathe properly, and the resulting slight lack of oxygen made his field of vision tremble. Moreover, there was almost no strength left in his body. He needed to immediately stand up and escape, but that was just wishful thinking.


    While groaning, Hugo somehow managed to raise his body a little; however, what came into his field of view was a group of Spiral moles surrounding him. Their numbers had increased even further.


    ¡¾¡±Shit, is this it¡­.?¡±]


    As he had expected, with this, both victory and escape were now impossible. Because he had taken on the dangerous occupation of being an adventurer, he had the resolve to lose his life on the job. However, he did not think that this day would be it.


    He had not expected death to come for him so soon.


    Just when Hugo had resigned himself¡­ a straight flash of light ran through the dim ruins. It was by no means showy; it was a fast, sharp, and truly instantaneous manifestation of white light.


    After that flash, only a single thing had changed. In a space that had been empty just a few seconds earlier, there was someone standing between Hugo and the Spiral moles.


    Because that person was covered with a robe and was giving his back to him, Hugo could not figure what his face looked like, but judging from his physique, he made a rough guess that he was a man. However, he had no time to think about whom it was or the like.


    The spiral moles, which were near the man who had suddenly appeared, had their heads drop down to the ground. As they fell, their blood colorfully scattered in the vicinity. Yet the man with the robe did not avoid it, he received the rain of blood without moving an inch.


    ¡¾¡±If you don¡¯t want to get mixed up in what¡¯s coming, go crawl somewhere else.¡±]


    Hugo couldn¡¯t move even if he wanted to, so that was a useless warning to give him. However, in the next moment, he was shown the reason behind the man¡¯s words.


    Seeing their companions get killed right in front of them, the spiral moles that were still in an agitated state attacked the man in the robe.


    First, a mole¡¯s arm flew off. Each of its astoundingly sharp claws flew past Hugo while spinning and drew an arc of blood over him.


    That scene brought upon an odd sensation, as if the effect had come without a cause to it.


    It seemed as if the right arm of the spiral mole had been suddenly cut off and blown way when it had commenced its attack. Hugo could tell that the man in the robe had probably done something, but he couldn¡¯t tell what.


    With no regards for Hugo and his confusion, strange events, outside of his understanding, kept occurring one after the other.


    The upper-halves and lower-halves of the spiral moles were disconnected. The drills at the tip of their noses were cut right in half, starting from the crowns of their heads. Before Hugo knew it, tens of slashes, maybe hundreds, had been dealt.


    Like that, the only thing the spiral moles could do was to be hunted down. They died without even being able to resist.


    For a while now, Hugo had not been able to see the robed man who was responsible for this onslaught. The speed of his movements and attacks was probably too fast for Hugo¡¯s eyes to see. And while vision was bad in the dim ruins, there was no way such a phenomenon would occur if the man¡¯s speed was only a little faster than his.


    It seemed like this robed man was far stronger than Hugo.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, you dead?¡±]


    Despite how critical the situation was, Hugo was lost in the sight of that surreal scene. What called back Hugo¡¯s awareness was the voice of the robed man who had annihilated more than 20 Spiral moles, in just a few minutes, before Hugo had even realized what was happening.


    Why had he come to confirm that Hugo was dead rather than to confirm that he was alive?


    ¡¾¡±N-no, I¡¯m fine. You really saved me there.¡±]


    For the time being, Hugo reported his own safety. Still, judging from the robed man¡¯s voice, he was considerably young. He probably was even younger than Hugo himself.


    The man¡¯s face could not clearly be seen as it was still hidden by the robe he was wearing, but when he turned towards Hugo for a moment, he showed an unnatural stiffness. However, that was only for a moment, after which the young man questioned Hugo with a somewhat irritated voice.


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? Now then, what¡¯s going on?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±W, well, actually¡­.¡±]


    In spite of himself, Hugo found himself at a loss for words. He had fallen into that pinch because he had ignored the basic established rules of exploring ruins. He had fought even though he was completely unable to manage the risks that came with that. As an adventurer, he was ashamed; he had brought trouble not only to this young man, but to the other adventurers as well.


    That man seemed to have roughly guessed the situation, but his doubts had probably turned into convictions upon seeing Hugo having a hard time enunciating his words. He let out a grand sigh.


    ¡¾¡±Avoid fighting in the ruins as much as possible, and never push the monsters into an agitated state. I heard those were ironclad rules.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sorry¡­¡±]


    Hugo could do nothing but bow his head in apology to this man who was younger than him. On top of him having made a rookie mistake, there was a very high chance that this matter would agitate other monsters. Moreover, there was a thick smell of blood hanging over the area, which could attract even more monsters here.


    So, in order to prevent that, it was necessary to quickly dispose of the dead bodies and to restrict entry into the ruins for a period of time that could last a week or so. It was a measure to ensure the adventurers¡¯ safety, but there would still be some adventurers who had to stay and work together to get rid of the dead bodies.


    In short, Hugo had gotten in the way of the other adventurers.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, whatever. That¡¯s none of my concern.¡±]


    The man certainly did not seem concerned. The robed man sent a Spiral mole¡¯s corpse rolling elsewhere, walked on the ground that was wet with blood as if he was on a stroll, and went to enter the tunnel through which Hugo had run away for his life.


    Hugo hastily stopped him.


    ¡¾¡±W-w-wait, where are you going?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is something I want to do at the depths of the ruins.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s the case for everyone that comes here, but it¡¯s dangerous to go now!¡±]


    Hugo used every word at his disposal to explain the dangers that would come to the man were he to dive into the ruins right away. Hugo was still feeling the pressure from almost losing his life just moments earlier.


    Faced with that, the man¡¯s response was¡¾¡±You¡¯re in no position to freaking talk.¡±]. That one statement mercilessly pierced into Hugo¡¯s wounds. However, since Hugo was the one at fault here, he kept stubbornly trying to persuade the man.


    ¡¾¡±On the contrary, it¡¯s precisely because of my position that I can say this. I don¡¯t want my own mistakes to expose you to any more danger.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t ever shut up, do you? Approximately how long will the corpses¡¯ disposal and that period of inactivity last?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, around ten days¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s out of the question.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m telling you, hold on! You¡¯ll be in real danger.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s probably the case for the likes of you, bastard. But for me, it¡¯s gonna be a walk in the park.¡±]


    His words were outrageously overconfident, but judging from his ability to reduce the spiral moles into a sea of blood, it was certainly hard to imagine that he would die easily.


    However, nevertheless, Hugo could not support the man in his choice. It was impossible for Adventurers to survive by only being strong.


    ¡¾¡±Monsters are not the only danger. There are traps and there are places where you can¡¯t enter without deciphering some texts and whatnot. Exploring ruins is a long process; you should wait until the situation reaches the right conditions so that you¡¯ll be able to keep your item and stamina consumption to a minimum.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I see, that makes sense.¡±]


    Though Hugo¡¯s persuasion seemed to be completely useless, the man in the robe surprisingly gave in.


    Feeling great relief from that, Hugo was about to suggest to go above ground for the time being and to give the others a report regarding the situation within the ruins. However, before he could do so, his shoulders were firmly gripped by that man.


    ¡¾¡±Then, you¡¯ll be coming with me. You should be able to guide me on the way, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Huh? WHAT?!¡±]


    His body is even shorter than mine, just where does he bring so much power from? While he wondered that, Hugo¡¯s muscular body that stood at a height of 185 centimeters, was dragged along, and it was useless for him to argue about it.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re being noisy, stop screaming damn it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course I¡¯m gonna scream, what did you expect?! You¡¯re basically telling me to go die!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You were already pretty much dead earlier. Even if this kills you, it won¡¯t change anything.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This is way beyond unreasonable¡­ also, who the hell are these guys?!¡±]


    Before Hugo even realized it, a pair of people, whose faces were concealed by robes, had appeared behind him and the man. Encircled by three unidentifiable people whose faces were all covered in robes, Hugo was in a considerably eerie situation.


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re my baggage carriers. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, so they¡¯re your companions¡­ Yo, I¡¯m Hugo. You guys must have it tough, being abused by a tyrant like him.¡±]


    Hugo sardonically called the self-centered robed man a tyrant.


    However, upon being called baggage carriers, the two people accompanying that man showed no reaction, they only remained silent. When Hugo felt like he could not endure the silence any longer, he spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±¡­They don¡¯t talk much, do they?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course they don¡¯t. Those two don¡¯t have the ability to speak.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What the hell? You all are terrifying.¡±]


    That was the conclusion he had gathered from the information that had been given to him.


    The tyrant¡¯s companions were not normal either apparently.


    That unidentifiable man was overwhelmingly powerful, but he did not listen to others, and those eerie attendants who were with him could not talk. The communication within that strange, unbelievable party was catastrophic. While Hugo, who had been coerced into joining that bunch, was cursing a god he did not believe in for this day that was certainly the worst day of his entire life.


    Translator¡¯s note: ¡°Worst day of his entire life¡± Talking a little too fast here, especially if he¡¯s going to hand any longer with Harold lol


    Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you an excellent day ?

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    Hugo had been living as an adventurer since he was 15 years old. The reason he went down that road, despite being aware of the dangers, was that he dreamed of making a fortune by discovering items within ruins. Pursuing a fantasy could not be said to be a particularly rare motivation for adventurers.


    At any rate, he had been active as an adventurer for almost eight years. Although he was still a 23 years old young man, he was already a full-fledged adventurer.


    Thus, based on all that experience he had, Hugo felt that the three individuals who were currently standing in his view were really atypical, especially the young tyrant that served as their leader. That applied to both his behavior as an adventurer and to his fighting capability.


    As Hugo had expected, the monsters inside the ruins were more active than usual. The narrow spaces within the ruins were not suitable for fighting, so most adventurers would decide to retreat at this point. Therefore, naturally, Hugo advised the man to do just that.


    However, the man¡¯s only response was the word ¡°coward¡±. On top of that, Hugo was forced to keep acting as a guide. With a sigh, he told himself ¡°He¡¯s a tyrant indeed¡±, even though he was the one whom had come up with that nickname.


    ¡°Still, he¡¯s really strong¡­¡± Muttered Hugo, faced with a scene that he had seen many times already by now. At the robed man¡¯s feet was the bleeding corpse of a monster that was cut up in three, with its head, upper body and lower body separated from each other.


    It had appeared a few seconds prior, and it had ended up in this state as soon as it looked towards the group and thought of attacking them. Perhaps because this fight wasn¡¯t as serious as the one against the groups of spiral moles, or perhaps because Hugo¡¯s eyes had grown accustomed to this kind of sight, he was starting to be able to see the man¡¯s movements, little by little.


    In the fight just now, the robed man had drawn his sword from the scabbard that was hanging at his waist and powerfully cut off the monster¡¯s head. As the man returned his sword to its initial position, he cut the monster¡¯s upper and lower body in two equal halves. Because the man killed the monsters that easily, even Hugo who had battle experience, did not get a turn, let alone the robed man¡¯s two companions that had been called baggage carriers.


    Before Hugo realized it, the group was approaching the deepest area that had been reached by anyone so far in the ruins. Normally, anyone would have proceed with great caution up to here, because in most cases, upon encountering a monster, one would be forced to stay on standby or to escape, but there was no need to consider those things due to the robed man¡¯s overwhelming strength.


    As an adventurer, Hugo wanted to say that this was unfair; the common sense of exploring ruins did not apply to this robed man, to the point where he had no need to follow any of the regular, established tactics.


    So, while Hugo was being dumbfounded by the situation, the group arrived at the deepest explored part of these ruins, which had taken them only a few hours.


    ¡¾¡±This is as far as anyone has been. No one has ever advanced any further than here.¡±]


    As Hugo said that, his words echoed in the wide, circular room of 50 meters (164 feet) in diameter. Along the room¡¯s walls, there was a spiral-shaped pathway, similar to the dome-shaped space close to the ruins¡¯ entrance from before.


    But what attracted one¡¯s attention the most in the room was a gigantic gate that had patterns engraved on it. This tightly-closed door had never been opened.


    That was because, to open it, it was necessary to solve the mechanism of the circular room. But that was a highly difficult task, for while there was some headway in solving said mechanism through using clues, such as the wall paintings that could be seen here and there on the gate as well as some letters that seemed to come from the ancient civilizations, the progress was still extremely slow among the ruins¡¯ explorers.


    One of the causes for that was that the Haibar ruins were relatively newly discovered, but in reality, the biggest barrier was those ancient letters. There was no decent data on them, and it was almost impossible to decipher them through speculations, even historians had classified these letters as ¡°Lost characters¡±.


    Strength alone was not enough to traverse these ruins, which is why exploring them was said to be so difficult.


    Even the robed man would likely find himself at an impasse here. Thinking so, Hugo furtively threw a sidelong glance at the man. The robed man was staring at a certain point with his arms crossed, but it wasn¡¯t clear what his facial expression meant at all. Following his line of sight, the man seemed to be looking at some of the ancient letters that Hugo had noticed earlier.


    After looking at them for a while, the man suddenly muttered something.


    ¡¾¡±Mmh, I see.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You can actually read this!?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Naturally.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No freaking way!¡±]


    Even if scholars and specialists from all over the world researched those letters, their accuracy would be low, and they would be forced to use mere guesswork to read more than half of the text. It was only natural to be surprised upon being told that someone could decipher those characters that thoughtlessly.


    If the man¡¯s statement was true, then that would mean he held some extremely important knowledge that would unravel the history of the world. He would likely be in great demand in the research establishments from all around the world in the future. No, perhaps that was already the case.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, what was written there?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡ºThe light at the summit¡»¡ºThe origin of the stars¡»¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Yeah, even with the translation, I still don¡¯t get it.¡±]


    Hugo, who couldn¡¯t be said to be very knowledgeable, was not able to understand the meaning that seemed to be written behind those ancient letters.


    The robed man, however, appeared to have come up with an answer, as he looked upwards and started searching for something. Soon, his eyes stopped on a certain spot, and he stepped towards the rising spiral-shaped pathway without saying anything. His two attendants and Hugo followed after him.


    The group walked up to a height equivalent to the fourth or fifth floor of a building. There was no railing to hold onto on the passage and there were places where the ground was collapsed along the way, but the three robed people advanced without hesitation. Hugo started doubting whether they were capable of feeling fear at all.


    He was the only one who struggled until the group finally arrived at one of the many small rooms that could be found along the pathway. However, most the small rooms in this area had already been explored, so there were no valuable treasures remaining.


    This particular small room had a candlestick as big as an adult male in it, but that was also the case for all the other small rooms. However, the robed man sill approached it and lighted it up using fire magic. As a result, the room¡¯s interior became brighter, but no other changes occurred besides that. Although Hugo expected him to be disappointed by this result, the robed man just closely observed the candlestick¡¯s base, and spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±Give me a torch.¡±]


    Thereupon, one of the attendants did as told and took out a one-meter-long (40 inches) wooden stick. Upon receiving it, the robed man put the torch in contact with the fire atop the candlestick and he transferred the fire from one object to the other.


    He then left the small room while holding the lit up torch. He entered a different small room this time, which was a little further down the pathway, and he used the torch¡¯s fire to once again light up the room¡¯s candlestick. Afterwards, while occasionally deciphering the ancient characters that were written down in various places, the robed man kept going up and down the pathway and carried out the same action over and over again, lighting up a total of five candlesticks at the end.


    The moment he lit up the last one, there was a rumbling sound in the ground followed closely by an earth tremor. Unable to believe what had just happened, Hugo left the small room to confirm the state of the gate that was down below; and he was at a loss for words.


    The gate was open. Many adventurers had racked their brains through repeated trial and error, and yet, the gate had never let anyone in before.


    Even so, the man had quickly solved the room¡¯s mechanism like it was no big deal and went down the room¡¯s spiral-shaped pathway, heading towards the now opened gate. Hugo could not help but question him.


    ¡¾¡±H-hold on! How did you know how to open the door?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, the instructions to open it were thoughtfully written down.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that what those ancient letters meant¡­?¡±]


    Solving the mechanism was apparently this simple provided that one was able to perfectly read those ancient letters. Well, even so, the robed man might have been the only one in the world who could actually read them.


    Who was he, really? His strength and knowledge were both extraordinary and far from any common sense.


    Judging from his voice, he was still a young man, but Hugo felt like he would be able to believe it if he was told that he was actually a warrior, or a sage.


    With no regards for what Hugo was feeling at the moment, the robed man proceeded further ahead. The space behind the door was wider and more artificial than the room from before. While in the previous room the ground was not smooth as it was made from gravel and sand, the ground in this space was an actual floor made of white stones; similarly to the ground, the walls in the previous room were rugged, like the rocky surfaces of a cave. But here, they were actually straight and made of the same white material as the floor. Furthermore, halfway through this space, massive pillars, some exquisite sculptures and other elaborate works were put on display.


    Above all that, this place was unimaginably bright for a space situated within the ruins. Looking carefully, the floor, the walls and the ceiling were made of light stones. That being the case, it was a different type of light stones from the ones that could be seen elsewhere in the ruins. They had a white glow, quite different from that of the sunlight, which illuminated this space that was originally dark, and yet they didn¡¯t give off an excessive brightness that pierced one¡¯s eyes. Rather, they gave off a soft light with a warm feeling to it. Just taking the walls and bringing them back would be considered making a good earning.


    However, these kinds of intentions would not arise in anyone, thanks to the sacred atmosphere that enveloped the white walls of this place. For comparison¡¯s sake, this space appeared to be like the majestic temples that would come up in tales and legends. Even Hugo, who had never really been religious, could not even consider defiling this place.


    For a little while, the only sound that could be heard was the echo of the four people¡¯s footsteps, and after the group advanced a little further, even that sound disappeared.


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Hugo unconsciously muttered so. He was so amazed that he himself was not aware he had spoken up as his eyes remain glued to the ceiling.


    The group of four had finally arrived at a certain room in which an altar was set up. Like it was the case on the way there, there was an otherworldly atmosphere in the room, but the most overwhelming part of it was actually the ceiling, which was embedded with numerous huge crystals. There were several hundreds of those surrounding a single, thick crystal that was probably around 5 meters (200 inches) in length.


    The sparkle that came from the reflection of the white light stones¡¯ light on the crystals gave one the delusion that the stars of the night sky had dropped and came within hands reach.


    Thus, while Hugo had his breath taken before the superb view, the robed man bluntly marched into the tranquil and sacred room, without immersing himself in those kinds of sentiments. Hugo was more than shocked by the man¡¯s boldness; it was quite astonishing.


    Yet, when the man stood before the treasure chest that was placed atop the altar for offerings, he slowly gave a deep bow. Hugo felt that was quite surprising.


    Self-centered and arrogant; that was the image Hugo had of the man. So, before, he had not taken him for someone who would be conscious of manners.


    The man raised his head and put his hands on the treasure chest. However, it did not open up; it only made a rattling sound.


    So as to take a peek, Hugo approached until the treasure chest was close at hand. Apparently, a key was necessary to open it.


    ¡¾¡±What are you going to do?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Can¡¯t open it without a key? That only applies in a world that¡¯s managed by a system.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    Hugo did not understand the meaning of those words. However, before he could question him about that, the man took action.


    He drew the sword that was sheathed at his waist, and before anyone could stop him, a flash had reached the treasure chest. There was a high-pitched sound followed by the sound of something falling down.


    The man had destroyed the chest¡¯s lock without hesitation. Having witnessed that, Hugo corrected his remark that the robed man was conscious of manners.


    Well, more importantly¡­


    ¡¾¡±So, what¡¯s the treasure?¡±]


    Hugo¡¯s nature as an adventurer manifested itself.


    But while he was getting excited about what had come from the treasure chest in front of him, he suddenly heard strange noises coming from somewhere, as if something was being cracked. Curious, he looked around in his surroundings but he couldn¡¯t get a grasp of where those strange sounds were coming from. As he kept looking around, the noises were becoming louder and louder, and more numerous.


    Then, Hugo, who was still confused, perceived something at the edge of his field of vision. When he looked there, there were the tiny and transparent fragments of an object that reflected the room¡¯s light. Moreover, there weren¡¯t just two or three of them, several of those fragments had dropped to the ground.


    Hugo had a bad feeling about this. Following that presentiment, he looked upwards.


    There, was a group of several hundreds of crystals with countless cracks running through them; they were probably going to break and fall very soon.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, this is bad! Hurry and esca¨D¨D¡±]


    But Hugo never got to finish his sentence. Countless fragments of crumbled crystals rained down incessantly. Then, under the cover of those fragments, something got down from the ceiling with a roaring sound.


    While basking in the glow of the sparkling rain of falling crystals, a spherical, metallic object of about 3 meters appeared. Although Hugo wondered what this was and what this occurrence meant, he did not reach an answer, however it seemed like this sphere had been hidden in the group of crystals.


    ¡¾¡±This thing, just what in the world¡­?¡±]


    Hugo hesitatingly approached the mysterious object. As he worried about what he should do, a change occurred within the sphere.


    With a loud noise, some parts of the metal sphere were stripped off, and two red lights lit up from there. In addition, two sharp arms appeared from it, followed by eight feet that came out from the lower part, lifting up its whole metallic body.


    Through the dexterous movements of those legs, the sphere turned towards Hugo and the others, and there was clear hostility burning inside its lit up parts that looked like two red eyes.


    Translator¡¯s note: Sphere monster with tentacles, yup, I don¡¯t get it either, but at least it¡¯s original >< Next Chapter we¡¯ll get the conclusion to this as well as some other things that I won¡¯t spoil, anyway, it¡¯s a very long and very important chapter, so don¡¯t miss it ?


    Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you an excellent day ?

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s coming.¡±]


    Almost at the same moment as the robed man spoke up, tentacles, that were shaped like ropes yet supple like whips, came out from the sphere and rushed towards Hugo and the others.


    Hugo promptly drew out the halberd that was hanging on his back, and fought back. He repelled the first one and cut the second one. However, he was unable to deal with the third one, and it entwined around his left ankle, pulling him down. Then, he was lifted upside down and left hanging in midair.


    ¡¾¡±Ooh!?¡±]


    Even if he fell to the ground, he would suffer little to no damage since he was merely hanging upside down, but even so, he had been deprived of his freedom, so he couldn¡¯t help getting impatient. It was possible for him to try to unbind himself using his halberd, however, in this unstable position; he could mistakenly cut his foot off. At the time Hugo was hesitating about what to do, he suddenly started free falling.


    He let out a groan as his body heavily hit the ground, but he still hurriedly opened the distance between him and the sphere. Then, the robed man went ahead to take Hugo¡¯s place. While perfectly handling the assault of the tentacles that were attacking him with irregular movements, the man spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, bastards, take that damn thing and get out of the ruins!¡±]


    That instruction was directed at the two baggage holders. There was a thin, straight sword stuck in the wall right next to them.


    That sword was probably the object that had been inside the treasure chest. The robed man had thrown it forward, sending it to those people, and making it cut the tentacles that were restraining Hugo on the way. That was likely in order to avoid dragging the two baggage carriers, who were his companions, into the fight.


    Following the man¡¯s instructions, the duo pulled out the sword from the wall and walked back outside of the room. The sphere tried to follow them, but the robed man stood in front of it, blocking its way. Hugo, who was standing right by his side, spoke to him.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, let¡¯s escape, too!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This thing is a watchdog. It will chase after us to take back the treasure that¡¯s been snatched away from it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How is this thing a dog? Dogs are supposed to be cute, man! Anyway, I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯ll be just fine if we run away!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, you¡¯re right, we would probably be able to escape. The two of us, that is.¡±]


    Hugo could not say anything against the words of the robed man who was focused on the enemy in front of him. That was because Hugo was able to understand that the man, that he himself had called a tyrant, was trying to hold back this machine-like monster here in order to avoid getting his companions mixed up into this, as well as any other adventurers that might have still been in the ruins.


    Since Hugo had made the spiral moles fall into a state of agitation, the other adventurers who were exploring the ruins should have gone above ground, having perceived the accident. However, what if some of them had to stay in the ruins for some reason, or what if they had simply not perceived the accident in the first place? What would happen to them after encountering this monster?


    That would not end well, no matter how Hugo thought about it. So, killing the monster right here was the best course of action.


    Upon the sudden appearance of such a bizarre monster, how many people could stay this calm, and yet still be able to assess the situation like that, without minding the danger? That alone was enough to understand that the robed man had been through many battles and scenes of carnage.


    Thinking back upon it, given his personality, the robed man should have chosen to escape, using Hugo as a sacrifice. In that scenario, Hugo would likely have put up as much resistance as he possibly could so as to protect his own life. He would have been the perfect sacrificial pawn to earn some time.


    Yet, the man had protected him without any hesitation, and now he was brandishing his sword so that his companions and some other adventurers he did not even know, would not be exposed to danger.


    This man was a selfish and arrogant tyrant who did not know the meaning of fear. But perhaps he was also a compassionate person.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Oh, I see. In other words, if we kill this thing, it will solve everything.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What? We? You¡¯re going to stay, too?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I am not a coward who would escape and leave you here by yourself!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Just know that I won¡¯t help you next time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I would have been able to ward it off better at that time if you had just spoken louder! What was with that barely tense ¡°It¡¯s coming¡±? Was that your impression of some small bird¡¯s chirping?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t blame me, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s always being noisy, going ¡°cui cui cui¡± like a damn magpie. Plus it looked like you wouldn¡¯t manage to ward off anything if I didn¡¯t intervene. So it doesn¡¯t seem like there was any flaw in my logic to me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Shut up, idiot!¡±]


    As the two of them were having that violent exchange of words, an equally violent battle was unfolding. Because of the monster¡¯s massive body, its tentacles¡¯ attacks were quite heavy, but accordingly, the sphere itself had no speed to speak of. However, its tentacles were moving at high speeds and covering it, therefore allowing it to attack and defend at will.


    To make matters worse, even when some of the tentacles were cut off, other ones would come forth from the sphere¡¯s body, one after the other. A few attacks did land on its main body, but due to its thick outer shell, none of the hits ended up being decisive blows. It had already completely repelled dozens of attacks so far.


    ¡¾¡±Damn it! There is no end to them!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you gonna complain after declaring oh-so-dramatically that you¡¯d stay?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Dramatically?! When the hell did I do that?! Check your ears, they¡¯re not working!¡±]


    Provoked by the robed man, Hugo furiously answered back.


    Hugo certainly did not have a hint of a strategy, but there was no sense of impatience from him. The main reason for this was that the fight was easy.


    Of course, that did not mean that the enemy was easy to deal with. The battle felt easy to Hugo because he was fighting alongside the robed man.


    Whenever Hugo¡¯s moves were lacking, the man intervened. He was skillfully covering the gaps in Hugo¡¯s defense. It was like he had a perfect understanding of Hugo¡¯s timing and fighting style, as he absolutely never trespassed within the range that Hugo¡¯s attacks could reach.


    On the contrary, when Hugo would use his somewhat rash special attacks to destroy the enemy¡¯s defense and to kill its rising momentum, the robed man would sometimes instruct him, saying¡¾¡±Duck!¡±]or¡¾¡±Jump back!¡±]. A very short instant after Hugo would follow those directions; an attack would come from his blind spot, completely out of his notice, and would cut the empty space where he previously was.


    That meant that the robed man had completely seen through the enemy¡¯s attacks and timing. Hugo could not even imagine how much piled up experience it had taken the man to reach this level of skill.


    However, said man was on Hugo¡¯s side. There was nothing more reassuring than this, however¡­


    ¡¾¡±No way around it. I¡¯ll settle this fight right quick with my special move!¡±]


    Hugo shouted in order to encourage himself. By this time, he was able to perceive what the robed man was actually waiting for.


    He was trying to probe Hugo¡¯s strength. If he was thinking of beating that monster, he would likely have been able to easily crush it. However, he did not do so, and Hugo could not think of any other meaning regarding why the robed man kept on supporting him.


    Hugo did not understand what the robed man¡¯s goal was, but if he wanted to see his power, then he was going to show him.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll leave it to you to cover me!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve got some guts to boss me around.¡±]


    Although he said that, the man guarded Hugo, acting as his shield, so that no attacks would reach him. Meanwhile, Hugo had stayed on the spot, and was raising his concentration.


    ¡°He¡¯s one reliable fellow¡± thought Hugo, as the corner of his mouth went up. Today was the two people¡¯s first encounter, they had met merely a few hours prior to this, and yet Hugo did not feel the slightest uneasiness as he fought alongside the robed man. Even Hugo himself felt that that thought was strange, but still, it did not feel bad at all.


    Then, the moment Hugo¡¯s concentration reached its peak; the robed man¡¯s sword cut all of the monster¡¯s present tentacles right off, leading to the appearance of a path that went straight towards the enemy. Hugo ran right past the robed man, and as all of his body¡¯s muscles swelled to their limit, he gripped his halberd with both of his hands and swung it downward using all his power.


    ¡¾¡ºGozan Aranami¡»!!](Great slash of the raging waves)


    At that moment, following a slash, a shock wave ran through the earth. The way it amplified its strength and dug out the ground while drawing closer and closer to the enemy, was exactly like a gigantic raging wave, rampaging in the middle of a sea storm.


    Unable to defend or to dodge, the spherical monster was not able to resist after taking a direct hit from Hugo¡¯s special move; on the contrary, it was overwhelmed, like a small boat being sunk down by a big wave.


    ¡ó


    ¡¾¡±Haah, just how long is it gonna take to reach the exit¡­?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯ve got the leisure for pointless chatter, then walk faster.¡±]


    It had been a while since the monster, which the robed man had referred to as a watchdog, had been crushed. There was no reason to stay on site any further, so the duo was quietly walking towards the exit above ground. But whenever Hugo let any idle complaint escape from his mouth along the way, he would receive a strict order from the robed man.


    Well, despite everything that had transpired, Hugo had survived and was now able to come back all the way here; however, he still had some unanswered questions. As Hugo¡¯s thoughts came to that, he decided to directly ask the man.


    ¡¾¡±Say.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why did you leave the monster from earlier to me? I think it would have been easier to win if you fought it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, that? Heh.¡±]


    The robed man condescendingly scoffed at Hugo¡¯s question.


    ¡¾¡±It was a warning for you, bastard. If you learned anything through this experience, then you just might stop exploring the ruins recklessly.¡±]


    ¡°I see¡±, said Hugo to himself, consenting to the robed man¡¯s words.


    He had acted against the established rules of exploring ruins and had been on the verge of death after agitating the spiral moles. Not only had that exposed the other adventurers to danger, but if someone other than Hugo perished because of his actions, it would be impossible for him to ever repent.


    That was likely what the robed man was warning him about.


    ¡¾¡±Right, I¡¯ll keep that engraved in my mind.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Good.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±May I ask one more thing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re no adventurer, are you? So why did you come to the ruins?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What makes you think I¡¯m not an adventurer?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You know way too little about exploring ruins. And you didn¡¯t really show interest in any treasure or item, excluding the sword that you took in the end. Rather, was that sword your actual goal?¡±]


    If that was the case, then that would mean the robed man had entered the ruins knowing full well that the sword would be there, and that was what Hugo was curious about.


    After staying silent for a while, the man forced some words out of his mouth.


    ¡¾¡±Do you know about what people refer to as the ¡°treasured objects¡±?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I¡¯ve heard the legends but¡­ wait, don¡¯t tell me that¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The sword from earlier is one of them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No way! The treasured objects are just a fantasy, aren¡¯t they?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If that¡¯s what you want to believe, suit yourself.¡±]


    The robed man strongly affirmed that the treasured object was the real deal. As for Hugo, he was overpowered by that atmosphere and found himself at a loss for words.


    On one hand he believed this was unbelievable, but on the other hand, considering how peculiar the robed man was, Hugo could accept that this was the real deal. The man¡¯s strength was completely abnormal, he had knowledge about the ancient civilizations, and his companions could hardly be described as normal either. The exploration of ruins was an open door to opportunities, and from times immemorial, there had been teams that were formed for the sole purpose of obtaining the treasured objects that could be waiting in the depths of the world¡¯s numerous ruins. Thinking of that, Hugo did not find it strange for the robed man¡¯s group to be focused solely on that goal.


    ¡¾¡±Right now, there are people who are digging up treasured objects from all over the continent. As for the treasured objects that are already owned by others, those people would just steal them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine if they discover them in ruins, but if they actually steal them, that¡¯s another story.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The theft and whatnot don¡¯t matter at all. The problem is, what are those people trying to do by collecting the treasured objects?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Aren¡¯t they selling them to collectors in exchange for gold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­It would be nice if that was all there is to it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re speaking in riddles right now. So, in the end, the reason you¡¯re looking for the treasured objects is so that those people won¡¯t get their hands on them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Something like that. By the way, I heard that they are actually a trio of black-robed people who do not speak a single word.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, I see¡­. Wait, that¡¯s you guys!¡±]


    Hugo jumped back and took some distance.


    As for the robed man, he just smirked, as if mocking that reaction.


    ¡¾¡±This operation was a success. With this, word of a ¡°black robed trio¡± will spread, even though we¡¯re not actually them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­That¡¯s your aim? Seriously, you scared me there.¡±]


    As he realized the man was simply making fun of him, Hugo calmed down.


    If this man was really one of those thieves, he would not go out of his way to talk about them to Hugo, who didn¡¯t even know they existed. On the contrary, guessing from his words and behavior, the man might have been impersonating the criminals so as to make their actions known. If the day¡¯s matter were to spread, it would reach a point where the three black robed people would catch the attention of not only the adventurers, but also of the town¡¯s people. That would surely make things difficult for the actual criminals. In a word, the robed man and his companions¡¯ ulterior motive were to put the blame of their own actions on the thieves. Their method was slow but not ineffective.


    Moreover, when thinking about it, the two people from earlier, who were said not to have the faculty of language, were merely imitating their thieves counterparts. After all, Hugo did not believe that people who were not able to communicate at all were that common.


    Rather than that, what Hugo could not tell was, why was this man doing such a thing? But when he thought of asking about that, he was the one who ended being questioned by the robed man this time.


    ¡¾¡±Say, why does a moron like you bother exploring ruins?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m hoping to find a treasure and strike it rich.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯re motivated by greed, huh.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course I am. I¡¯m an adventurer after all.¡±]


    Hugo answered to the man¡¯s cynicism with a dynamic Laugh.


    In the present era, becoming an adventurer could hardly be said to be a decent path to take. Those who took on that work would certainly be able to live without working for the rest of their lives if they were able to discover a valuable enough treasure, but even saying that only a handful of adventurers could live such lives could be taken as an overstatement. Not to say that the probability of it happening was nonexistent, but that kind of turn of events was still close to impossible.


    Many people looked down on adventurers as being idiots for risking their lives for the sake of such a ridiculously small possibility, and even the adventurers themselves were aware that what they were doing was stupid.


    Their job exposed them to as much danger as someone who belonged to the knight order or the army, but unlike those people, who protected the country and nation, an adventurer¡¯s death was not honorable. They¡¯d either become food for monsters, get caught in a trap within ruins, or they would be met with an accident, such as sliding from a slope or being hit by falling rocks. There were various causes of death for them, but each one of those was just the result of their own mistakes, for they were aware of the danger of their profession and yet they still faced it.


    Some scholars did explore the ruins from a historical point of view, so as to study the ancient civilizations that were said to have ruled over the continent in the past, but those people comprised less than a thousandth of all the adventurers. Also, in the first place, they couldn¡¯t be said to be adventurers in the true sense of the term.


    Consequently, even though children who dreamed of belonging to the knight order or the military were backed up by their parents, it was not uncommon for the ones who would start speaking of becoming adventurers to be stopped and punished with a punch so as to change their idea. At least, that was the case for Hugo. He still remembered the pain from being hit by his father¡¯s fist.


    ¡¾¡±But then, why are you idling away here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The Cadiz ruins. That¡¯s where you¡¯d find what you¡¯re looking for, moron.¡±]


    Go there, is what the man was actually saying.


    The Cadiz ruins were not big by any means; moreover, Hugo had heard that they had already been fully explored. He had once been there too, but there was nothing special or worth of mention in them.


    However, if there was a hidden mechanism there like in the Haibar ruins, then it still had more depths to explore. What if there were some actual treasures and items there? This was an advice from a man who knew the location of a treasured object after all. It was impossible for Hugo to not be curious.


    However, why had this man given information like that to him? Far from being owed anything by the man, Hugo was the one who was indebted to him, so he wondered what this favor was about.


    ¡¾¡±Say, why are you¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hey, you two! Hurry and get out!¡±]


    As Hugo was about to ask a question, a strict and almost angry voice came at him. Looking past the robed man¡¯s back, there was another man who was shouting towards this tunnel that lead to the dome shaped room where the spiral moles¡¯ corpses were piled together.


    Before Hugo even noticed it, it seemed like he had already come back here. Outside the tunnel, only half of the spiral moles corpses were left, though their blood was still there.


    The accident in the ruins had probably been reported to the adventurers who were at the base of the mountain, and they were likely all working together on damage control. Normally, Hugo should have been the one to take the initiative to do this work, so he was itching more and more to apologize.


    But, above all else, there was something Hugo had to confirm.


    ¡¾¡±Has anyone come out injured or dead?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There are some wounded people, but none of them was seriously injured. Looking at the name on the list, you were the last ones left inside.¡±]


    When exploring ruins, it was mandatory to put one¡¯s name in a certain search list beforehand. That way, the list could be checked out when there was an emergency like the current one and when someone did not return.


    While he did think that this situation was nothing to be pleased about, Hugo still felt relieved by that person¡¯s answer.


    ¡¾¡±Even so, it took you long enough to come out. What the hell were you doing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m ashamed¡­¡±]


    Hugo was simply dejected from the man¡¯s reprimanding words. He thought that it would invite confusion if he were to speak about how the mechanism at the deepest part of the ruins was solved, etc., so, for now, he decided to make it his top priority to deal with the damage control.


    But before that, he first had to openly confess that he was responsible for this whole turmoil. However, he figured that if he did so, that robed man would be bothered as well since he had been with him, so he turned around to tell him to take some distance from him. But there was no one there.


    Even when Hugo confusedly looked around the vicinity, the robed man was nowhere to be seen. He had completely disappeared, as if he had been a hallucination. But if he really had been a hallucination, Hugo would not be alive by now, so that was probably not the case. Perhaps the man simply did not want to stay in a place exposed to the public gaze like this one. If so, then this was for the best.


    ¡¾¡±Say, will you hear me out for a second?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What? If you¡¯ve got energy to spare, use it to freaking help out here.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, speaking of that, I owe you an apology.¡±]


    With this, Hugo was able to obediently confess his blunder.


    However, in the end, his only regret was to have been unable to ask that man¡¯s name.


    ¡ó


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Oho, Harold has already snatched away the treasured object from the ruins?¡±]


    Towards the information that had just reached him, Justus let out an unusually surprised tone of voice.


    This time, Harold had been heading to the Haibar ruins. From his conjecture, Justus was almost certain there was a treasured object in the deepest part of those ruins, but by no means did he think that the journey to get there would be easy.


    Exploring ruins was the actual profession of adventurers, and yet, even by working together, they did not succeed at going any further in the ruins. So, naturally, Justus had a suitable reason to think it would be a difficult task. Therefore, he had predicted that Harold would struggle to some extent, but would eventually manage to do something about the treasured object through some feat of strength.


    So, just what had happened? According to the report that had come to Justus, Harold had correctly solved the ruins¡¯ mechanism without a hitch, and obtained the treasured object in a mere day.


    His work was certainly much beyond Justus¡¯ expectations, and for that, he wanted to praise him.


    However, with this, Justus was able to turn the suspicions he had about Harold into convictions.


    Ever since he knew Harold, Justus always felt he was an oddity.


    When he contacted him for his experiment, he figured he was just someone strong that he would use as a pawn, but when he faced him, he intuitively understood. He was just like him.


    Within his eyes, there was a strong will to take any measures that were necessary for his goals.


    Harold¡¯s interception of the Sarian Empire¡¯s invasion was likely a consequence of that will. However, the more Justus examined that event, the more mysterious points came out.


    First of all, how was Harold able to sense the invasion coming? Through that invasion, Justus acquired guinea pigs from the stellar tribe for his research by using people from another country. But at the same time, he had also intended to use that as a starting point to ensnare or make a man fall from power, the man who could become an obstacle to him and could denigrate the knight order¡¯s authority, Vincent Van Vestel.


    However, as it turned out, the youngest prodigy to ever join the knight order had held back that invasion in the end and had taken the enemy commander as a prisoner.


    It would have been fine had he simply been a genius. However, Harold was not a genius, he was an irregular.


    He had worn the empire¡¯s military uniform in the forest and then showed up in front of the knight order. By doing so, he had made it known to the order that the enemy was the empire¡¯s army, and not the stellar tribe. But that would not have been possible if Harold had not gotten information about the invasion beforehand.


    Not to mention that that would have naturally been impossible had he not joined the order at 13 years old. In other words, it was safe to think that Harold had had the information for quite a while, and had been actively working on obstructing the invasion.


    What came to reinforce that hypothesis was that, in the Beltis forest¡¯s battle, Harold was in command of some powerful people who belonged neither to the knight order, nor to the imperial army, nor to the stellar tribe. That group played a big part in lowering the number of captured people and casualties in the battle.


    Since they were under Harold¡¯s commands, it was most likely right to think that he had perceived the invasion before it happened.


    What was that group? Justus could not grasp their true colors; however, he guessed they likely were either Harold¡¯s underlings or the Sumeragi family¡¯s people. Either way, that did not change the fact that Harold had done some elaborate preparations.


    From all the above-mentioned, Justus was suspicious of Harold. But even so, he still did take him under his control back then, because he had been curious about where he was headed to in the future. Was Harold going to choose a path of destruction, just like him? Or was he going to choose a different path from Justus, despite having the same eyes as him?


    Even now, it wasn¡¯t clear to him where Harold would be heading in the future. But for the first time in a very long while, Justus¡¯ interest was stimulated by something other than his own research. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t due to reason but instinct.


    However, the situation had changed.


    This time, Harold had deciphered characters from a lost, ancient civilization. Even Justus himself would not have been able to do that. That was because there were no historical records or documents left from or about that civilization.


    It was not wrong to say that this feat was impossible for the people of this world¡¯s current era.


    Then, why was Harold able to decipher those ancient letters?


    If that matter was the only one, he would have thought that it probably was due to some information that Harold¡¯s family just happened to own. However, Justus could not have such thoughts when adding the Beltis forest¡¯s case on top of this one.


    By themselves, either of those events could accidentally happen due to a miraculous accumulation of unlikely elements, but when happenings with such low probability were made to happen twice, then coincidence had nothing to do with them anymore, they became inevitable.


    To cause such inevitable events, it was necessary to know a certain ¡°something¡±. That something was: the future.


    The Sarian Empire¡¯s invasion, the meaning of those ancient characters¡¯ that someone would end up deciphering sooner or later and maybe even Justus¡¯ plans. Perhaps Harold simply ¡°knew¡± all that. He had called out Justus¡¯ name in his very first meeting with him. At that time, Harold, at the very least, had already known who the individual called Justus Freund was.


    Then there were the words he had said right after: ¡°Why would a man like you come here?¡±. Back then, Justus had thought that that phrasing, ¡°a man like you¡±, referred to his status as a well-known scientist. But what if Harold had said that because he knew Justus¡¯ true nature?


    ¡°Aahh¡±, Justus let a sigh of lamentation escape him and echo within the laboratory. He sat at his chair while looking up at the ceiling and spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±You¡­ Are you the greatest obstacle on my path, Harold Stokes? You, who has the same destructive eyes as me.¡±]


    How ironic it would be if Justus¡¯ greatest weapon, his own curiosity, were to turn its fangs on him at the very last moment.


    Yet, Justus laughed, ¡°I see it now, this is perfect¡±. He had a flash of insight akin to a divine revelation, and at this moment, he, who was an atheist, offered a prayer of thanks to god.


    Back in those days, why had he bothered to put Harold under his orders despite having suspicions about him? That had to be so he could kill the man who would become the greatest obstacle in his path with his own hands.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you for giving up your own life to prove my love, Harold. No matter what, you alone, I will absolutely kill.¡±]


    As Justus said so, there was no anger on his face; it was filled only with deep affection.


    Translator¡¯s note: So¡­ Look, Harold, I guess you tried, you had a good run >< By the way, next Chapter we¡¯ll be getting back some Harold Pov, don¡¯t worry, and we¡¯ll be seeing some of the characters that I¡¯m sure you all miss ? Also, when he says ¡°Faculty of language¡± about the two dolls etc., he means that they can¡¯t communicate at all, not that they¡¯re just mute, he means they don¡¯t nod etc. either, just in case you were confused, ¡¯cause I was ><


    Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you an excellent day ?

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    In¡ºBrave Hearts¡», Hugo Crafton was one of the members of the Hero¡¯s party.  He was a so-called tank character, acting as a vanguard with a high attack and defense power.


    Moreover, in the original story, being 23 years old, Hugo was the oldest in the party and he was depicted as the protagonist¡¯s nice older brother figure. He was usually idle, but he could be relied on at important times.


    Meeting him within the Haibar ruins was a completely unexpected happening for Harold.


    Harold expected even less that he would end up meeting Hugo while he was still disguised as a member of trinity. From now on, he would likely have to get in Liner and the others¡¯ way in that dress up. Moreover, he would probably come in contact with them with his true identity as well.


    There was a possibility that, at that time, the party would suspect that Harold and his alter-ego were the same person. To avoid that, he had put on an elaborate show in front of Colette and Liner, but he was not prepared to do the same with Hugo.


    However, that did not mean that he could have simply left him directly without doing anything else.


    The main reason for this was that, in the original story, it was within the Cadiz ruins that Hugo was supposed to become a member of Liner and the others¡¯ team. Those Cadiz ruins appeared considerably early in the game, and long story short, excluding Liner and Colette, Hugo became a member of the team earlier than anyone else.


    At the time, the party had already left for a journey to retrieve Liner¡¯s treasured sword, and it would take about three weeks to go from the Haibar ruins to the Cadiz ruins on foot. Although Liner¡¯s situation was also a factor, Harold needed to drive Hugo out of the Haibar ruins as soon as possible.


    Therefore, he reluctantly decided to quickly clear the Haibar ruins while keeping his face hidden. He thought about doing this as himself, but he figured that if he did so without preparations or a clear plan, it could expose his true identity and bring him some trouble in the future.


    Although Harold had cleared the ruins against his will due to the above-mentioned reasons, it was worth it. Because from the regular reports he got from Elu later on, he received news that a large man with short blue hair was now traveling with Liner and Colette. From that description of his appearance, there was no mistaking that the man in question was Hugo. Apparently, they had met at the very last moment possible.


    At present, about two months had passed since the team had encountered Hugo. Meanwhile, Harold continued collecting treasured objects from all over the continent, just like Harrison ordered him. Moreover, by now, he had already collected six of them, and he was soon going to head for the next one.


    On the way, Harold did think that things were going too smoothly, but based on what he heard from the reports that he regularly received from Elu, Liner also seemed to be clearing the original story¡¯s events at an excellent pace.


    The truth was that Harold had been racking his brains for a while about the pace of clearing the game¡¯s events. Even though he had played the game, he did not know how long the original story lasted for in real time, nor how the flow of time worked within the game; It had no sense of the changing seasons, nor did it contain any information about the day, month or year of any of the its events. Had the story¡¯s events happened in the span of half a year? A year? Even more than that? Harold couldn¡¯t tell, hence why he was in a hurry regarding Hugo¡¯s matter.


    However, if he thought about it, the game was about a battle for salvation, a battle to stop a plan that would basically destroy the whole world. So, naturally, the whole continent was dragged into it, to the point where it perhaps could have even been called a war.


    As one would expect, it would likely have been too difficult for the hero¡¯s party, which could only have six people at best, to fight such a massive battle for an extended period of time. Had they not settled the decisive battle in a short enough time within the story, then Liner and the others would have been at a disadvantage with their low war potential.


    Therefore, Harold hypothesized that the fight, or rather, that the whole original story might have had occurred in a shorter time frame than he had assumed.


    Then, one day, as Harold was starting to have those thoughts, something happened.


    It was during his spare time, after he had collected the sixth treasure but before he was told of his next destination. In response to a call he had received from Justus, he was returning to the laboratory after a long time. He had a bad presentiment as he reluctantly stepped towards the laboratory while cursing at Justus in his mind for handling his workmen too roughly.


    After knocking once, Harold hurriedly entered the room, and immediately cut to the chase.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s your business?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harold? You¡¯re being a little bit of a bother right now.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Like you¡¯re one to talk about being a bother.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m not as bad as you are.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Say what you have to say already. Stop beating around the bush.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t have much patience, do you? Then, I¡¯ll skip over the details. Do you remember Lifa?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What about her?¡±]


    As Lifa¡¯s name came out of Justus¡¯ mouth, Harold barely managed to somehow prevent his face from getting distorted. It took him great pains just to answer without showing any facial expression.


    Moreover, as if he could see through those feelings, Justus mercilessly threw yet another bomb at Harold.


    ¡¾¡±It seems like she¡¯s been sniffing around for information about you lately. Should I rid you of her?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s head was hurting. Colette, Hugo, and now Lifa; why were they all taking actions that differed from the original story? Thanks to that, Lifa had caught Justus¡¯ eyes in a different meaning than Harold had feared.


    This was troublesome in its own way. Needless to say that, by ¡°rid you of her¡±, Justus meant ¡°kill her¡±.


    But even if Harold were to refuse the offer, and to instead, pretend that it did not concern him while leaving the matter to Justus, then Justus would likely end up killing Lifa by some means or using her for his plans.


    Naturally, Harold could not allow that. Therefore, he had to handle this situation himself.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Where is she right now?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh? You¡¯re personally going to her?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve got a problem with that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, not really but¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It looks like you¡¯ve got something to say.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I was surprised, that¡¯s all. I mean, you like them that young?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Drop dead, you goddamn lunatic.¡±]


    After hearing of Lifa¡¯s location, Harold hurriedly left the laboratory while cursing Justus, who was accusing him of being a pedophile with a very serious expression on his face.


    ¡ó


    From the story Lifa had heard from Elu, there were some mysterious matters between the point where Harold was to be executed and the point where he became a test subject in the laboratory. Moreover, there was something else that was suspicious, because, even in Justus¡¯ story about his meeting with Harold in the past, Harold¡¯s goals were still kept concealed.


    So, Lifa figured that, if she could uncover what those goals were, then perhaps she would be able to know about the circumstances surrounding Harold and she would able to see what goals could push him to wager his very own life.


    Harold would probably tell her that there was no meaning to her actions, but still, she couldn¡¯t just do nothing while knowing that he did not have much longer to live.


    Because she believed there might be some way left to save him.


    Well, if Lifa told him that, far from thanking her, that eccentric man would probably snarl at her instead. That was why she was investigating the circumstances around the time when Harold was sent to the tribunal without even telling Harold himself.


    Thus now, it had been approximately one month after she had started investigating, and Harold was standing before her, looking clearly irritated.


    The both of them were currently inside some building. There wasn¡¯t even a single window to be seen, so they might have been in a basement.


    As for how things ended up this way, Lifa was in the royal capital at the time, indirectly getting some of the information she needed. Then, in some unfrequented back alley, she was suddenly kidnapped; her field of vision was blocked off, and before she could even say anything, her body was incapacitated as well. She was unable to resist while she was being taken away, and after a little while, the cloth on her eyes was removed, and what faced her was the twitching temple on Harold¡¯s forehead.


    She had no idea where she was, nor how she had been brought there, but from the moment of the abduction up to the present, she had felt only a single person¡¯s presence, so Harold had probably done this alone, by his own initiative.


    ¡¾¡±So, what the hell have you been doing exactly?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s voice sounded ill-humored.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Nothing in particular. Rather than that, untie me already.¡±]


    Both of Lifa¡¯s arms were tired to a chair which was creaking as she rocked her restrained body on it. However, Harold paid no attention to that.


    ¡¾¡±Answer my question. What the hell have you been doing?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s voice and eyes were becoming sharper and sharper. Apparently, feigning ignorance was not going to cut it for Lifa.


    In the first place, Harold probably knew what Lifa had done since he had gone this far already. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to be in such a bad mood.


    Therefore, even though Lifa did not want her actions to be exposed, it was meaningless for her to resist since things had ended up like this. With that in mind, she spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I¡¯ve been investigating your past.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why would you do that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Because I don¡¯t want to let you die. Because I might be able to find a way to save your life.¡±]


    Those were Lifa¡¯s true feelings; this was honestly the main reason behind her actions.


    She did not know how much time was left before Harold¡¯s death, so even if she were to help him, chances were that she would only extend his life a little bit. Also, in the first place, she probably had only one in a ten thousand chance to actually be of any help to him.


    However, even if her actions were meaningless, that was no reason to give up on Harold¡¯s life. At least as far as Lifa was concerned, Harold was a cynical man whose attitude was not all that good, but he was the first person to acknowledge her efforts and achievements, which were basically her life itself.


    Surely, no one other than Lifa would be able to understand how gratifying that was to her.


    ¡¾¡±Stop that, and don¡¯t ever do it again.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, I won¡¯t stop.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you kidding me? Do you want to die?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m aware of the risks.¡±]


    For the time being, it seemed like just investigating that story could get her killed. This matter was becoming more and more abnormal, and it just went to show how dangerous Harold¡¯s situation was.


    Well, maybe that was only natural since Harold¡¯s goals were so important he was willing to trade his life for them. As for Lifa, she could no longer withdraw from this.


    Perhaps because he felt her strong determination, Harold changed his approach.


    ¡¾¡±Why go that far? Do you want me to owe you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not it. Rather, it¡¯s the opposite.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I want to express my gratitude to you. And I¡¯m willing to risk my life for it.¡±]


    Even though she wasn¡¯t as twisted as Harold, Lifa was able to express her feelings honestly only in these kind of circumstances.


    But Harold had a dubious expression on his face. He likely did not understand what Lifa was being thankful about.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t remember doing anything for you to be grateful for.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t expect you to. Even if I tell you, you probably won¡¯t be able to understand.¡±]


    It was useless on Harold¡¯s part to pay attention to Lifa¡¯s motivations anyway, because the truth was that no words were going to persuade her.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.If, as you said, you¡¯re grateful to me, then do as I say.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How is that related to me being grateful?! What I want to do is to help you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t ask for that, and I don¡¯t need that either.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I am doing it because I want to do it, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you wish for it or not.¡±]


    Harold didn¡¯t want anything to interfere with his situation, and Lifa wanted to do anything possible to help him.


    No matter what, there was no way they would reach a consensus. After that, their dispute continued, and the only thing that progressed was the passing of time. They did that for more than an hour, until they started seeing signs of weariness appearing on each other¡¯s faces.


    There was already no more choice for either of them than to get the other to give in by force.


    ¡¾¡±You god damn block head!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Like you¡¯re one to talk!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.This is my last warning. Stop digging into my past.¡±]


    Harold said so while gripping the handle of the sword that was hanging at his waist.


    However, Lifa answered without stepping back.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I refuse. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Oh, is that so?¡±]


    With a ¡°shing¡± sound, Harold drew his sword out of its scabbard. It was a black sword that Lifa had seen many times over.


    On the sword¡¯s blade, there was Lifa¡¯s own reflection.


    ¡¾¡±I guess there is no more room for negotiations](Harold)


    ¡¾¡±Sure seems that way.¡±](Lifa)


    Harold swung down his sword without any hesitation. The sword then cut right through Lifa ¨D¨D or rather, right through the rope that was retraining her.


    She was freed from her restraints as the rope that was binding her feebly fell to the ground. Harold was making a sour face. He clicked his tongue as he put his sword back into its scabbard.


    This meant that Harold had given in.


    However, Lifa did not think that was surprising. She knew that Harold was unexpectedly kind despite being cynical. Even though it was extremely difficult to understand that kindness.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Lifa. Do you sincerely want to help me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes.¡±]


    While looking into Harold¡¯s eyes, Lifa gave him a strong nod.


    That was in order to transmit her feelings, even just a little bit, to this stubborn, awkward man.


    ¡¾¡±Then, you better follow my instructions if you don¡¯t want to die. If you act on your own accord, he¡¯ll get rid of you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Who will?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Maybe Justus, or maybe someone under his control.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I see.¡±]


    For some reason, Lifa had expected that answer. As she recalled that man with his washed-out white hair, there were many things Lifa wanted to say, but she refrained from doing so.


    ¡¾¡±Then, what should I do?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±For the time being, leave the royal capital.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re not trying to get rid of me, are you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯d sure like to do so, but I¡¯ll be coming with you.¡±]


    The fact that Harold had said that, even though he should have been unable to move about freely at present, just went to show how alarming the situation was. Lifa figured her life was possibly in very serious danger.


    Hence why Harold had come to contact her in a hurry.


    ¡¾¡±I understand. So, where will we be going?¡±]


    As Lifa asked him that question, Harold¡¯s facial expression became distorted even more than it already was before. He sighed and told her the name of the place the two of them were going to head for.


    ¡¾¡±Going forward towards the east from here, there is the sumeragi territory. I¡¯ll have you do some work there.¡±]


    Translator¡¯s note: Seems like the Sumeragis are back, I¡¯m sure many of you are pretty happy about that, at least, I know I am, it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve last seen them ><


    Anyway, I hope this chapter was to your liking, and I wish you a good day ?

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    That was a bitter decision for Harold. While the Sumeragi territory was not a direct threat to his life, it still had flags as devastating as the ones raised by working under Justus. Because that place held a bomb of a critical threat level, called Erica.


    Furthermore, considering that Justus had a complete grasp on Lifa¡¯s actions, he would likely find out that Harold was accompanying her. In short, he was undoubtedly going to discover Harold¡¯s connection to the Sumeragi family.


    The reason Harold was heading towards the Sumeragi territory despite being aware of all the above was solely because, if he had let Lifa take care of herself, chances were that she would have been killed. Harold could not tell what kind of changes would occur to the original story if that were to happen.


    And judging from Liner¡¯s and the others¡¯ progress, there were likely several months left before the game¡¯s final battle. But from here on, as Liner¡¯s group would become more active, things were going to reach a point where Harold would not know how to deal with Justus anymore. Harold¡¯s goals so far had been to obstruct Justus¡¯ moves while planning things from behind the scenes, and he had assessed that he would be able to escape before there would be any grounds to prove his actions. But was taking that risk really the right choice?


    The honest truth was that Harold had long figured that he would end up being suspected. He did not feel anything that would suggest that from Justus¡¯ behavior, but if he looked at his own behavior objectively, he was evidently quite suspicious. Justus would not overlook that.


    Plus Harold had carelessly led Justus to surveil Lifa¡¯s actions. In other words, he was just paying for his own, numerous mistakes.


    However, even so, Justus still kept Harold around, probably because he had no conclusive evidence against him yet, or because he believed that he could still be of some use to him. If so, then Harold just had to keep himself prepared for the worst and to do what he could while not exposing himself too much.


    At present, Lifa was the last piece necessary to bring down Justus. If Harold made her join the protagonist¡¯s party, then at the very least, his own work would be done. After that, he would just collect the remaining treasured objects while pulling some strings and giving Frieri the instructions they would need so that things would progress smoothly.


    If Justus wanted to suspect him, then so be it. There was hardly enough time left for those suspicions to lead him anywhere anyway.


    As long as Harold survived until the last battle, and as long as he carried out his essential role until the very last moment, then Justus¡¯ evil deeds would be brought to the light. Even if he did end up being chased by Justus, Harold would not mind staying on the run for a few months.


    So, Justus¡¯ suspicions did not really matter to Harold. Because, as long as Lifa did not change her mind, then her life would be in danger unless Harold or Liner were nearby. Moreover, Harold knew that it would be no use talking to her.


    So, if words were useless, the only way left was to show her the way through actions, by putting together a team like the one in the original story.


    That was why he had taken Lifa and had come all the way to the Sumeragi territory with her. The most he had been able to do to deal with Justus regarding this matter was to use an obvious lie. ¡°It would be too troublesome to kill her, so I¡¯m taking her back to her village¡±; he just scribbled that on some piece of paper and sent it to him.


    Harold was probably going to be questioned and drowned in sarcasm anyway no matter what he wrote, but he would just have to say that he does not fancy killing a kid who was just asking questions out of curiosity, and then, even someone like Justus would find himself with fewer ways to be on the offensive regarding the whole matter. And in case Harold was asked why he had taken Lifa through the Sumeragi territory, he would just have to say that he happened to meet an acquaintance there. It was possible to pass through the Sumeragi territory to go from the royal capital towards Lifa¡¯s native place, the Weiss village, so while this was suspicious, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable.


    ¡¾¡±Ooh, so this is the Sumeragi territory. What a peculiar townscape.¡±](Lifa)


    It had been a while since Harold had last entered the Sumeragi territory. As for Lifa, having entered the residential area, she was restlessly looking around the vicinity with curious eyes.


    lifa¡¯s current appearance reminded Harold of her first visit to the royal capital, at the time when she was sightseeing the capital¡¯s main street.


    ¡¾¡±What? Is it your first time here? It¡¯s pretty close to your village though.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I didn¡¯t have anything in particular to do here before. Besides, I¡¯ve secluded myself at home for a long time to focus on my research.¡±]


    Saying that, Lifa lightly shrugged her shoulders.


    Certainly, in this world, even when a town was in the vicinity of another and when it wasn¡¯t far at all, there were still some dangers, such as being attacked by monsters on the way. Nobody would bother to visit another town or village without a clear purpose. Well, still, the main reason was probably Lifa¡¯s shut-in lifestyle.


    ¡¾¡±So, you said we have things to do here but you didn¡¯t say what. I need some explanations.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±First, we¡¯re going to look for some people.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±People?¡±]


    Indeed, the current mission was to find Liner, Colette and Hugo and to set Lifa up with their group.


    As for the pretext to get her there, it would probably be enough to just say he wants her to collaborate with Liner and the others. While their team was currently trying to get back the treasured sword, they were also working on solving accidents and other anomalies in various places, giving full play to their soft-hearted natures.


    And as one would expect from a man who was aiming to become the leader of the knight order in the future, Liner, who was in nearby town, was going to come to the Sumeragi territory upon hearing of the mysterious miasma problem that was occurring there.


    This was why Harold had not entirely solved the miasma problem before. Because it was at this point in the original story that Erica had become a part of the protagonist¡¯s party.


    For the time being, the ideal choice was to just tell Lifa to join Liner¡¯s team without Harold having to show up personally. As a last resort, Harold was also willing to stand before Liner as himself, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re three people, one with red hair, one with golden hair, and one with blue hair. First we¡¯re gonna check if they¡¯re in the Sumeragis¡¯ streets.¡±]


    The group stood out a lot due to the weapons they were carrying and their colorful hair. If they had already visited this town, many people would remember.


    That would not be strange since they were supposed to soon arrive to the Sumeragi territory, or at least, that was the case based on the calculations Harold had made from Elu¡¯s latest regular report. Hence why his first move was to start searching for the team.


    However, even so, he was thinking that it would be better to increase the frequency of Elu¡¯s reports even more. There were no phones or emails in this world, so naturally, when communicating with someone far away, it was inevitable for the responses to come with a delay.


    That delay was one of the reasons why Harold had not been aware of Lifa¡¯s absence from the Weiss village before.


    ¡¾¡±Say, Harold.¡±]


    As Harold was losing himself in his own thoughts, Lifa called out to him.


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Wouldn¡¯t you incidentally also be looking for a a black and white haired pair of people?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What the hell are you talking about?¡±]


    Unable to understand the intent behind Lifa¡¯s question, Harold¡¯s voice sounded dubious.


    However, Lifa did not care about that, she directly raised her right arm and pointed it behind Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Well, I¡¯m telling you that because¨D¨D¡±]


    Before Lifa could finish her words, two hands were put on both of Harold¡¯s shoulders.


    And then, voices, that Harold did not want to hear, came from both sides of his head.


    ¡¾¡±I think the people she¡¯s referring to¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are the two of us.¡±]


    Both of the voices were ridiculously refreshing.


    However, when Harold heard them, his heart was far from being refreshed, in fact, they made him so consterned that cold sweat was coming out of his body. He slowly looked back behind him, despite knowing that the sight waiting for him was one that he did not want to see.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s been a while, Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But going out with any woman other than Erica is absolutely not okay.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And he¡¯s doing that in the middle of the Sumeragi territory, too.¡±]


    One of them was Itsuki, who had an overpowering smile on his face; trademark of the Sumeragi siblings. The other one was Francis, who was exaggeratedly shaking his head in disapproval.


    These two were a bad combination. They were condemning Harold as if he was a cheating husband caught in the act by an eye-witness, however, rather than that, there was something else Harold had to ask about.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Why the hell are you here, Francis?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m just paying a visit to a friend¡¯s house.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He has unfortunately already met Erica last time, plus he doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s going to do anything bad, so it should be alright.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I mean, it feels like some horrible watchdog would leap at me out of nowhere if I did do something bad, so, yeah.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If that¡¯s what you wish for, how about I tear your throat out and eat it right now?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hey, stop aiming your blood-thirst at me. Seriously, you¡¯re awful at making jokes.¡±]


    ¡°I am not joking with you¡± Harold instinctively wanted to say.


    Colette had not followed Liner, Hugo had not been in the Cadiz ruins, and Lifa had investigated Harold himself. And now, Francis, who was normally supposed to become the hero¡¯s team¡¯s companion in the latter half of the original story, had appeared considerably in advance.


    Why was there such a difference between their actions in the game and in this world? At present, Liner was the only one whose actions were normal. ¡®He¡¯s not the the protagonist just for show.¡¯ but while Harold was thinking that, there was something else he was worried about, because, as things were, Erica was also likely going to bring him some trouble.


    (No, but if I think about it, isn¡¯t this more convenient for me?)


    Harold calmed himself down to some extent and put his brain to work. The consequences of Francis¡¯ actions were the opposite of the others¡¯, for Harold believed that, not only was this not going to prevent Francis from becoming part of the hero¡¯s team, but it was also going to make him join the team earlier than he initially would have.


    He feared that if he were to hurriedly send Francis back to his own territory, then it would bring about yet another uncertain variable to his plans. So he figured that perhaps it would be a more sound choice to induce Francis to join the protagonist¡¯s party right here.


    If the number of companions increased earlier, then so would the speed of the group¡¯s progress, and they would become more proficient at using different formations in battle, even though that depended solely on the player¡¯s preferences in the game. Although some worrisome plot points that were not in the original story were developing, for Harold, who had fallen into a predicament that he had to solve as soon as possible, telling Francis to join the Hero¡¯s team was the obvious choice.


    ¡¾¡±Say¡­¡±]


    Lifa spoke up while pulling on the hem of her skirt.


    ¡¾¡±Who are these people?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This one is a man who¡¯s abnormally attached to his younger sister, and this one is a skirt-chaser who wouldn¡¯t utter a complaint even if you were to stab him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Would you please stop those spiteful introductions?!¡±]


    All the glances from the surrounding people focused on the noisy group.


    Within the Sumeragi territory, where kimonos were the norm, Harold¡¯s, Lifa¡¯s, and Francis¡¯ appearances stood out. Furthermore, as the next head of the family, Itsuki was highly popular among the people of the territory, so even if the group had not been making a racket, it was only natural for them to gather attention.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re standing out a little too much. How about we move this talk to my house?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Not gonna happen. I have no time to keep company to you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What, you¡¯ve got something else to do?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m looking for some people. They¡¯re three, one with red hair, one with blue hair, and one with golden hair.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And you¡¯re in hurry? Because if so, you should ask the family head to search them for you.¡±]


    When Itsuki proposed that, Harold wondered: would this method be more efficient?


    Searching through the wide streets of the Sumeragi territory with only two people was certainly going to be hard, moreover, Harold was in a hurry, so he did want to accept the proposal. The problem was that Erica was in the Sumeragi residence.


    If Harold thought about it, Lifa hardly had any information that he didn¡¯t want Erica to know about.


    The only information she had was about how Harold was reducing his life span to gain strength and that therefore his days were numbered ¨D¨D but there would be no problem as long as he warned Lifa not to tell others about that alone. He could inform her that the story about him not having much longer to live was a lie to begin with, but that would certainly be troublesome considering Lifa¡¯s character and Harold¡¯s own mischievous mouth.


    If not for those circumstances, he¡¯d have immediately said the truth, however, fact was that even if he tried to earnestly apologize, he might actually end up hurling abuses at her and somehow breaking off all ties with her, therefore destroying all the efforts he had put on so far. Harold would likely end up being slapped by both Erica and Lifa for that lie afterwards, but when he put himself in their shoes, then that punishment suddenly seemed pretty light.


    ¡¾¡±So, what will you do, Harold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Alright. I¡¯ll have you put in some hard work for once.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, I¡¯ll guide you there.¡±]


    Following Itsuki¡¯s lead, the group went towards the Sumeragis¡¯ residence. They walked on foot for a while, and after going the place where their carriage was parked and taking it to the highway, they spent one more hour on the road.


    Now, the vivid colors of the Sumeragi residence and its pink cherry blossoms were visible.


    ¡¾¡±Amazing¡­¡±]


    When she got down from the carriage, Lifa was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the sight in front of her, which she had never seen before. Harold also had his nostalgia stimulated by the nature and the streets of the Sumeragi territory, even though he was actually Japanese inside, which was no the case for Lifa, who seemed to be taking notice of many things.


    However, Harold naturally couldn¡¯t let her be befuddled forever so he lightly poked her head.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, it hurts!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re going.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah, wait for me!¡±]


    Itsuki and Francis were in the lead, and Harold and Lifa were right behind them. Then, when they came close to the residence¡¯s gate, they heard some noisy voices.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s going on?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No idea.¡±]


    Itsuki tilted his head in wonder.


    When Harold turned his feet towards the voices that were not stopping, he saw some people speaking up in front of the gate. Looking at them, Lifa muttered something.


    ¡¾¡±Red, golden and blue¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold cast his eyes down while silently keeping the temple on his forehead in check.


    There was no mistaking the three people who were standing before the gate of the Sumeragi family¡¯s residence. They were Liner, Colette, and Hugo.


    Translator¡¯s note: Next chapter, without spoiling too much, let¡¯s just say we¡¯ll get what a lot of you have been waiting for, so do look forward to it! Also, the author is back to life and is posting chapters again, I told you guys he was just on a break, you should always believe in him ?


    Anyway, I hope this chapter got you ready for this new ¡°arc¡± of sorts, and I wish you all a fantastic week ?

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    ¡¾¡±Say, Harold, aren¡¯t they¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Their traits correspond to the people that you two have been looking for.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, that was easy¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold was still silent. What kind of timing was that? He wanted to curse his fate.


    Making an appearance here in front of Liner and the others was the worst development he could think of. Was there any way for him to disappear immediately?


    Although Harold unintentionally thought of such things, if he did have the time to do that, then perhaps he should have directly escaped without caring about appearances. However, the other party had noticed Harold¡¯s presence before he could do anything.


    ¡¾¡±Ah, elder brother. Great timing, I need your¡­¡±]


    Right after Erica started speaking, she stopped her words as she saw Harold. Apparently, she was the one that Liner and the others were interacting with in front of the residence¡¯s gate. Harold was under the delusion that god or some other supernatural being was out to kill him. However, when he thought about it, this was nothing new considering he had possessed the body of Harold Stokes, who was loved by death flags.


    Lured by Erica¡¯s words, Liner and the others turned their heads and looked behind them. After a brief moment of silence, a voice filled with joy spoke up Harold¡¯s name.


    ¡¾¡±Harold©`!¡±]


    The owner of that voice, Liner, ran up to Harold.


    Seeing that with a sidelong glance, Harold gave out instructions that only Lifa could hear.


    ¡¾¡±Lifa.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t tell them anything regarding how much time I have left to live.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Okay.¡±]


    Though she appeared to be dissatisfied by the request, Lifa still accepted it, and getting her to do so was probably enough to prevent her from leaking too much information.


    Now, the only problems left for Harold to deal with were Erica and Colette, and then all the pieces would fall into place. He had better move with the assumption that Liner had been told about his connection to Colette. It would be very bad if those two were to tell Erica about Harold¡¯s rescue of the Ameller mother and daughter. He had forbidden Colette to speak of that story, but that was eight years prior, and even if not for that, there was a danger that Liner would just spill the beans out of nowhere.


    Besides, Hugo had not seen Harold¡¯s face, but he had heard his voice. Above all, Harold¡¯s poisonous mouth, which excelled at provoking people, could not easily be forgotten. So there was a risk that Hugo would see through the fact that Harold and the robed man he had met within the Haibar ruins were in fact the same person. Not to mention that, if he were to tell Liner that Harold was impersonating a thief while dressed in a robe, then things would get complicated once again.


    It would be fine if Liner misunderstood things in a good way, however, on the contrary, there was a possibility that he would get a bad intuition, like the ones that would come up in some cheap plays. In which case, Harold¡¯s relationship with Liner would become completely hostile.


    In a flash, the Sumeragi residence had turned into Harold¡¯s hell, as if it had been meticulously designed for his own personal suffering.


    ¡¾¡±What the hell are you doing here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I was still tracking those guys from last time, but I couldn¡¯t cross over the mountain because it¡¯s a restricted area. So I directly came here to get the permission to go through there¡­¡±]


    While keeping his dismay hidden, Harold first confirmed the actions Liner and the others had taken so far. Their movements were pretty much the same as they were in the original story, except for the fact that, in the game, while they pursued the three robed people, the team¡¯s advance had not come to a standstill due to the restriction on the area where the miasma outbreak had occurred.


    But even so, since their advance was not controlled by the game¡¯s system here, it was perfectly possible for them to take a detour around the mountain, however, considering that the detour would take a whole month, Harold could understand why Liner wanted to go through that path somehow or another.


    ¡¾That doesn¡¯t sound too good. May I listen in as well?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, and you are¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My name is Itsuki. I¡¯m the older brother of Erica over there. Also, just saying, but, I¡¯m the second most important person in this household.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, does that mean you let us go through the mountain?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s talk first and we¡¯ll decide after. Now then, come with me.¡±]


    As Itsuki prompted them to follow him, Liner and the others were invited to the Sumeragi residence. A total of eight people were present, and including Harold, seven of them were characters of the original story; for a fan of the game, this experience was hard to bear with. But even though Harold felt that way, he had no complaints, both because some of the attention had now strayed from himself, and above all because there was a conversation that he needed to have for the sake of the coming future.


    Although Harold was being pierced through by a wistful Gaze that seemed to be coming from Erica, he disregarded that for the time being.


    The group was received within a spacious, thirty square meters (322 square feet) Japanese-style room where Harold had first met Erica eight years prior.


    Within the room, Itsuki sat down on the seat of honor which was positioned behind a wooden desk. On his right were Erica, Harold, Lifa and Francis, and as for Liner, Colette and Hugo, they were sitting on the opposite side. Each of them were given some of the tea that Juno had made, and after gulping down a sip of that to moisten his throat, Itsuki started talking.


    ¡¾¡±Well, first of all, let¡¯s start by introducing ourselves. I am Ituski Sumeragi. I am the next head of the Sumeragi household and I¡¯ve been friends with Harold for ten years. ¡°]


    Liner and Colette were in admiration. Moreover, from the right, Lifa muttered in shock ¡°This has got to be a lie¡­¡±. That was her reaction to the claim that Itsuki was Harold¡¯s friend.


    ¡°How is that shocking? What the hell do you take me for?¡± is what Harold wanted to say as a complaint, but when he thought about it objectively, he realized that her reaction was perfectly natural.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ I am Erica, Itsuki¡¯s younger sister.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Also, she¡¯s engaged to Harold.¡±]


    Itsuki mercilessly threw out the information that Erica wanted to keep concealed. Harold felt a cold air drifting from her direction. And although he wanted to object Itsuki¡¯s words, he did not feel like interjecting in the conversation here due to the excessively heavy pressure that was coming from Erica who was sitting on his left.


    Since the atmosphere was becoming worse and worse, Harold pushed himself to do a self-introduction so as to change the subject as fast as possible, even though he had no interest in introducing himself to these people since he believed it wasn¡¯t necessary for him to do so anymore by now.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m Harold Stokes.¡±]


    That was it. Even if he talked about other things, it would come to no good. To begin with, this was meaningless since he was acquainted to most of the people who were present. They also knew him well enough that they did not voice any dissatisfaction even though he had introduced himself by simply giving his name.


    As for Hugo, who was the only one not acquainted to Harold: he had an expression of doubt on his face. That was likely because he remembered that tone of voice. Maybe it was better for Harold not to talk too much.


    As Harold was thinking of not opening his mouth again, Lifa promptly proceeded with her self-introduction.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m Lifa Goodridge. I came here to accompany Harold.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Accompany him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t really know about the details either. Except for the fact that he made me help to look for you people. ¡°]


    Lifa answered Liner¡¯s question while shrugging her shoulders. Harold would be fine as long as she didn¡¯t say too much, but still, he had had no time to make any arrangements with her, so he had no choice other than to believe in her ability to read the mood and adapt to it.


    The self-introductions continued, and next was Francis¡¯ turn.


    ¡¾¡±I am known as Francis J. Arkwright! I am an authentic prince, with the right to succeed to the crown!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re saying ¡°the right to succeed¡± and all, but aren¡¯t you the 37th in line for that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Did you have to say that?!¡±]


    Itsuki mercilessly threw a retort at Francis¡¯ words. Like with Erica before, he did not fail to slip in some words that he did not have to say, and there was no mistaking that this was a premeditated crime. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t read the atmosphere; rather, he read the atmosphere and then did this on purpose. That being said, only he knew the aim behind his actions, if there was any.


    ¡¾¡±Well, after all, you wouldn¡¯t succeed to the throne unless at least 37 catastrophes were to happen.¡±]


    (That is actually gonna happen if things stay as they are¡­.)


    Harold sighed within his mind. The whole continent was in danger of going down.


    But if that were to happen, then the right to succeed to the throne and whatnot would not be relevant anymore so, in the end, Francis still would not take the crown. However, while he was proud of being the prince, he was not really attached to the title, so he probably didn¡¯t mind anyway.


    ¡¾¡±Then, you¡¯re next.¡±]


    Itsuki cut off Francis¡¯ objections and turned the room¡¯s attention towards Liner.


    ¡¾¡±I am Liner Griffith! I guess I¡¯m Harold¡¯s friend, but he¡¯s also my target, so that¡¯s kind of¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve picked one hard target to aim for.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It would probably be impossible for most people to catch up to this guy, no matter how much effort they put in.¡±]


    Itsuki and Francis, who knew of Harold¡¯s unreasonable battle capabilities, gave deep nods while paying no heed to him even though he was right in front of them.


    Harold actually wanted to make Liner as strong as himself, but it was unfair to expect that of him. Not to mention his character¡¯s original capabilities, Harold¡¯s current power also included the techniques and the information that had been accumulated by the game¡¯s players.


    That advantage was not something that others could catch up to in a day.


    Afterwards, as the three men were getting riled up over Harold¡¯s strength, they were kept in check by Erica, and everyone¡¯s attention gathered over Colette.


    ¡¾¡±I-I am Colette Ameller. I am Liner¡¯s childhood friend, and, hmm¡­¡±]


    Colette¡¯s line of sight wandered about. It seemed like she was going to look at Harold, but after her glance reached him, it proceeded towards Erica, who was sitting next to him.


    Harold understood the meaning of the look she had given him. She did not intend to speak of past events, that was likely the intent she wanted to convey when her eyes met his. She was very bad at keeping secrets and it was obvious that she was hiding something, but even so, Harold could be relieved that she was taking his intentions into consideration.


    The problem however was the meaningful glance Colette had directed towards Erica. It did not seem like this was their first meeting. The moment Harold thought that, he heard something that he could not possibly ignore.


    ¡¾¡±I-I¡¯m also Erica-sama¡¯s friend¡­¡±]


    Colette timidly said so. Needless to say that Harold¡¯s eyes had turned into dots.


    He turned his face towards Erica, who was sitting on his left, while he held down the urge to interrogate her about what was going on. Her facial expression was a mix of awkwardness and resignation.


    It was surprising of her to display such a face, but it showed that, for some reason, Erica was not pleased by Colette¡¯s words.


    However, that was no the important part. For Harold, it was already a big problem that Erica and Colette already knew each other from before.


    When had that happened? Where? Why? He did not have a clue, and the worst of expectations had crossed his mind. Perhaps Erica knew of the past he shared with Colette. But even though Harold had such doubts, he quickly put a stop to that thought, as he assessed that it was overly simplistic.


    (There is no way that¡¯s true¡­ probably¡­ I think¡­)


    Although he could not confirm this, he believed the current situation would not have come to be if Erica was aware of his past deeds. Also, this was paradoxical logic, but considering her personality, it was safe to think that she was just hiding her hatred of Harold.


    Moreover, in view of the look Colette had given Harold earlier, she would probably not expose his secret easily. If he reacted rashly here, that could backfire on him. So he took a small, yet deep breath and regained his calm.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Long time no see, Colette-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, no need to add ¡°sama¡± to my name! ¡°Colette¡± alone is just fine!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How about Colette-san?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y-yes! Please use that!¡±]


    The expression Erica had on her face just seconds before disappeared as if it had never been there, and her usual, fascinating, soft smile returned. The speed of that change was as fast as one would expect from her.


    Nevertheless, in proportion to her claim that she was Erica¡¯s friend, Colette seemed quite nervous. While this may not have been their first meeting, the fact that they were still worrying over honorifics just went to show that they weren¡¯t that close to each other.


    With that said, Harold did not understand how they had ended up becoming friends. Their relationship was a mystery.


    ¡¾¡±Guess I¡¯ll go last. I¡¯m Hugo Grafton. I¡¯m an adventurer. As for why I¡¯m with Liner and Colette¡­ Well, things just worked out that way.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯re an adventurer, then you are aware of the dangers you¡¯ll face if you enter a restricted area, correct?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course¡­ But well, actually, I can¡¯t really claim that I am.¡±]


    Maybe because he recalled his mistake in the Haibar ruins, Hugo embarrassedly scratched his head. Harold did not overlook the fact that, at that moment, Hugo stole a glance at him.


    Perhaps he had already realized that Harold was the robed man from that time. The pending problems waiting for Harold were increasing faster and faster. To top that off, his mind was exhausted, and for some reason, he felt like even his stomach was hurting.


    Currently, Harold¡¯s only comfort was the tea made by Juno.


    ¡¾¡±Mhm, I guess you have your reasons. By the way, Harold. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why were you looking for Liner and the others? It seems like you already know them, do you happen know what their situation actually is, too?¡±]


    Itsuki¡¯s keen insight was surprising in many ways, but in this particular case, most people would likely have figured things out by connecting the dots. The timing of the encounter was too good for it to be an accident, so Itsuki¡¯s thoughts were reasonable.


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, I do know.¡±]


    Harold intended to disclose all the information he possibly could. From here, he was going to tell them the solution to the miasma problem, to make them assemble as a party like in the original story, and to let them know that Justus Freund was the root of all evil.


    He had to do that to get them ready to fight with everything they had in the all-out war that was going to come months from here.


    His choice was likely going to affect the flow of the original story in a big way, and Harold was terrified by the fact that he might influence the fate of the whole world.


    Still, he stepped forward, convinced that he had to take this step for the sake of surviving.


    ¡¾¡±And I¡¯ll also show you people the most efficient solution to deal with that later. But say, Itsuki.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±About the miasma outbreak in your territory, what would you do if I tell you there is a way to put an end it for good?]


    Translator¡¯s note: Poor Harold, lately it¡¯s just one death flag after the other >< Next Chapter is a long one, we¡¯ll be getting both Harold and Erica¡¯s POVs, be sure to check it out ? Personally, I¡¯m really glad the author gathered everyone, I was afraid he¡¯d just keep adding party members ><


    Anyway, hopefully everyone got their dose of Erica for now, I hope you¡¯ll have a fantastic day, and I¡¯ll see you next week

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    (Harold¡¯s pov)


    It was only a slight change, but those words had made Itsuki¡¯s facial expression stiffen a little. It looked like Erica had her breath taken away, too. The human losses had been held back to a minimum thanks to the antibody drugs made by Harold, and with the LP farming method, the territory had acquired a new source of revenue; but nevertheless, the decay in their exploitation of forestry, which used to be their forte, was still a painful problem for the Sumeragi territory.


    Even if their economy had not been affected at all, this was still a source of anxiety, and there was no helping the fact that it was a minus for the whole Sumeragi territory. There was no reason for Itsuki¡¯s interest to not be caught by this.


    ¡¾¡±Can you really do it?¡­ That would probably be a foolish question to ask. But how in the world would you go about doing that?¡±]


    That was a reasonable question for Itsuki to ask. But presenting an answer to this would be the same as revealing who was the one pulling the strings behind this case.


    In other words, it would clarify that Liner¡¯s end goal was to bring down Justus. But what would really happen if Harold told them about the existence of the last boss, which had been revealed to them only by the final stage of the original story?


    Harold had been troubled and scared many times so far about changing the flow of the game¡¯s story, and as he modified it over and over again, he had started thinking like this: What if the story had already reached a point from which it could not be fixed anymore?


    In this world, Clara had survived, and with that, Colette had no reason to hate Harold. The same applied to Liner, who was hostile to Harold in the original story because he was his childhood friend¡¯s enemy.


    Due to the antibody drugs and the LP farming method, the Sumeragi territory had not fallen into a serious economic crisis, and they no longer needed to marry their daughter Erica to the infamous Harold.


    Since he hadn¡¯t lost his subordinates, Cody did not give up on the knight order and still belonged to it, therefore, the Frieri group, which was supposed to be established by him, was instead managed by Harold with Elu¡¯s support.


    Harold had also unexpectedly developed a connection with some of the members of the protagonist¡¯s party who were supposed to have nothing to do with his character until the start of the game, such as Lifa, Francis and Hugo.


    The Harold Stokes in this world had already become a completely different person from the original Harold stokes, and in this situation where he was close to the eleventh hour, he probably had better make his plans accordingly.


    Therefore he spoke up without hesitation.


    ¡¾¡±This is the source of the miasma. You¡¯ll be able to stop it if you disable it.¡±]


    As he said so, he took out a hexagon-shaped machine of about ten centimeters (4 inches) in diameter. It was a strange-looking object with a cord and a blinking light on it. When Harold put it on the desk, it made a heavy, solid thud.


    While in the middle of a mission to set some of these devices in specific places, Harold figured it might be useful and took one of them for himself. Because he was afraid that Justus would find out, Harold had insisted that he had lost the device and continued asserting his innocence until he stopped being questioned about it. So, in short, he had stolen it.


    ¡¾¡±What kind of machine is this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you know about what they call a dragon pulse?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I recall it¡¯s like a passage through which the earth¡¯s essence flows¡­¡±]


    Itsuki answered Harold¡¯s question with some vague information. However, if he already knew that much, then there was no problem. A dragon pulse was something like a power spot.


    Incidentally, Colette and Liner, who were facing Harold, exchanged glances and tilted their heads in wonder, seemingly unaware of what a dragon pulse was.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. And by installing this mechanism in the dragon rear, which is the exit of a dragon pulse, one can absorb the earth¡¯s essence, its energy.¡±]


    Harold wasn¡¯t quite sure how the device worked exactly, but a normal person simply could not understand an object that was made by Justus himself. For the time being, he could do nothing but acknowledge the fact that that was how things were.


    Besides, this world¡¯s mysterious energy that was called the earth¡¯s essence was even more familiar to Harold than the energy that people used in his original world, so he didn¡¯t even have to twist the truth.


    ¡¾¡±So what? I don¡¯t really get it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The earth¡¯s essence is like a person¡¯s blood. Liner, what would happen if, for instance, you were to tie a rope very tightly around your upper arm?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My blood would stop!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. Then, if your blood stopped circulating there, it would result in necrosis, and your arm would rot and fall down.¡±]


    Those words made the whole room silent. Almost everyone had guessed the meaning behind Harold¡¯s words.


    To clarify the seriousness of the situation even further, Harold continued explaining.


    ¡¾¡±When the flowing essence gets interrupted at the dragon rear, a similar phenomenon happens to the earth. The miasma is like blood that¡¯s gone bad; it¡¯s the essence¡¯s impurities.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The essence¡¯s impurities¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±When they enter someone¡¯s body in large quantities, the impurities get mixed up with the person¡¯s blood, causing an anomaly.¡±]


    That was the setting in the original story. Moreover, considering the fact that the antibody drug was effective in this world, then this theory probably applied here as well.


    Harold had thought that Itsuki would be delighted to find the solution to a problem he had been facing for years, but that was not the case. Rather, his facial expression looked even grimmer than before.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Harold, is there a way to cure someone whose blood was mixed up with those impurities?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, and it¡¯s quite simple. If you disable the machine, then the earth¡¯s held back essence will start overflowing. If that someone breaths that in, then his condition will probably improve.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Really?!¡±]


    Itsuki became excited and showed a broad smile, it was a complete change from his earlier grim face. He was concerned about the lives of his people above all else, that was his top priority, just as one would expect from someone who was from the Sumeragi family. Erica, who was next to Harold, kept on taking deep breaths to calm herself down.


    When the device was deactivated in the original story, the accumulated earth essence gushed out, and some light green particles rained down on the Sumeragi territory. The game also showed a depiction of patients, who had been affected by the miasma, suddenly recovering upon inhaling those particles.


    Justus intended to make use of that accumulated essence, therefore if the devices that were installed in various places, including the Sumeragi territory, were disrupted, his plans would be put to action with an insufficient amount of energy, and he would get incomplete results. In other words, properly solving the miasma problem here would show effect in the fight against the last boss.


    ¡¾¡±If you deactivate the device that¡¯s installed at the dragon rear somewhere on the mountain, then the flow at the dragon pulse will return to normal and the miasma will disappear. The local population will be saved, as well. You hear me? Don¡¯t destroy it, deactivate it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll do that for sure. But what happens if we break it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The enormous flow of essence that¡¯s been held back will go on a rampage and will blow up the whole area.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s one serious task to take on!!¡±]


    Francis showed an exaggerated reaction, but everyone else shared the same stiff expressions on their faces.


    Well, perhaps that was an inevitable reaction given that they were told the whole area would blow up if they failed.


    ¡¾¡±Stop shouting. It¡¯s going to be fine as long as the right procedure is used to deactivate it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±O-oh. Don¡¯t scare us like that¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And Harold-sama knows that procedure for sure!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, I don¡¯t.¡±]


    Liner, who had been feeling relieved, and Colette, whose eyes had been full of expectations, were both frozen stiff on the spot. The atmosphere instantly became heavy.


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t¡­? Then, what should we do? Should we ask the one who made the machine?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How dumb can you possibly be? We can¡¯t exactly ask the one responsible for this situation to deactivate the device for us now, can we?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That, that makes sense¡­¡±]


    Harold unintentionally insulted Hugo out of reflex. As for Hugo¡¯s reaction, he shrank back.


    Harold had reflexively let his mouth speak even though he had been trying to avoid talking more than necessary. But well, so far, he hadn¡¯t stopped talking at all, so his hopes of keeping his identity concealed were steadily going down.


    ¡¾¡±Then we¡¯ll have to look for a solution from scratch. First we¡¯ll examine the structure of that device and¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What do you mean?¡±]


    Harold took the machine he had put on the desk and he lightly tossed it on his right, towards Lifa who caught it with both of her hands.


    ¡¾¡±She¡¯ll disable it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Her?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. You got a problem with that?¡±]


    With a slightly provocative tone to her voice, Lifa smiled at Itsuki. Needless to say that what she meant was that he shouldn¡¯t judge by appearances and make light of her just because she was small.


    In the game¡¯s story, Lifa could manipulate a machine¡¯s system right after touching it for the very first time; she was also familiar with mechanical engineering and electronic engineering given that there were scenes where she quickly built some simple machines of her own. So, although she was overshadowed by Justus because he was simply too much of an oddity, she was still a genius.


    Harold had handed her the device on the way here and had gotten her to grasp its structure and the method to deactivate it. She herself had said ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡±, so everything was likely going to be fine.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s how it is. As soon as Lifa is done getting prepared, we¡¯ll go disable the device.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll go with you!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±M-me too¡­!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you two are going, then I guess I¡¯ll have to come along.¡±]


    Liner, Colette and Hugo immediately showed their will to accompany Harold and Lifa; and Francis followed suit.


    ¡¾¡±Well, now that I¡¯ve heard so much, It¡¯s impossible for me to withdraw.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Franck¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±My royal blood would cry if I didn¡¯t take action to pull my best friend out of his predicament.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Thank you. Alright, then I¡¯ll also¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No.¡±]¡¾¡±You cannot.¡±]


    Harold and Erica simulataneously interrupted the words of Itsuki who was about to declare that he would participate.


    That was only natural. Not to mention the fact that Itsuki had not appeared in this event in the original story, he was also the next head of the Sumeragi family. He could not afford to take the risk of losing his life in the unlikely case of a failure.


    It was probably the same thought process that led Erica to stop her brother.


    ¡¾¡±No? But¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Think about your standpoint. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Shouldn¡¯t you take shelter in case of an emergency, elder brother?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The people of the Sumeragi family can¡¯t not involve themselves with this serious matter.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, I¡¯ll go. You don¡¯t mind, right? Harold-sama.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t ask me. Decide that for yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You heard him. Please restrain yourself, elder brother.¡±]


    The conversation continued as Harold and Erica kept firing one argument after another towards Itsuki before he could utter any objection. Although Erica and Harold¡¯s affinity was supposed to be bad, when their intents matched, they worked surprisingly well together.


    When thinking about it calmly, it wouldn¡¯t be good for Erica to come along in such an expedition, but although Harold believed that, he still felt it would be quite convenient if she did come.


    Afterwards, Harold, Erica and Itsuki kept arguing with each other, but by the end of the two-to-one battle, Itsuki was the one who finally gave in.


    However, once it had been decided who would be going to deactivate the device, Francis suddenly asked a question.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, Harold. Where did you get that device and the method to solve the miasma problem?¡±]


    As Harold expected, he was going to have to answer to that question. Everyone¡¯s eyes naturally gathered on him.


    Believing that this was a good timing to lay out the truth anyway, he spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±Because I¡¯m familiar with the one responsible for what this device did.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Justus Freund. He was the one pulling the strings behind the miasma outbreak.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?! Wasn¡¯t Dr. Freund the one who protected you?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±On the surface, yeah. Fact is that he was just taking his chance to put me under his control and use me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Can you explain the situation?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Humph. If you want to know that badly, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡±]


    Now then, where should I start? Harold pondered. If I¡¯m going to start from the beginning, then I guess I should talk about that thing first.


    ¡ó


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    Erica was sweating badly. The reason for that was that both Harold and Colette were present right in front of her.


    There would have been no problem if only one or the other was here. She would have been happy to unexpectedly meet Colette once again, and a sudden visit from Harold would make her heart leap from joy, although she would not show that on her face.


    However, since both of those events happened at the same time, she couldn¡¯t be all that delighted.


    Her relation to Harold had been lasting for eight whole years during which it was solidified through lies and misunderstandings.


    Harold had lied to Erica and had wrongly guessed that she believed he had killed Colette and her mother.


    Although she knew that Harold was lying, Erica was pretending to be deceived by him out of respect for his intentions.


    Also, Colette was aiming directly at the lies which were making Harold and Erica¡¯s relation look bad on the surface, because she did not understand the delicate nature of their connection.


    Erica believed she was the one who understood the situation better than anyone else. Therefore, she could not act rashly. There were some secrets that simply needed to be kept between each of the three parties, and this situation was basically a three-way deadlock.


    Thus, she was reluctant to expose the fact that Colette was her friend.


    Colette had done nothing wrong. Erica was the one who had suggested that the two of them should become friends once they met again, and she was actually glad that Colette still remembered that promise from five years prior.


    However, why did that have to happen with this timing?


    Erica couldn¡¯t deny Colette¡¯s words, so she properly acknowledged her as her friend. It was impossible for her to make herself cold-hearted enough to feign ignorance in these circumstances.


    She was feeling a completely new type of pain in her stomach. Her mind and her body did not seem like they would last for long this time around.


    However, as the discussion went forward, there was less and less room to worry about these matters.


    She was abruptly informed of the method to cure the patients who were affected by the miasma, and to even solve the miasma problem entirely. The Sumeragi family had been seeking that information with open arms.


    More importantly, Harold was going to personally talk about his past. Though, knowing Harold, it was unlikely for him to confess the entire truth, she still wanted to know what he was thinking, even if only a little.


    ¡¾¡±First of all, do you recall the Beltis forest battle from five years ago?¡±]


    Harold began talking disinterestedly. For Erica, that battle was where it all began; she could not possibly forget it.


    ¡¾¡±That was a conflict where the imperial army launched an assault due to which both the knight order and the stellar tribe suffered many casualties. If I remember right, that was when you were suspected of being a spy of the Empire.¡±]


    Francis was the one who answered.


    It seemed like he knew the outline of the story since it had made quite a stir at the time. However, that information was just made to manipulate the public opinion.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not correct. Harold had gotten information about the Imperial army¡¯s invasion before it happened, and he went to the Beltis forest to prevent that from happening.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That doesn¡¯t matter.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, it does. You got that serious injury because of that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It was just a scratch.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±An air hole was opened through your shoulder with a magic spell, the wound was so severe that you stayed unconscious for a week, so I wouldn¡¯t call it a scratch.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±W-were you all right in the end¡­?¡±](Colette)


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m here right now so of course I was all right. I¡¯ll continue my story now. ¡°]


    Itsuki knew that Harold would get irritated when too much information about him was exposed.


    But ever since that injury had happened, part of Itsuki was desperate to do everything to stop Harold from being reckless and acting rashly. He had tasted the same fear as Erica when Harold¡¯s life was put on the line due to that battle.


    Thereafter, he became willing to act cranky so as to dissuade Harold from being careless. However, that was unfortunately not very effective.


    ¡¾¡±In that battle, I defeated a major general of the imperial army, and I put in some great efforts to capture him. As a result of that, I was arrested under suspicions of being a spy of the imperial army. Two weeks later, it had been decided that I would be executed.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s ridiculous! You were the one who stopped the battle!¡±](Liner)


    Indeed, the work that Harold displayed in that battle was well worthy of praise, it would not have been strange for him to get a medal for that. If not for Harold, that battle might have grown into an internal strife between the knight order and the stellar tribe due to the imperial army¡¯s schemes.


    He had been dressed with the imperial army¡¯s uniform so as to notify the knight order early on about who the real enemy was, but even if that fact had been kept hidden to bring him down, it would still have been impossible to punish him.


    But even so, it did happen, and Harold was finally going to tell the truth about that.


    ¡¾¡±The one who drove the Sarian Empire into launching an attack was a man named Harrison, but he was actually being manipulated by Justus.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ In short, he¡¯s the one who¡¯s truly responsible for that battle¡­.¡±]


    Erica¡¯s voice was slightly trembling out of shock and anger.


    On the other hand, Harold kept speaking emotionlessly.


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. In addition, Justus manipulated the people of the tribunal so that they would sentence me to execution, and once I was incarcerated in a dungeon, he judged that the time was ripe and appeared before me. Then he told me that sitting there waiting for my death was no good and he asked me to come with him.¡±]


    What a crafty threat, thought Erica. He was the one who cornered him into that predicament and yet he was also the one who offered him his help. That was the epitome of viciousness.


    Looking at Itsuki and Liner, they seemed to be getting angry at Justus, as for Colette and Hugo; they looked like they were feeling compassionate towards Harold who had been treated too unfairly.


    ¡¾¡±Although it was annoying to work with him, it was a good opportunity to find out his real intentions. One of the things I learned in that process was the information I just gave you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­But why is Dr.Freund doing such things?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It seems like he¡¯s planning something that requires him to capture the upper echelons of the country. Both the Beltis forest¡¯s battle and the energy he¡¯s absorbing from the dragon pulse are probably related to that as well. I don¡¯t want to try to guess the real intentions of a man who¡¯s so mad that he captured people from the stellar tribe to practice human experimentation.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Human experimentation? Don¡¯t tell me he caused that whole battle for that!?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The chaos gave him the perfect occasion to kidnap people.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Shit! Harold, are the people he kidnapped safe?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­He only managed to take two people away. But I wouldn¡¯t say they¡¯re safe.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Damn it!¡±]


    Francis punched the desk as his facial expression became distorted. If he did not do that, he likely would have been at a loss about where to let out his anger.


    Hugo also murmured something, saying only ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they were¡­¡±, but he then closed his mouth. Judging from his words, he might have thought of something at that moment.


    A mournful atmosphere dominated over the room. Even Juno, who had been casting her eyes down while sitting on a chair in a corner, tightly grasped her hands on her knees. The only one whose mood did not change was Harold.


    ¡¾¡±And then, there is you, Liner.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y-yes¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harrison was the one who ordered the theft of that sword of yours. And, naturally, Justus was behind that, too.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What the hell¡­. Then, the reason you almost died, the reason mom and dad got hurt, the reason those innocent people were injured, the reason the Sumeragis¡¯ people suffered, the reason for everything that happened were Justus¡¯ actions?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±As far as I know, yes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s gonna pay! I¡¯m gonna beat the hell out of him!¡±]


    Liner spoke up in high spirits. That feeling was also shared by Erica, and perhaps by everyone in the room.


    When examined carefully, the sources of their anger were probably more or less different from one individual to another. However, there was one thing they all shared in common: it was the blaze of anger they lit up against Justus for daring to hurt Harold so much. This was the first time Erica ever felt emotions that were this negative.


    ¡¾¡±If you think you can do it, go ahead and try. But that¡¯s not gonna happen unless you fix the miasma problem first.¡±]


    Everyone¡¯s voices got mixed up as they replied in a disorderly fashion with ¡°yes¡±, ¡°Of course!¡±, ¡°let¡±s go¡± and more, but every one of their answers was a strong, affirmative response.


    No need to say that Erica¡¯s voice was included in that as well.


    Translator¡¯s note: Finally, he spilled the beans¡­ sort of, but it¡¯s enough for me >< Next chapter, Harold¡¯s favorite part of the story will be back: the onsen >< So do look forward to it ?


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll have an excellent day, and I¡¯ll see you next week! ?

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    It was questionable whether Harold had made it through the crisis or not, but at least he had managed to finish the discussion in the living room without revealing the things he wanted to keep hidden. He could tell from looking at Colette that she likely would not speak about the secret they shared, so as long as he kept his eyes on Liner, no troublesome situation would arise.


    On top of that, he had induced the original story¡¯s hero party to go solve the miasma problem, so perhaps it was fine to say that this event had actually gone well.


    He was still wracking his brains about which direction to take with his plans in the future, but at least things would go favorably well until ¡°that scene¡±.


    What ¡°that scene¡± referred to was, in short, the event where Harold would antagonize Liner and the others.


    In that event, the group had entered the enormous flying fortress made by Justus and were very close to catching up to him, but someone suddenly appeared in their way, and it was no other than Harold Stokes. He had been deluded by Justus¡¯ flattery and strengthened by the astral potion, so beating him was one of the greatest challenges that the hero¡¯s party faced on their journey. Then, once they defeated Harold, they failed to catch Justus, and the scene moved to their final fight, but Harold was troubled about how to deal with that battle, as well.


    As for whether there was a way to avoid this by finding someone fit to be Harold¡¯s substitute in his fight against Liner and the others, the answer was no. There was only a number of months left, in that short of a time frame, there was no way to find someone capable enough to take care of the hero¡¯s party in the last stage of the story.


    Even if he still got through that event without using a substitute, then what would happen? Harold could not tell at all.


    All he actually had to do was to defeat Justus before he would get to run away and then everyone would live happily ever after, but it was hard to believe that that man did not have some means to defend himself. He most certainly had some countermeasures prepared for that.


    Or rather, in the last fight, Just had made use of the energy of the starts to fight, so it would be troublesome if he was cornered and ended up releasing his power in a different setting from the original story. Clashing directly against him would probably just raise the possibility of losing.


    Moreover, aside from Harold not wanting to change the overall progress of the events, his chances of success would rise for sure if he fought in the actual final scene which he was already familiar with and prepared for. Therefore, at this point, he wanted to do his very best to not alter the flow of the story.


    And so¡­


    (As I thought, I suppose I¡¯m gonna have to do it¡­)


    Harold had considered the method of becoming a member of the hero¡¯s party so as to manage the actions of Liner and the others, however, he couldn¡¯t help but conclude that it would be too difficult to control them. Plus his dangerous relationship with Erica would not have a good influence, and even if he resolved the misunderstandings he had with her, the ill feelings she had towards him would probably not disappear all that simply.


    In the first place, Harold did not even know whether Justus¡¯ actions would be the same as they were in the original story or not, but he was afraid that it would be meaningless to think about that too much. Because if Justus¡¯ actions really were to change, then all hope would be lost.


    As Harold indulged in those speculations, his thoughts were forcefully interrupted.


    ¡¾¡±Amazing!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve never seen a bath this huge!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It seems to be called an onsen, an outdoor, hot spring bath. Their culture is quite unfamiliar to me but this is splendid.¡±]


    It was no exaggeration to say that what Harold valued the most in the Sumeragi residence was their outdoor bath. After he had separated from the others, he went to take a break in a room and then decided to refresh himself in the outdoor bath since he had been unable to do that for a long time, but the general atmosphere vanished when three people¡¯s voices suddenly barged in.


    The trio that appeared was composed of Liner, Hugo, and Francis. They also noticed Harold, who had entered the bath before them.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, Harold.¡±](Francis)


    ¡¾¡±You came here, too?¡±](Liner)


    Two of them very naturally dived into the bath from both sides of Harold, splashing the very hot water and coming into direct contact with it.


    The two then jumped up while screaming ¡°It¡¯s hot!¡±, and in response to their loud complaint, Harold glared at them as if asking ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t soak your filthy bodies inside, you idiots. You can come once you¡¯ve fully washed yourselves.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y-yes!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sorry about that!¡±]


    As they were pressured into doing so, Liner and Francis escaped towards the washing place. Washing one¡¯s body before entering the bath was not really established as good mannerism, but Harold, who had turned into the outdoor baths¡¯ magistrate, was quite particular about that.


    Passing by the two others who were going away, Hugo, who had washed the dirt and sweat on him, entered the hot spring bath.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Say, hmm, Harold, was it?¡±]


    Hugo and Harold had been lined up while soaking in the bath, and after a brief period of silence, Hugo had started talking.


    ¡¾¡±What do you want?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, recently, I met someone who was quite similar to you. I didn¡¯t see his face but he had the same voice and tone as you.¡±]


    It seemed like Hugo somehow was already having suspicions. Well, that was only natural.


    Harold had keep both his face and name hidden from him, but besides that, he had taken no other measures to hide his identity. That was because both of their encounters had come at an unexpected timing.


    ¡¾¡±¡­And, what about that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I don¡¯t have any problem with it, and I¡¯m not thinking of telling anyone either. It¡¯s just that, there were two other people accompanying that man as his partners. For some reason, I¡¯ve been wondering whether they¡¯re all right. Well, that¡¯s probably all nonsense though.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know anything about whatever you¡¯re talking about, nor about those two people¡­ But I¡¯ll just say that you don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, is that so? Then, it¡¯s all good.¡±]


    Although the thought process behind his choice was not clear, Hugo seemed like he was not going to tell others about the matter in the Haibar ruins. He seemed to be concerned about Lilium and Ventus, whose inability to communicate had slipped from Harold¡¯s mouth before.


    Hugo might have become aware of who they were in the earlier discussion when two people of the stellar tribe, who were taken for human experiments, were mentioned. Perhaps he had connected what Harold had said about them not being safe with the fact that they could not communicate.


    ¡¾¡±Then, now that my head¡¯s all cleared, let¡¯s go peep at the women¡¯s bath!¡±]


    The serious atmosphere radically changed as Hugo abruptly said these words while standing up, but he then fell down when his back was mercilessly kicked by Harold. A big column of hot water rose up as Hugo fell forward and sank in the bath.


    Starting from there, the onsen became very noisy. Liner and HUGO were splashing water at each other, and they captured Francis to then push him into the hot spring. As he shouted ¡°Hot! Way too hot!¡±, his appearance looked quite appropriate for a young man his age.


    It felt like they were making friends with each other way too fast, but considering the future ahead, that was a good thing. However, since they were being unbearably noisy, Harold stealthily escaped while the three of them were getting into high spirits because of their first time in an onsen.


    I¡¯ll go change to a yukata and hurry back to my room. As Harold thought that, he left towards the corridor, and there, he suddenly encountered Lifa.


    When she saw Harold, there was a look of shock on her face.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, what the hell are the guys doing? They¡¯re being so noisy, I don¡¯t even feel like taking a bath anymore.¡±]


    Apparently, the three men were so noisy as they played around that they could be heard all the way to the women¡¯s bath. However, even though Lifa told him about that, there was not much Harold could do to help.


    ¡¾¡±What a coincidence. I had the same problem.¡±]


    Or rather, the place had been exceedingly noisy to him since the noises of the splashing water and of the quarreling voices had arised in his direct presence as he had witnessed the playful scene with his own eyes.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Oh, I see what¡¯s going on.¡±]


    Lifa immediately understood Harold¡¯s situation and breathed a sigh.


    She had been about to go to her room before so she continued walking down the corridor by Harold¡¯s side. While on the way, she spoke up in a displeasured manner, having seemingly recalled something.


    ¡¾¡±Oh right, Harold, by the way, you should tell me about those kinds of things from the get go next time.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What are you talking about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You showed me that machine on the way to the Sumeragi territory and all you said was ¡°Look for a way to deactivate this¡±, I didn¡¯t think it was such an important matter.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No matter how I went about it, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything from what you had to do. So it¡¯s irrelevant.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Like hell it is!¡±]


    Although Lifa was getting angry, at Harold, but hed actually had his reasons for what he did.


    First of all, as a prerequisite for what the team was going to do next, Lifa had to deactivate that device, otherwise, it would have been all over. In the original story, the group had entered the mountain in the name of investigating the cause of the miasma outbreak, by the end of the search, they finally found the device and Lifa deactivated it.


    It was not possible to assess whether that was really easy for Lifa, or whether that scene was just portrayed like in the story only because it was convenient for the game. Therefore, Harold had Lifa analyse the device beforehand, at a time when her thoughts were not yet occupied with extra factors, such as looking for Liner and the others, and searching for solutions to the miasma problem. That especially applied to the latter, for it would have put some great pressure on her.


    Harold was not sure if it was because of what he did, but it seemed like, as a result, Lifa¡¯s response turned out to be splendid. She had given a powerful, confident answer, ascertaining that she could disable the device without a problem.


    ¡¾¡±Seriously, you¡¯re so self-centered.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sure, like you¡¯re one to talk.¡±]


    After all, Lifa was the one who had forcefully accompanied Harold with no regards to what he had to say about that.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.And yet, even though you¡¯re so selfish, you still worry about her.¡±]


    Lifa suddenly  muttered that.


    ¡¾¡±What are you on about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m talking about Erica. You insisted that she¡¯s not your fiancee, but her elder brother seems to think otherwise.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s just making that claim of his own accord.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But how does Erica dissatisfy you? She¡¯s beautiful, she¡¯s graceful, and just earlier, she was considerably cordial towards Colette and me even though we¡¯re not nobles. And her personality is good, too, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold could not find anything to answer back on the spot. It wasn¡¯t like he disliked Erica, he was just keeping her away because he was too afraid to cause any death flags to come to him.


    Save for that, he had no dissatisfaction or complaints regarding Erica as a member of the opposite sex. She was at level where one would have to wonder: Was there really a straight man in the world who could complain about a girl of her caliber? And, of course, she was the most popular character among the players, as well.


    As he thought about such things, Harold stayed silent.


    ¡¾¡±I guess this has nothing to do with me and I¡¯m just poking my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, but what I mean is that your attitude towards Erica doesn¡¯t seem like yourself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It doesn¡¯t seem like myself, you say?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. You only say cynical and harsh things, but you¡¯re also kind of intolerant of the people who still get close to you regardless of that. I think I¡¯m a pretty good example since you went as far as kidnapping me, telling me to go home, but still, in the end, here I am.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s because you¡¯re darn persistent.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That just might be the case, but even then, why are you actively trying to keep her away? Why won¡¯t you let Erica get any closer to you?¡±]


    It was impossible for Harold to answer. Because in order to explain that, he would have to explain that this world resembled a game he used to play, or that he knew the future, which would make him seem insane.


    ¡¾¡±You say that her elder brother is the only one who still keeps talking about her being your fiancee, and that you both don¡¯t care about each other. However, if that was the truth, then I think you wouldn¡¯t need to keep ¡°only¡± Erica away from yourself.¡±]


    Nobody up to now, not even Harold himself, had perceived this incongruity that could not really be called an inconsistency. And yet Lifa had accurately seen through it.


    Perhaps her keen perception and her ability to think things through like that was what made her a genius.


    ¡¾¡±In a certain sense, you¡¯re quite impartial. You say harsh things to everyone, no matter who, and you have no interest in who gets driven away by that. That was how you behaved with the Laboratory¡¯s people.¡±]


    Lifa kept talking to Harold who was still unable to say anything back.


    ¡¾¡±But since you only feel indifference towards them, you¡¯re actually pushing Erica away even further away than them. Because with Erica, you¡¯re not harsh like you usually are with others. You¡¯re cold towards her. As if there was something you were afraid of.¡±]


    That was mostly correct. Harold was afraid of raising death flags because of Erica. Perhaps that feeling had infected his behavior and Lifa had perceived that as him being cold.


    ¡¾¡±Me, Afraid? What, are you Stupid?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Well, I¡¯m kind of just throwing accusations right now. My bad, forget about it.¡±]


    ¡°See you later¡±, after saying that, without looking at Harold¡¯s face, Lifa disappeared behind a corner in the direction of her room.


    She had told Harold to forget, but for some reason, the words she had left him with were like wedged into his chest, and he was not going to be able to forget them easily.


    Translator¡¯s note: Of course we see the men¡¯s onsen, what did you expect? ? Well,good news is that next chapter¡¯s a pretty long one, as it¡¯s often the case when we get an Erica Pov, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be pretty damn satisfied ?


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll all have a great day, and I¡¯ll see you next week! ?

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    The next day, Harold was quite in a hurry to solve the miasma problem, so he decided to go explore the mountain with Liner and the others from early in the morning. While Lifa was all done with her preparations, one of the main reasons Harold chose to depart so early was that he did not know what kind of flags he would trigger if he overstayed his welcome in the Sumeragi family¡¯s residence.


    Harold took the vanguard position to depart towards the restricted area, while looking with cold eyes at Itsuki, who was getting excessively worried for him and Erica, like a mother finding herself unable to let her son go to take a train for the capital. However, before leaving, there were some things Harold wanted to say.


    ¡¾¡±Why the hell are you here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because I am Erica-sama¡¯s attendant.¡±]


    Juno was present among the group. That was not strange considering her position and her capabilities, but she was still wearing her cooking apron, same as usual. Her outfit was probably not going to be suitable to push her way forward between the mountain¡¯s recesses.


    That could be said to apply to every female member in the team, as Erica was wearing a kimono, Lifa was wearing a miniskirt and Colette¡¯s exposed clothes looked like they came from a southern country. Every one of them was wearing the exact same clothes as they did in the game.


    But Harold forcefully convinced himself not to bother with these kinds of things anymore.


    Rather than that, it was more useful to once again confirm the actions and the precautions the team was going to take in the restricted area.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Whatever. Now, all of you bastards, take this.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s the medicine that alleviates the effects of the miasma. Drink it before entering the restricted area.¡±]


    Harold gave each member some of the antibody drugs that were stocked in the Sumeragi family¡¯s reserves. He had brought some more of it, so there probably wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem even in the unlikely scenario where the expedition would last longer than expected.


    But did that mean that the miasma wasn¡¯t a problem as long as that drug existed? Well, that matter was not so simple. No matter the amount of drugs available, the more someone consumed it, the less effective it would become. It seemed like there were no signs of damage on a person¡¯s health from inhaling the miasma after taking the drug for the first or second time, but the risks would naturally increase if they had more occasions to inhale it. So at the end of the day, this meant that the Sumeragi territory¡¯s forests would be useless as long as they weren¡¯t free of the miasma.


    This information had been obtained by the Sumeragi family through their multiple investigations aimed at somehow finding a solution to the miasma problem. Moreover, it was a fact that was not depicted in the game where all that had to be done was to make the medicine and drink it so as to clear an event.


    ¡¾¡±But, like I warned you yesterday, this doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯ll be alright if you inhale the miasma for too long. So we¡¯ll finish quickly before the medicine stops being effective.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I can do that. But the forest where the miasma¡¯s spreading is pretty wide, isn¡¯t it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I already have a rough idea of where the target is.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Damn, you sure do know a lot¡­¡±]


    Although Hugo was looking at him like he was an alien, Harold had simply obtained this information from the original story. He had confirmed in advance that there was a place on the territory¡¯s map that overlapped with one of the original work¡¯s dungeon maps, so he decided to aim for that location first.


    Of course, there were some places where this world¡¯s maps were completely different from the game¡¯s maps because they were on completely different scales, but Harold¡¯s method was still likely to be more efficient than taking a shot in the dark and searching around with no clues.


    But well, perhaps Harold¡¯s knowledge about the original story seemed uncanny to Hugo and the others, who would not be able to even imagine that this world closely resembled a game which Harold played in the past.


    That being said, given the circumstances, this was no time to hold his personality back, so Harold had no choice but to take on a defiant attitude.


    ¡¾¡±Of course I do. Who the hell do you think I am?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s pretty frightening that I actually think you¡¯re making a good point.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That aside, Liner.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mhm?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You better still recall real well what I told you yesterday.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, hmmm¡­. The miasma is dangerous, so it would be no good if we breath it in too much, and since the monsters are in a frenzy, we should be careful of that¡­ is that it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You get 30 points on a 100. ¡°]


    Harold completely discarded Liner¡¯s answer. What Liner had spoken of was just the premise of the talk from the day before, where he had been told about the best ways to avoid the dangers he had just mentioned, but it seemed like that part had not really taken root in his memory. The foolish ways he had as a child were still going strong.


    This was the actual plan that Harold had told everyone about in the previous night: ¡°For now, we¡¯ve got to emphasize on speed. I want to shorten our stay in the restricted area as much as possible so that we won¡¯t inhale too much of the miasma. For that purpose, we must ascertain the location of the device without losing our way, and you must not fight any more than necessary.


    If you do fight, you¡¯ll need more oxygen than usual, so you¡¯ll end up breathing more. What¡¯s more, the miasma has a bad influence on monsters and pushes them into a frenzied state. Therefore, you have to avoid combat no matter what, except if you have no other options.


    Hence why you must exercise maximum caution when looking for monsters, and you have to sharpen your senses to always stay aware of your surroundings.¡±


    That was what Harold had said, and in reality, Liner probably remembered all of that somehow and was just having a hard time rearranging the information in his head and putting it into words.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re a wild pig. If anything happens, you¡¯ll rush ahead without even looking at your surroundings, and there is a risk you¡¯ll disturb the whole front line in the process.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Uuh-¡­.¡±]


    Liner seemed like he was at a loss for words, which was probably because he was self-aware enough to realize that Harold had hit the bull¡¯s-eye. Well, on top of those flaws of his, Liner was also stupidly direct due to his sense of justice, but that trait of character could be said to be fitting of a hero. His straight-forwardness was surely going to become a force to pull his companions forward in the future.


    However, this time, the whole matter would quickly and smoothly be resolved as long as Harold could get Liner to follow his instructions properly, so he gave him a warning.


    ¡¾¡±If you encounter a monster, your priority will be to shake it off, not to recklessly fight it. You got that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes!¡±]


    While the answer itself was affirmative, whether Liner would actually follow the order or not was a whole other story.


    On the side, Colette let out a large sigh, it seemed like she was also well aware of Liner¡¯s personality.


    Well, Harold didn¡¯t think there was any real danger since the team was stronger than it had been in the original story, nevertheless, it was probably better to be careful anyway. The group kept walking ahead for a little while until they arrived at the mountain, where entry had been prohibited for several years.


    There was a fence and a signboard that were set up there just in case, but it was a sorry excuse for a barrier. Anyone who wanted to enter could enter.


    However, that couldn¡¯t be helped since the surface that was occupied by the miasma was too wide to be entirely enclosed. On the other hand, it seemed like the defenses around the residential areas had been strengthened so as to prepare against the threats of monster attacks and the like.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve all taken the medicine?¡±]


    Everyone nodded to Harold¡¯s question.


    Having confirmed that, Harold stepped towards the mountain.


    The mountain¡¯s entrance looked like an ordinary forest, it was not yet polluted by the miasma. However, for some reason, it was ominously quiet.


    The only setting that had come up in the original story was that the miasma made the monsters violent, but given the bad effect it had on the human body, then the bodies of the monsters, who were also living creatures, were likely not unaffected by it either. So, in addition to pushing them into a frenzy, perhaps the miasma also shortened their lives.


    That would explain the silence. If this was really the truth, then it was a pretty frightening one.


    As he advanced for some time while keeping an eye on the map, Harold soon reached a place that was covered in some sort of light purple haze.


    ¡¾¡±So this is the miasma¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±This amount should have little to no effect. But if your body feels heavy or numb, report it immediately.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What should we do in that situation?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll use some first-aid treatment, however, healing magic would also be effective.¡±]


    Harold had already explained before that since Juno and Erica were there, then for the time being, the group would have no problems getting access to healing magic.


    When he thought about it, it was possible that Juno had been dispatched with the group precisely for that reason, and since she was Erica¡¯s attendant to begin with, sending her was like killing two birds with one stone.


    Although advancing through this haze did not feel all that great, the efficiency of both the antibody medicine and the healing magic had already been proven in the past, so Harold had no other choice than to believe everything was going to be all right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get done with this quickly¡± Thinking that, he stepped forward without any hesitation and pushed his way through the vegetation in front of him, while aiming for the backwoods of the mountain.


    ¡ó


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    From behind, she could see Harold in the vanguard position, advancing while cutting his own path forward through the vegetation. Even though the miasma was rapidly growing thicker, his walking speed was not slowing down at all; it seemed like he knew where he was going. He had said that he had a rough idea of where the target was, but coming from him, that basically meant he knew almost certainly where the machine was located.


    That was what Erica believed, because his situation was the same as always.


    Harold knew a lot of things and always kept that knowledge all to himself. It was very unusual for him to borrow other people¡¯s strength like he did this time. Or rather, was he really borrowing their strength? Erica wondered.


    The miasma¡¯s outbreak was the Sumeragi territory¡¯s problem, and their problem alone. In the past, one could have speculated that Harold had taught the Sumeragi family the process of making the antibody medicine so as to curry their favor. But now, he had officially broken any relations he had with them, so that no longer meant anything.


    Besides, while Lifa was apparently indispensable to deactivate the device, Harold by himself would probably have been enough to escort her. He would naturally be able to prepare antibody drugs for himself, and he didn¡¯t really need healing magic users such as Erica and Juno. His personality would not allow him to do anything unnecessary, and it would absolutely not let him do anything useless.


    In other words, didn¡¯t that mean that Harold simply wanted the present people to solve the miasma matter together with him? At that moment, Erica couldn¡¯t really tell what that meant, but she could at least tell that there was a reason why Harold had gotten personally involved with this matter.


    He was putting himself at risk to help the suffering people in the Sumeragi territory, and yet Erica could barely offer any help, that reality wrenched her heart.


    She had put in some great efforts, wanting to become Harold¡¯s strength and to support him.


    However, each time she met him, she was once more made to realize the full extent of the distance that separated her from him. Could she ever catch up to Harold no matter how many times she tried to break free from this cycle? Erica had discouragingly worried about that many times within the privacy of her own head.


    (Does Harold-sama actually need me for¡­ anything?)


    She was too afraid to even think about that question. Because if she ever made the mistake of dwelling on that, she would end up entwining herself in gloomy, retrospective thoughts, which would stop her from going forward; And that would make it completely impossible for her to ever catch up to Harold.


    (That alone I wish to avoid at all costs, hence why I want to always stand firm and do my best, but then why is it so painful to keep going now?)


    Erica was realizing that she was weak. She had thought that if she could become Harold¡¯s strength, then it did not matter if he never looked back at her. However, that was nothing but a lie, she was just being hypocritical.


    Whenever he went far off ahead, she wanted him to look back, she wanted him to look at her, and that feeling was growing stronger and stronger all the time. She was afraid that he would go out of her reach, and she was always shouting ¡°Don¡¯t leave!¡± within a corner of her heart.


    She showed nothing on the surface, but it was simply too hard for her to hold back the love she felt towards him.


    The more she thought of these things, the clearer her own incompetence became to her, and that cut right through her heart.


    How could a weak woman like her, who could not even overcome her own weaknesses, ever be fit to be together with Harold ¨D¨D


    ¡¾¡±Hey.¡±]


    A seemingly ill-humored voice interrupted Erica¡¯s thoughts. She felt her shoulder being lightly jolted, and Harold¡¯s face suddenly appeared right before her.


    That was so abrupt that Erica found herself unable to do anything other than blinking her eyes.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, can¡¯t you hear me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Ah, no, my apologies. I was just thinking about some things¡­.¡±]


    As she came to her senses, Erica was taken aback and gave an evasive answer to Harold¡¯s question. Before she became aware of it, she had fallen all the way to the back of the group.


    It seemed like she had been literally held back by her thoughts.


    Harold didn¡¯t say anything and just fixedly stared at her face. Which made her think, when was the last time he had looked at her in the eyes like this?


    ¡¾¡±Do you¨D¨D¡±]


    Although Harold started saying something, he did not get to finish his statement.


    Suddenly, he powerfully pulled Erica towards him with his left arm. Then he put his arm around her back, and embraced her.


    The moment she realized that, Erica was petrified from confusion and nervousness; she was unable to do anything. Her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to burst. She thought she could hear the sound of her own heartbeat.


    Within the confusion, Erica could perfectly feel Harold¡¯s warmth. Her face was buried in his chest, and his left arm was around her back, tightly holding her and preventing her from moving. Although she couldn¡¯t breathe well, she was still feeling quite comfortable in that position.


    (¨D¨DWait, what¡¯s with me?!)


    She was feeling ashamed while her face was turning red from the rude thoughts that she herself was having, such as ¡°if only time could stop at this moment¡±, and the like. She didn¡¯t even know why this situation was happening in the first place.


    ¡¾¡±Tsk, the miasma¡¯s become so dense here, I don¡¯t even know if there is any meaning to searching for the monsters anymore.¡±]


    Harold spoke up close to Erica¡¯s ear. The miasma certainly did restrict the field of view to an awful extent.


    ¡¾¡±Sorry, I failed to notice it.¡±](Francis)


    ¡¾¡±Erica-sama, are you alright?¡±](Juno)


    Walking up to the two of them were Francis and Juno. Based on their words and behavior, it appeared that a monster had attacked from Erica¡¯s back, so Harold had pulled her towards himself and then killed the enemy.


    However, Erica could not look behind her to confirm that since she was still being embraced. Moreover, since this was far from being disagreeable, she could not possibly tell Harold that she wanted him to let go of her.


    However, that hug did not last for long. Harold soon loosened the strength in his arm and separated himself from Erica.


    She barely managed to somehow stop herself from letting a reluctant ¡°Ah!¡± escape from her mouth. As for Harold, he was once again fixedly staring at her. From that alone, Erica¡¯s face was almost boiling up.


    ¡¾¡±Erica.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Yes?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Do you understand the situation you¡¯re in? This is no time to get lost in your freaking thoughts.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I am sorry¡­¡±]


    That scolding was only natural. Erica became even sadder as she hadn¡¯t even been able to abide by the warnings she had been given beforehand.


    She felt like she would break into tears if she let herself go ever so slightly.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.If you understand then hurry and move already.¡±]


    From his words, Harold appeared to be annoyed. However, at the same time, he grabbed Erica¡¯s wrist and started walking ahead while pulling her by the hand.


    ¡¾¡±What? H-hmm¡­ Harold-sama?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Shut up. Just keep quiet and follow me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y, yes.¡±]


    He¡¯s so cunning, or maybe I¡¯m just being silly? Erica wondered.


    Even though she had been thinking of how painful and difficult it was to be by his side only, with just a few words, he had made her feel like she wanted to follow him anywhere in the world.


    Harold probably had not intended to put any deeper meanings behind his words, but he had still filled Erica with energy.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.He really is cunning.¡±]


    As Erica muttered that in a voice so low that nobody else could hear it, she looked down to the ground with tears in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.


    Translator¡¯s note: You guys happy about the Erica Pov? Well good, ¡¯cause you won¡¯t be seeing one for a while¡­ just kidding, there is


    I¡¯ll go to sleep now since it¡¯s 4 am and I gotta go to college in less than 3 hours >< Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll a fantastic day, and see you next week ?

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    A little while after entering the mountain, Harold noticed that Erica was feeling awfully down. She was walking slowly and there was a heavy aura coming out of her. Although he did not understand the reason for that, it was too abrupt a change for him not to worry about it, it felt ominous.


    Wondering if perhaps she had been affected by the miasma, Harold called out to her. He did not have any reason in particular to do so, but Juno had touched on the matter, saying ¡°What shall we do about this, Harold-sama?¡± and the others¡¯ had facial expressions that seemed to be asking ¡°What should we do?¡±, as well. So, in the end, Harold could not ignore this matter.


    Hence why he went to talk to Erica, and while she responded with a somewhat suspicious behavior, it did not feel like there was something wrong with her physical condition. According to her own words, she had just been lost in her thoughts.


    But what could she have been thinking about to be surrounded by such a gloomy atmosphere? As he asked himself that question, Harold grew restless.


    To make matters worse, Erica was suddenly attacked by a monster so Harold ended up hugging her to protect her. That in itself was a good thing and there shouldn¡¯t have been anything wrong with his behavior, but from the perspective of Erica, who utterly despised Harold, this was likely akin to sexual harassment. Harold cursed his fate, he had let his instincts take priority over his reason, and he was now probably going to end up getting slapped for it.


    However, Erica¡¯s response was actually extremely light. Or rather, her mind was lost elsewhere and was not focused on the situation. As Harold expected, this was worrying.


    So, he tried asking her ¡°Are you really okay?¡±, but all that came out of his mouth was ¡°This is no time to get lost in your freaking thoughts¡±, after which Erica looked like she was about to cry. At this point, having the bad reputation of a brute or a rascal who made women cry did not really matter to Harold, but it would still deal quite a bit of damage to his conscience if he really did it.


    Adding to that, if his predictions were to come true, then after this, Erica was going to play an active role in the mission; and chances were that it would be difficult for her to do her part if she stayed in her current state until then.


    So, he could have sent her back for the time being, but that was not an option, for Harold did not think it would be a good idea to separate Juno and Erica from the group and to therefore lower the team¡¯s power.


    So, while resisting the impulse of letting out a humongous sigh, he grabbed Erica by her wrist. Then, he forcibly pulled her with him as he advanced towards his destination.


    Considering the miasma¡¯s effect, the device had to be deactivated promptly. Hence why Harold couldn¡¯t just leave Erica as she was. Fortunately, the place where the machine was likely to be located was already at eye range, all that was left to do was to finish the mission right quick and to then leave, and everything would be just fine.


    Moreover, since his mouth would only bring bad consequences whenever he opened it, Harold opted to deal with Erica through actions only, instead of speaking to her. Surprisingly, Erica followed Harold as he held her wrist. Perhaps she was so dispirited that she didn¡¯t have the energy to resist.


    Come to think of it, when I was sent to Itsuki¡¯s wedding in Kablan half a year ago, the same thing happened, but with our roles reversed. As Harold thought back upon those past events, the team finally arrived at its destination.


    There, was a huge pit that was surrounded by the mountain from every direction. Although its shape was distorted, it was still roughly circular, with a gentle slope that went towards the center. Its diameter was in the hundreds of meters, and although Harold couldn¡¯t see the whole thing due to the miasma obstructing the view, the pit looked like a giant hole.


    Facing that scene, Harold could feel the team¡¯s nervousness reaching out from behind him. The cause of their tension was the inside of the pit.


    ¡¾¡±Wha-What is this¡­?¡±]


    Liner muttered while in blank amazement. His words might have also represented what everyone else was feeling.


    In the huge pit, a great variety of monsters were crowded and cramped together. Since this was the site of the miasma outbreak, it was needless to say that all of those monsters were in a frenzied state. It would have made things easier if those monsters crushed each other, but it didn¡¯t seem like such a convenient development was going to occur.


    Well, Harold had expected as much.


    In the original story, while Lifa was deactivating the device which was located at the center of this same pit, the rest of the team battled against the monsters for ten minutes. In that time, groups of two to five enemies would appear, and once they were defeated, some new similar random group of enemies would come from the edge of the screen, that cycle would last for ten whole minutes and the player had to fight until the time limit is up. Therefore, Harold had expected that there would likely be large numbers of monsters around the machine.


    Incidentally, since Francis was not a party member yet by that time, the team was forced to fight with four people only while Lifa was dealing with the machine, and those people were Liner, Colette, Hugo and Erica. Among them, Erica was the only one who could use healing spells and long-ranged attacks, so whenever she was put in a near-death state in the game, the player would be met with an awful development.


    This time however, not only Francis was present, but there was also Juno, and above all, Harold himself. So, he wanted to think that the team wouldn¡¯t be pushed into a hard fight, but from what he could see, there was a considerable number of monsters. It would probably take several hours to beat all of them.


    Harold would not know how much time it would take Lifa to deactivate the device until she actually tried, but he still believed it would be better to withdraw immediately right after her success.


    ¡¾¡±This is where the real thing begins. Everyone, pull out your weapons.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hey, Harold, wait. You¡¯re thinking of going in there?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. Our destination is at the center. That¡¯s where the machine is installed.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s excessively brutish strategy was to keep killing the monsters around the center of the pit until Lifa was done. Although this would ordinarily be considered to be reckless, the thing was that this team was not exactly ordinary.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll create a path through them first, and you¡¯ll follow me after that.¡±]


    Harold pulled out his two swords and turned off his ¡°Switch¡±. He had already readied himself from long before to face off alone against a large group of monsters here. This fight would serve as the perfect practice for him, in case he would be met with the worst-case scenario in later events.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re going to start the attack on your own~?¡±](Juno)


    ¡¾¡±Well, that would be fine¡­ but, Liner. How about you show me how much you¡¯ve grown, bastard.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh? Well, you¡¯re on! Let¡¯s see which one us can beat the most of them.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You idiot. This isn¡¯t a contest.¡±]


    However, for now, the most important was that Liner seemed to be eager to attack. Although his reckless personality had been a source of anxiety on the way here, in this situation, that trait of his would shine through.


    Since that was the case, Harold could execute his strategy.


    ¡¾¡±Erica.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D Yes.¡±]


    Her reply was not long by any means, but Harold could still feel Erica¡¯s strong and unshakable determination from it. Earlier, she had been so down that she seemed like she was about to cry, but now, there were no traces left of her cloudy expression as she looked at Harold with powerful eyes.


    That complete change was a little scary. But well, she seemed to be motivated now so it was probably better not to worry about that.


    ¡¾¡±Among the spells you can use, which one is the most powerful?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well,¡ºMeteor Blast¡», I guess.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡°Huuuh?!¡±, Harold barely managed to stop himself form shouting that. But he had actually been compelled into reacting that way, because Erica¡¯s answer was just that shocking.


    Meteor blast was a form of suppressive fire, it was a spell that Erica was supposed to acquire at Level 50. In the game, the blast would take two thirds of the screen. In other words, even if she were pushed back by the monsters, as long as she was able to use the spell, she could bring forth an explosive power that would completely turn the tables at once. Accordingly, it consumed a fitting amount of MP and the incantation took some time as well, but at any rate, Erica was not supposed to know that spell at this point in time.


    The MP consumption problem could be solved with a mere ¡°Mana bottle¡±, which was an MP recovery medicine. So, if Erica joined the hero¡¯s party with her current power, she might ruin the whole Game Balance. The spell was that powerful.


    There were plenty of things Harold wanted to ask, such as why did she know that spell and when had she gotten so strong? But he stayed calm and managed to keep those questions to himself.


    Right now, Harold did not care about the reasons for this. ¡°Rather, I should be glad since it¡¯s going to be easier to clear the event¡± Thinking that, Harold turned his gaze forward.


    ¡¾¡±Fire one shot straight towards the center.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Certainly.¡±]


    Erica focused her concentration and started the incantation. A pale, crimson light came forth and surrounded her.


    There was a beautiful yet heavy and coercive feeling to the spell. Which made Harold realize a surprising fact: this was the first time he was seeing Erica use any magic other than healing spells in this world. But that realization was blown off to pieces and swept out of Harold¡¯s mind by Erica¡¯s magic.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºMeteor blast¡»¡±]


    As Erica said those two words, a rain of meteors fell from the sky. Harold and the others could feel the meteors¡¯ tremendous impact, which was accompanied by a thunderous sound. Several voices of surprise came from the group, the only people who were silent were Erica, who had fire the spell, and Harold who knew what was happening.


    But in his heart ¡°What the hell¡­¡± is what Harold was thinking.


    First of all, there was something strange about the attack¡¯s power. From here, Harold was able to see that the monsters had been and scattered all over the place. Just where in the world was the original Erica who would feel sorry for killing monsters even if they harmed people? The meteors had formed countless craters in the ground.


    Thinking that perhaps this attack would be aimed at himself someday, Harold felt like his spine was about to freeze.


    However, just like Harold had ordered her, or rather, even more than expected; she had opened up the path ahead, making it easier to rush forward.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go, Liner.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh? ¡­.Ah, yes!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is this already enough? I can still use the spell¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Save your mana.¡±]


    If that ridiculously powerful spell was used, Harold wouldn¡¯t have any chance to measure the capabilities of not only Liner, but also of the other members of the team. But well, now there was no doubt that the monster extermination would go smoothly as the team could leave everything to Erica in the worst case.


    There was not much to say about the results that came afterwards. Harold and Liner quickly killed the enemies that still remained on the path ahead, and following behind them while being escorted by the rest of the team, Lifa arrived in front of the device without a hitch. After that, during the 20 minutes that it took to deactivate the machine, the team members kept on killing the monsters determinedly while protecting Lifa.


    It seemed like the one who had defeated the most enemies was Erica. Acting as the rearguard, Erica was standing right next to Lifa and had turned into a fixed artillery, she was alternating between her magic and her bow to attack, therefore showcasing clearly her high capacity for both suppression and destruction.


    Thanks to that, Harold did not need to do anything unreasonable in particular, so he defeated the monsters indifferently and he had some room to observe the other members¡¯ battles.


    As for Harold¡¯s thoughts on the matter, he assessed that Liner and the others¡¯ abilities were not bad at all, and they had been able to advance without being swallowed by the waves of monsters that came at them. At present, he could give a passing mark to their power as individuals and as a team; And they would likely become even better as long as he gave them some pointers afterwards regarding a few concerns that he had.


    They were inferior when compared to Erica, but at this point, that couldn¡¯t be helped anymore. Rather, what the hell in going on with Erica¡¯s level? Harold wondered.


    ¡ó


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    The Sumeragi town regained its energy. That was to be expected, the miasma which had tormented the Sumeragi territory for many years had disappeared, and the people who were stuck in their sickbed because of it had now recovered.


    Everything Harold had said had come true. Just how much did the Sumeragi family owe him? How in the world would they be able to return his favors?


    Harold did not want anything. He did not show interest in getting rewards or fame or anything of the sort. Rather, what he wanted was to break his ties with the Sumeragis. So, the Sumeragi family was in no position to do anything for him, and this was also a difficult problem for Erica as an individual.


    Harold had said that the Sumeragis would owe him nothing as long as they cut through the restrictions of the mountain to let Liner and the others pass. So, the family could not display their gratitude to him, all they could do was to praise the group for their success; And when they did so, a dispute occurred.


    It was within the Sumeragis¡¯ residence, one day after the device that caused the miasma outbreak was deactivated. Liner¡¯s voice resounded, full of anger.


    ¡¾¡±I can¡¯t agree with this! Why didn¡¯t you put Harold¡¯s name?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because I told him it¡¯s not necessary.¡±]


    The information regarding the group¡¯s great efforts in solving the miasma problem was spread not only inside the Sumeragi territory, but outside of it as well. However, Harold¡¯s name was not included in that.


    Needless to say that was because he had refused to be included.


    ¡¾¡±Why would you do that?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You absolute moron, is there any sign of a brain left in your head? Although I¡¯m not happy about it, I work under Justus. What am I supposed to do if people start talking about how I came in the way of something that is a part of his plans?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then just leave that guy.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Idiot. I told you before that I have something to do that requires me to keep my position.¡±]


    Harold and Liner¡¯s opinions were like two parallel lines, never meeting with each other. However, in the end, the Sumeragi family would have no other choice than to respect Harold¡¯s wishes anyway.


    This was his own desire, and considering his standpoint, the Sumeragis had to abide. The Sumeragis¡¯ opinion was actually that they should not make any official announcements about the group¡¯s accomplishments in order not to make Harold stand out, even though it would be too bad for Liner and the others¡¯ efforts not to be recognized. The one who suggested to make the group¡¯s accomplishments public anyway was actually Harold himself.


    He had asked Liner what he would do after all this, and Liner answered that he would take back his sword and defeat Justus, or something along those lines.


    Having confirmed that, Harold had then insisted that Liner¡¯s work should be made public. That way he would bathe in the people¡¯s attention, and then, if he was perceived as a hero, it would make it difficult for the enemy to interfere with him. Yet, on the other hand, it would become easier for Liner and the others to take action.


    Although a rise in popularity would be a double-edged sword, if handled well, it could be highly effective.


    However, Harold had strictly ordered the Sumeragi family not to include his name in all that, and Liner opposed his decision¡­. And that was the cause for the current situation.


    ¡¾¡±But isn¡¯t it dangerous to stay around Justus? You don¡¯t have to go this far¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s none of your business.¡±]


    No matter how much Liner kept holding on, Harold showed no signs of accepting his request. That made Liner lose his temper and heat up out of anger.


    ¡¾¡±It is my business! Last time we met, you saved me, and also, when Colette was ¨D¨D Mmm!¡±]


    Liner let out a strange voice. The reason for that was Harold, who was sitting face-to-face with him. He had dexterously thrown a tea-cake right into Liner¡¯s wide-opened mouth, therefore forcing him into silence.


    Then, Harold quietly stood up and grabbed Liner, who was having trouble chewing the cake, by the nape of the neck.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s enough of you. It looks like I¡¯m gonna have to teach your empty head a few things.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mmm?!¡±]


    Without a care for the struggling Liner, Harold dragged him along with him and took him away somewhere else.


    Liner was likely being stopped because he was about to speak of how Harold had saved her in the past. Upon seeing that, Colette had a bitter smile on her face. The same facial expression could be seen on the faces of everyone else who knew about Harold¡¯s circumstances, and about the past he wanted to hide.


    ¡¾¡±Well, leaving those two alone, Colette, after this you guys will continue your journey, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. It¡¯s just like what Liner said.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If so, is it okay if I accompany you, too?¡±]


    Lifa proposed to travel together with Colette¡¯s group on their journey.


    ¡¾¡±Huh? You want to accompany us, Lifa-chan?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is no way I¡¯m letting you go by yourselves.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m glad! I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡±]


    With a big smile on her face, Colette took Lifa¡¯s hands and then shook them with an enormous force.


    Which made Erica realize that Colette was still using honorifics when talking to her, even though she was open and direct when interacting with Lifa. That was due to Erica¡¯s position as a noble, but the sense of distance it created still made her feel a little lonely.


    ¡¾¡±Mhm, then, I¡¯ll come too.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh? Are you sure that¡¯s alright? Aren¡¯t you part of the royal family?¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s precisely why I¡¯ll come with you. I can¡¯t forgive those thieves you¡¯re pursuing, but above that, I absolutely cannot forgive Justus for the disorder he¡¯s bringing. This man is tormenting the nation¡¯s people, as a bearer of royal blood, I have to capture him at all costs.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­You just rose in my estimation. And here I thought you were just a pretend prince.¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re being real rude here!¡±]


    It seemed like Francis had decided to follow Liner and the others from here on out.


    But Colette was confused.


    ¡¾¡±But then, why do you want to come with us, Lifa?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have my reasons. Besides, I¡¯ve got a small grasp on what that guy¡¯s goal might be.¡±](Lifa)


    ¡¾¡±His goal?¡±]


    Colette did not seem to understand what that meant, but when Lifa spoke of Harold¡¯s goals, Erica felt that something was out of place. The actions Harold had taken this time did not seem like himself. His real intention was likely to gather everyone who was present here together.


    Erica, Liner, Colette, Lifa and Francis. Harold had already been acquainted with the five of them from beforehand. The possibility that all five of them would gather in the Sumeragi territory by accident was as likely as an actual miracle. Perhaps even Hugo was included in that.


    Therefore, there was no doubt that Harold had caused this situation, and based on the chronology of the events that led to this, Harold had been thinking of making this situation happen for a considerable amount of time. It didn¡¯t seem likely that he would elaborate all of this just to solve the miasma matter.


    Then, why had Harold gathered them? This was yet another action that did not seem like something he would do.


    He had also revealed his past and the danger that Justus represented. Normally, Harold would have hidden that, he would have faced Justus all by himself while talking daringly, and only then he would have made Erica and the others realize how cruel and dangerous of a man Justus really was.


    But right now, Harold was trying to obstruct Justus¡¯ plan. Probably for that reason, he went to work under him, to get in his way from within the obscurity, all the while aiming for the right moment to rebel against him. Also, if Erica and the others were to hinder Justus¡¯ plans from the outside, it would become easier for Harold to take action from the inside.


    Obstructing Justus from both the outside and the inside, that was Harold¡¯s goal.


    He was walking a thin line, taking big risks. However, that was likely proportionate to how dangerous Justus¡¯ plans were.


    Lending her strength to Harold here was likely the only occasion Erica would get to return his favors ever so lightly. She did not know to what extent she would be able to help, but if she could support Harold¡¯s goals, even if only a little, then there was no reason to hesitate.


    ¡¾¡±Colette-san.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it, Erica-san?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Would you allow me to come with you, too?¡±]


    In response to Erica¡¯s words, everyone had a surprised face, except for Lifa. Erica realized that, as she expected, Lifa¡¯s thoughts were similar to her own.


    Perhaps Lifa also wanted to become Harold¡¯s strength.


    ¡¾¡±E-E-Erican-san?! You want to come, too?! Oh god, what should I do¡­!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Erica¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Father, brother, please don¡¯t stop me. This is what the Sumeragi family¡­ No, this is what I ought to do.¡±]


    Erica did not avert her gaze, she looked straight in the eyes of her father and brother; and looking like they were beaten by her persistence, each of the two of them let out a small breath.


    ¡¾¡±This is a request from Erica who seldom ever asks for anything selfish. Let¡¯s listen to her, dad.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Yes. Even if I try to stop her, she won¡¯t. I can see that from her eyes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thank you very much.¡±]


    Erica deeply bowed her head.


    Given her standing as a daughter of the Sumeragi family, her request could be said to be outrageous. However, her father and brother sympathized with her feelings and sent her off, so she was glad; both due to that kindness, and due to their trust, as she felt like they had acknowledged that she had grown up.


    ¡¾¡±Uh, hmm¡­.. Then, you¡¯re coming for real?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. I look forward to working alongside you, Colette-san.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What should we do, Liner?! This is a huge responsibility for us!¡±]


    Colette shouted, seeking for the help of Liner, who was not currently there. Around that time, he was likely being trained by Harold. Harold¡¯s training was tough on both the mind and the body, and he was as strict on himself as he was on other people.


    However, that was Harold¡¯s own way of being kind.


    Erica loved that awkwardness of his, just like how she loved him, and she had to behave in accordance to that feeling. But right now, she still couldn¡¯t convey her feelings to Harold, neither with words nor with actions.


    ¡¾¡±Lifa-san, I look forward to working with you, too.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. Likewise, tomboy lady.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hehe, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever been called that¡±]


    As Erica chuckled, Lifa smiled wryly in response.


    Erica once again felt that Lifa was just like her, that she couldn¡¯t help herself from wanting to become Harold¡¯s supporting strength, no matter what.


    Perhaps she and Lifa were actually rivals.


    ¡¾¡±I thinks we¡¯re gonna have a hard time on this journey¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, that can¡¯t be helped. He¡¯s a selfish man after all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He sure is.¡±]


    As they said so, Erica and Lifa both smiled.


    But those smiles had no anxiety to them, they were bright like the blue sky of spring.


    Translator¡¯s note: So there you go, you got your rivalry people¡­ though it was fortunately not as bloody as some of you were hoping ><


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll have a great day, see you next week ?

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    (Zen¡¯s Pov)


    He was gazing at the golden flowers that were growing on the wayside, as he walked on a path which he had already grown used to by now. Had he taken the carriage that he habitually used for his job, this trip would only have taken him a dozen minutes. But it was only after walking for more than an hour that his destination finally came into view.


    He was faced with the scenery of an ordinary town dotted with commoner houses (Minka houses). One of the houses that was completely blended among them was a place that was frequently visited by Zen, who worked as the coachman of the Stokes family.


    The house¡¯s garden couldn¡¯t be said to be wide in any way, but it was very well maintained, and there was even a small kitchen garden in its corner. There, were fresh and fruitful red groots, which Zen was already familiar with from a long time ago. It seemed like both the garden and the person managing it were still healthy and well.


    While thinking about such things, Zen sounded the knocker that was installed on the entrance door. After a short interval, the door opened with a clank.


    ¡¾¡±Yes, who¡¯s there?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Good day, madam.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, Zen-kun. Please come in.¡±]


    The person who greeted Zen was a woman who was between 60 and 70. As she made way for him, Zen headed towards the living room where a grey-haired old man, who was rooted to his chair, was waiting for him.


    That man was Zen¡¯s old coworker who had retired a few years prior, Norman.


    ¡¾¡±Hey there, Norman-san.¡±]


    Zen smiled as he greeted him in a purposely familiar way. Norman accepted the greeting and returned it as he also smiled similarly.


    ¡¾¡±Hello. I¡¯m glad to see that you look well.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Same to you. Oh, here, I have a present.¡±]


    The present was a wooden knitted basket. Inside was an assortment of breads which had been baked at Zen¡¯s home.


    ¡¾¡±Thank you, as always. Come on, take a seat.¡±]


    As Norman urged him to do so, Zen sat down, directly facing him.


    Despite his old age, Norman didn¡¯t have any big sickness, his days were going by peacefully after his retirement, but even so, there was still something that had been weighing on his mind for a long time. That feeling was well understood by Zen, and so, as time passed, he would sometimes come visit Norman and share the reports that he occasionally received from Harold.


    Five years had already passed since Harold had left the Stokes family to become a member of the royal saint knight order. In that time, Zen and Jake regularly sent him sealed letters by turns in order to inform him about the household¡¯s recent status, and although Harold had resigned from the saint knight order, he was still in the royal capital so the exchange of letters was still continuing at present.


    Those letters were sent once every two or three months and Harold would only answer them one out of three times.


    ¡¾¡±So, what was it this time?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±We didn¡¯t get any instructions in particular. Just that, as expected, the household¡¯s situation has been worrying him lately.¡±]


    Harold had been speaking of this for eight years. Back then, he had confidently said that the Stokes family would fall sooner or later. In order to delay that fall, he had invented a new farming method called the LP farming method, furthermore, he had expanded that into a large-scale project and won over the household of the one who used to be his fiancee at the time.


    With the assistance of the Sumeragi family, the Stokes territory somehow recovered in a financial aspect, but the popular support was still low. There was a clear population outflow as the locals were leaving town. And although the household was temporarily getting more money from taxes thanks to the LP farming method, the farming production of each zone was limited due to the present conditions, so the household was probably grasping for its last straws.


    From the very beginning, Harold had been thinking of ¡°delaying¡± and not ¡°stopping¡± the fall of the Stokes family, so he probably already had the assumption that the current situation would occur.


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? In the end, it seems like there isn¡¯t much we can help Harold-sama with.¡±]


    Norman seemed sad as he cast down his eyes. Zen could sympathize with that feeling to the point where it felt painful.


    Ever since he was a child, Harold had been excellent. He was strict yet kind with his words, he was extremely resourceful, and he was strong in both mind and body. To top it all off, he had a diligent personality that did not allow him to neglect his efforts.


    He could manage most things all by himself. And although Zen was proud to work for him, at the same time he was also vexed that he could not be of help to him.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re right, and he¡¯s also showing concern about Huey-sama. Although they¡¯re born of a different mother, his younger brother is really adorable.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±To begin with, Harold doesn¡¯t care about his position or his influence. He probably isn¡¯t interested in fighting for succession.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Heh, he just wants to cherish his brother, doesn¡¯t he? He even sent Huey some clothes and toys last time.¡±]


    Moreover, Harold had actually sent two boxes full of those presents. Due to his situation, he could not easily come to meet his brother face to face, so he delivered a mountain of gifts to him instead for his birth celebration.


    Perhaps it was hard to imagine that action coming from Harold since he was usually cold and gave the impression that he wanted tokeep people away from him, but Norman and Zen were actually not surprised. When Harold had been told about Norman¡¯s retirement in one of the letters he received from the usual exchange, he had sent an expensive pottery in commemoration of that, and when he had been informed about Zen¡¯s marriage, he sent him a huge sum of money as a congratulatory gift.


    Moreover, together with that, he had sent a single, simple message¡¾¡±You¡¯re probably going to need that, one way or another.¡±].


    As one would expect, Zen had hesitated about whether or not to accept that excessively awe-inspiring gift, but considering Harold¡¯s personality, it was easy to guess that he wouldn¡¯t let Zen argue about this. So Zen kept the money without using it, saying that he was saving in preparation for an emergency, just in case.


    After all, that was the kind of person Harold was. He appeared to be cold-hearted, but he was full of kindness.


    However, since he himself still seriously hated letting that part of him come to the surface, there were many people in his surroundings who were afraid of him.


    While thinking about what to do, Zen reached out to a cup that was placed on the table in front of him. He lifted it up from its handle up to his lips, but in the middle of his action, the cup suddenly lost its weight.


    It fell down noisily and the coffee that had been poured inside was now spread out over the table.


    ¡¾¡±Aah! I-I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Are you alright?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, but the cup is¡­¡±]


    Zen had broken the cup. This cup was Harold¡¯s retirement present for Norman.


    Zen had a lump in his throat as he apologized, for he knew that this gift was important for Norman.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry about it, everything breaks eventually, it¡¯s only a matter of when¡­ Still, it broke really cleanly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    Only after being told about it did Zen realize. He thought the cup had slipped from his hand, but he was actually still holding the handle.


    Then, why had the cup fallen? Zen noticed that a cross-section was left after the handle was separated from the cup, as if someone had cut it right off.


    As Norman had said, everything would eventually break, that was inevitable.


    However, although Norman had been using the cup for a few years, would it really break in such a peculiar way because of it being deteriorated over time? For some reason, this felt like it was a bad omen.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Is Harold-sama safe right now?¡±]


    Norman muttered that question with a small voice while wiping the table with a cloth. However, Zen did not have any answer to offer.


    ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s Pov)


    Why did things turn out like this? Harold no longer remembered how many times he had asked himself that. He had kept asking himself that same question ever since that day eight years ago, when fate or some sort of higher power had pushed him into taking over Harold Stokes¡¯ body.


    But that was in the past, what he was thinking about was his current circumstances.


    Because while Harold was very capable in combat, the one who was in control of his body, Kazuki Hirasawa, was a normal person that could be found anywhere. So far, he had been taking advantage of the cheat knowledge he had gotten from the game¡¯s story, but the truth was that he was just an ordinary man.


    However that did not mean he had outstanding smarts or talent as a tactician, because if not for his knowledge regarding the original story, it would have been impossible for Harold to get other people to assist him with his task, or to outwit Justus.


    It was due to being aware of this that Harold was so obsessive with keeping a development where he could make use of his game knowledge. He believed that was the best decision for an ordinary man like him to survive.


    However, even though this reality resembled the game, it was different since both this world and its people were actually real. So it was not strange that, consequently, things did not go as Harold expected. And as that kept happening over and over again, Harold finally decided to give up on keeping the flow of the original story.


    That was because he believed that this decision would most likely leadhim to the safest end, and the one closest to the original story¡¯s conclusion.


    He still did not know if that was the right choice.


    However, at present, the elements that Harold had been anxious about had all stunningly turned into reality.


    As if he was in the middle of a tempest, his skin was grazed by a windstorm that was brought about by a sword¡¯s slash. The sword strike that had been aimed at him was so absurdly powerful that it made Harold wonder if the wind that came with it would be enough to lacerate him.


    While barely dodging the attack, he took some distance from the opponent that was standing in front. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect any less from him.¡± Perhaps that was a carefree remark, but still, Harold couldn¡¯t help himself from thinking like that.


    ¡¾¡±Looks like the title of the knight order¡¯s leader isn¡¯t just for show huh, Vincent.¡±]


    Vincent Van Westervoort. As the young leader of the saint royal knight order, he was a heroic figure in the public eye. But in¡ºBrave Hearts¡», he was a so-called boos character, who blocked the way of the hero¡¯s party during the last stage of the story.


    And he and Harold were currently crossing swords.


    Harold had honestly not expected that he would fight Vincent at this point in time. In the first place, he had not expected at all that he himself would end up fighting against Vincent.


    Then, why had he fallen into such a predicament? The reason was very simple.


    ¡¾¡±Harold Stokes¡­¡­ Enemy¡­. top priority elimination target¡­¡­¡±]


    Vincent had an odd look in his eyes, and he was repeating the same words over and over again as if he was talking in delirium. No matter how one looked at him, he was not in his normal condition.


    And that  meant that Justus seriously wanted to kill Harold now.


    After separating from Liner and the others in the Sumeragi territory, Harold had returned to Harrison¡¯s place by foot. He was then informed about the location of the last remaining treasured object and he headed towards there. Of course, he did it without Justus¡¯ permission.


    There were already six of the treasures in the hands of Harrison, but really, that just meant they were in Justus¡¯ possession. However, Harold did not feel like following the flow of the original story anymore and he was ready to fight to the bitter end in the few months that still remained. So he figured that if he snatched away the treasured object he would be able to delay Justus¡¯ plan.


    However, that was just an ordinary man¡¯s idea, and it seemed like Justus had seen that coming. What was waiting for Harold in the ruins where the treasured object was said to be was a Vincent who had lost his sanity.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, thrash! Why the hell are you attacking me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harold is the top priority elimination target¡­..¡±]


    With a strange light in his eyes, Vincent just repeated the same words he had said before. Harold had tried to converse with him many times since earlier but there were no results.


    It was likely that Vincent had been brainwashed. Much like the two people from the stellar tribe, he had lost his free will, but perhaps the brainwashing was incomplete considering that he could still speak words.


    Therefore, Harold tried to see if he could solve this through dialogue, but he didn¡¯t have much hope for that.


    While taking a step so powerful that it sunk the ground, Vincent drew out a big sword and attacked with a large slash. Harold dodged, and went towards Vincent¡¯s back, which was full of openings. He would have no chance of winning if he tried to attack right from the front given Vincent¡¯s high attack power. Hence why Harold opposed him with his own forte instead, his high speed.


    However, Vincent stopped the attack that came from his back with his left hand gauntlet. That attack was carrying Harold¡¯s speed and strength with it, and yet Vincent had easily stopped it with a single arm. He was so robust that Harold felt like he had slashed at a wall.


    On top of that, Vincent was using only his right hand to swing a big sword that seemed like it would be difficult to even lift for a regular person. His offense was also sharper and faster than the average knight¡¯s. But rather than slashes, he made use of crushing blows.


    In the game, a character would only lose some HP upon being hit by these kinds of attack, but in this world, a single blow would be fatal. Although Harold considered using his R-Guard, he was afraid the strike would ignore his defense and hit him, so he abandoned the idea and continued dodging.


    Because of his heavy equipment and heavy weapon, Vincent¡¯s speed did not feel like it would be a threat, however, he made up for that with his outstandingly high durability and attack power. But the most troublesome part was that, in the span of the moment when Vincent swung his sword and the moment when he blocked Harold¡¯s sword with his gauntlet, he became fast enough for him to deal with Harold¡¯s speed.


    It was difficult for Vincent to maintain his own speed due to the stamina that it consumed and due to the burden there was on his body from his equipment, but during the decisive parts of the battle, his offense and defense¡¯s speed would become astonishing. This was yet another element that was different from the game, and it made sense.


    Because, even though Vincent had a high attack power and a demon-like durability despite being slow-witted at the moment, that alone probably would not have been enough for him to climb up to the rank of the leader of the knight order. In reality, he had earned that position simply because he had little to no exploitable openings.


    There were two choices facing Harold now.


    The first one was to give up on the treasured object and escape. With Vincent as his opponent, getting away was not going to be difficult.


    However, if Harold did that, all the treasured objects would be in Justus¡¯ possession. Although in a certain sense, things were going the same way they did in the game, Harold could not throw away his suspicion that the original story¡¯s events might occur ahead of schedule. If that were to happen, then perhaps Liner and the others¡¯s progress would not be fast enough for them to be ready by the time of the last event.


    The second choice was to defeat Vincent right here.


    Originally, Vincent was supposed to be prompted by Justus into fighting Liner and the others at the last stage of the story, but in this world, that was most likely not the case. Because in the game, the main reasons why Vincent had been coaxed into working for Justus were that after the Beltis forest battle, his best friend Cody had left the knight order, moreover, following the massive killing of the stellar tribe¡¯s people, the order had lost its authority. The accumulated mental fatigue from these happenings had weakened Vincent and Justus had taken advantage of that.


    However, since all of these things had been prevented by Harold¡¯s actions, he had thought that Justus would probably not be able to coax Vincent into working for him. And that was indeed the case.


    Therefore, Justus had resorted to a more drastic measure: brainwashing. But it wasn¡¯t in order to kill the Hero, Liner, rather, it was to kill the one who played the part of the villain, Harold.


    ¡¾¡±You bastard¡­.!¡±]


    If Harold were to withdraw, then Vincent, in his brainwashed state, would join Justus as his subordinate. He would become Justus¡¯ trump card, his joker. And so, Justus¡¯s plan would surely progress even faster.


    Harold would not have enough brains to read through the timing of such a development that would diverge completely from the original story. No matter what he did, Harold would end up falling behind for sure. And he was afraid that he would find himself driven into a corner, unable to stop Justus because of that.


    So he had no choice but to defeat Vincent here. However, looking at this from another point of view, it was a golden opportunity to reduce Justus¡¯ war potential.


    Therefore, Harold resolved himself.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­ Vincent Van Westervoort. This place will be your grave.¡±]


    This was a battle against an opponent that Harold wasn¡¯t sure he could beat. And if he lost this fight, he would most likely die.


    In reality, he did not want to use ¡°it¡± until the very end, but if he kept being so particular about that, he would likely die with all his efforts amounting to nothing. Right now, the only thing he was thinking about was defeating Vincent, and he was going to do everything that was in his power for that goal.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go!¡±]


    Harold shouted., and the jade green crystal that was embedded on the sword in his right hand shone with a subtle sparkle.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    In¡ºBrave Hearts¡», Harold Stokes was not a dual sword wielder; his only weapon was his black sword. The sword embedded with a crystal that Harold was currently using did not exist at all in the game, as it was given to him by Justus in this world.


    Of course, that was not an act of kindness in any way; Justus was simply using that sword to convince his surroundings that Harold was just a convenient pawn who he had already subdued.


    However, given how good he was at scheming, there was naturally more to this.


    The sword had the exceptional ability of absorbing the user¡¯s mana to elevate his fighting capabilities, but if the sword could not be controlled and absorbed Harold¡¯s magical power just by being in his presence, then even he would likely have stubbornly refused to take it.


    Because whenever it absorbed the user¡¯s mana, it would literally absorb his life force. So this was a very Justus-like trick, as he had told only half a lie.


    Due to this, Harold had hardly used this power up to now. So far, he had displayed the sword¡¯s ability only twice.


    The first time was when he happened to discover a troupe of knights who had been attacked and almost annihilated by monsters, so, in order to help; he killed the enemies as fast as he possibly could. The second time was when he instantaneously killed the hydras at the peak of mount Giran.


    Both of those times lasted for only a few minutes. However, given that his lifespan was being reduced by this, even a few minutes felt like they could be fatal to him. Not knowing how much of his life he had lost was indescribably terrifying.


    So Harold had used the sword¡¯s power as little as possible. He was always wracking his brains and trying every trick in the book just because he did not want to die, so if he actually went ahead to shorten his life, he would be completely losing sight of his priorities.


    However, at this moment, he simply could not say that, because Vincent was just that formidable of an enemy.


    In order to make the best use of his distinctly superior speed, Harold¡¯s feet were constantly in motion. He was using magic spells as a diversion as he was crossing swords with Vincent while looking for his chance to strike. If Harold were to relax his guard for the smallest of instants, his defense would likely be smashed and he¡¯d end up being overwhelmed by Vincent¡¯s tyrannical strength, therefore, he kept on attacking and defending over and over again.


    Then, it finally came. In the middle of the fight, Vincent had a momentary opening in his defense for less than a second. At that moment, Harold focused his whole body¡¯s senses.


    He stepped forward with lightning fast speed.


    Due to his physique and weapon, the reach of Vincent¡¯s attacks was considerably wider than Harold¡¯s. This was one of the main reasons why Harold was at a loss about how to attack him. In other words, exploiting an opening was not enough. It was certainly possible for him to take the offensive by combining his speed with his numerous moves, but that would be too risky considering Vincent¡¯s strength and the instantaneous power and reflexes he displayed in both his offense and defense. Moreover, if Harold were to expose a few gaps, he¡¯d fall back on the defensive. To make matters worse, he would have to fight within the range of Vincent¡¯s attacks.


    But above all, Harold did not have enough strength to knock out Vincent with a single blow anyway, and he couldn¡¯t help but judge that it would be too difficult to attack one of his vital points.


    Then, what could he do?


    Harold¡¯s answer to that question was clear and simple.


    He would keep dodging and using diversions, he would strike when there was a gap he could exploit, and then he would immediately retreat, taking some distance from Vincent. It was a so-called hit-and-run tactic.


    Vincent started raising his sword over his head, and at the same time, Harold immediately shortened the distance between the two of them. Vincent stopped his action, and while taking half a step back, he had no other choice than to swing his large sword downwards.


    However, no matter how powerful he was, he had not been able to feel the attack from before as it came at him.


    Harold was aiming at the right arm of Vincent, which was holding his sword. Maybe in order not to disrupt the movement of his shoulder, he had left the space around his right armpit wide open. Harold sliced at that gap in Vincent¡¯s defense with his black sword.


    Then, he withdrew before Vincent could get to counter-attack. Harold once again took some distance and faced Vincent like before.


    Perhaps this method was effective in the sense that it was a sure-fire way to deliver his attacks.


    However, there was one problem. To instantaneously shorten the distance between him and his opponent, Harold was using a super-acceleration move for which his sword would absorb his mana each time. As he used it this time, he was afraid of how long this battle would drag, for he didn¡¯t know how much of his mana, and of his life, was being consumed.


    The part of Vincent¡¯s armpit which Harold had sliced at with his sword was covered with a black cloth. But slicing that part did not feel like cutting through human flesh, the attack had been clearly obstructed by a hard object.


    Harold had an idea what it was. There was probably some chain mail or something like that, hidden under Vincent¡¯s clothes. Unless he could strike that protection with a critical hit, Harold was going to have to attack it multiple times during the fight.


    If he wasn¡¯t in such a small cave, he could also try to take some distance and fire high-tier spells in rapid succession to remove that obstruction, but if he did that here, he would likely get entangled in his own magic, or the spell would make the whole cave collapse, crushing him to death in the process.


    ¡¾¡±This has been going for way too long¡­¡±]


    The situation was turning extremely bad for Harold.


    Perhaps he would end up being killed by Vincent, or perhaps he would end up using up all his strength and dying to his own sword¡¯s power.


    Still, in order to survive, he could do nothing but keep fighting.


    ¡ó


    As if to repel the darkness, the tree branches that were being used as firewood were burning with a crackling sound. Holding her knees, Lifa was looking at the flames while thinking about some things.


    Or perhaps it was more correct to say that she was worrying about some things. Those worries were about Harold, and at the same time, they were about Erica who was journeying with her now.


    Erica was the daughter of the Sumeragi family, and she currently was Lifa¡¯s traveling companion, as well.


    Her personality was gentle and graceful, and yet she also had a strong heart which allowed her to firmly speak her opinions. She wasn¡¯t naive like a girl who had led a sheltered life, and she viewed everything in a broad perspective. Moreover, she was so skilled with her magic and archery that even knights and adventurers were not worth being compared to her.


    She came from a good family, her character was excellent, and she also excelled in various other fields. The more Lifa traveled with her, the more she was able to understand how perfect Erica was as a woman.


    Furthermore, she was the most beautiful person Lifa had ever seen. When Colette spoke of her unreserved admiration for Erica, Lifa could only agree. Perhaps it could be said that she was the personification of a man¡¯s ideal.


    That perfect woman was Harold¡¯s fiancee¡­ or so it seemed at least.


    Although the two concerned parties themselves had denied that fact, Francis and Erica¡¯s older brother had both said that the two were actually engaged, so there was probably no way that was a lie.


    Then, why would Erica deny it? If she simply hated Harold, then perhaps that would be the end of the matter, but it was hard to believe that someone like her would openly show her hatred for him on the surface.


    It felt too incompatible with her personality, which reminded Lifa of something else that had felt the same way to her recently. It was Harold¡¯s excessive coldness towards Erica.


    From Lifa¡¯s perspective, it looked like both Harold and Erica didn¡¯t seem like themselves in the way they behaved towards each other.


    This was just a theory, but, maybe Harold was cold to Erica in order to keep her away from him. That way, she would not get hurt by his own death¡­. No, perhaps he did that precisely because he did not want her to be hurt. It was very difficult to understand the kindness of that man due to his twisted personality, but Lifa judged that this possibility was quite conceivable.


    As for Erica, maybe she was also taking Harold¡¯s feelings into consideration, and was taking a stubborn attitude towards him in order to pretend that she disliked him, just like he wished she would. She knew Harold from her childhood; she could basically be classified as a childhood friend of his.


    Lifa did not know since when Harold had taken on his arrogant behavior and for how long he had kept it going, but while he did have a perfectionist¡¯s atmosphere to him, he was still flawed, and so was his facade. Upon coming in contact with him for long enough, one would surely have many opportunities to notice the kindness hidden beyond Harold¡¯s clumsy behavior.


    That was all the more true for an intelligent person like Erica.


    There was no clear basis behind Lifa¡¯s hypothesis.


    To come up with this wild idea, she had merely linked the facts that both of them did not seem to behave like themselves. Normally, if Lifa had come up with a theory that made such a huge leap in logic, she would laugh it off and wouldn¡¯t concern herself with it.


    Nevertheless, she could not cast aside her idea precisely because it was still just a hypothesis. Because if by any chance these assumptions turned out to be true or just close to the truth, then Erica might get scarred for her whole life.


    The crucial point here was: how much did Erica know about Harold¡¯s situation?


    Considering that Harold was trying to keep Erica away, and that she did not want to go against his wish, then she probably was not aware that he did not have much time left to live. The best reason to think so was that, the first time Lifa came to the Sumeragi territory with Harold, he had forbidden her to speak about his life span.


    No matter how one looked at her, Erica was not the type to put her feelings of hatred on the surface. She was only human, so, there had to be times when she would get angry, and there had to be some people that she actually disliked within her mind; But there was no doubt that she would hide those kinds of feelings under a smile and behave herself on the outside.


    Then why did she not do that only when it came to Harold? Wasn¡¯t it because that was what Harold wanted?


    If so, then that meant they were both subduing their real feelings for each-other¡¯s sake.


    The reason Lifa thought so was that, knowing Erica¡¯s nature, it seemed unlikely for her to truly dislike Harold.


    Five of the six members of the team that was traveling together, in other words, everyone except for Erica, had a favorable opinion of Harold; they were a very unusual group. But even though they were certainly a strange bunch, Erica was still willing to seriously listen to their opinions and consider them.


    Yet, only when it came to Harold, she was obstinate in saying that he was evil, and she was not willing to change her views; that was way too strange and too unfitting of Erica¡¯s character in Lifa¡¯s eyes. Even when Liner and Colette tried to persuade her by telling her ¡°Harold is not the man that the rumors make him out to be¡±, Erica persisted, saying ¡°There is no understanding that man¡¯s true nature.¡±.


    It was as if she was trying to advertise to her surroundings that ¡°Erica Sumeragi hates Harold stokes¡±. To Lifa, it felt like there was no way Erica would use such substanceless words just because of her own personal hatred.


    It was safe to think that she was just putting on such an act because she had some particular circumstances, and what if those circumstances were that, for Harold¡¯s sake, she was taking on the attitude that he wanted her to take?


    In that case, then if Harold were to die, would Erica¡¯s heart be able to bear it? While Lifa had managed to keep quiet despite knowing that Harold did not have much time left to live, she believed that even she would be crushed and unable to bear it if he were to actually die.


    However if she were to tell the truth to Erica here, then she would be breaking her promise with Harold¡­


    ¡¾¡±I can¡¯t do that¡­.¡±]


    Lifa let those words escape her as she sighed.


    Then, a voice came at her completely defenseless back.


    ¡¾¡±Can¡¯t do what?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah¡­!¡±]


    Lifa almost instinctively screamed because of that surprise attack, but she had somehow managed to stop that reflex.


    However, her excessive surprise was not due to the sudden appearance of the voice, rather, it was because of the owner of said voice.


    ¡¾¡±W, what is it, Erica?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s time to switch places for the night watch.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh? Really? Isn¡¯t it still too early?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No no, it¡¯s already time¡­.¡±]


    Upon being told that, Lifa consulted her watch. As Erica had said, there were only a few minutes left before she would have to switch places with her.


    It seemed like Lifa had been considerably absorbed in her thoughts. Moreover, it looked like Liner, who was keeping watch with her, had fallen asleep. She had apparently been too engrossed in her thoughts to notice that.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, it¡¯s true. I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to wake you up.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry about that. But it looks like you have something on your mind¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh¡­.¡±]


    It would be difficult for Lifa to say frankly and unreservedly that she was worried about the relationship between Harold and Erica. That would be akin to walking straight into a minefield.


    Besides, she had promised Harold that she wouldn¡¯t talk about the matter concerning his life span. Above all, even if she tried to question Erica in an upfront manner about their relationship, she likely would not get an answer. But even so, it didn¡¯t fit Lifa¡¯s nature to just stand and watch without doing anything.


    So, she was going to start the discussion from another direction. ¡°This is probably none of my business but I have to do it¡±, while thinking that, Lifa confirmed that everyone other than Erica and herself was asleep, and she then started talking.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Erica, is there someone you¡¯re in love with?¡±]


    Translator¡¯s note: Aaaand with this, I¡¯ve officially caught up with the author, now we play the waiting game. Chapter 97 and 98 are more of a teaser for this fifth volume plot, but the author has yet to start the volume for real, so we¡¯re gonna have to wait for that. In the meantime, i¡¯ll be picking up some other novels. I¡¯m checking out various novels and I¡¯ll make my decision later today or tomorrow, but I¡¯m still very open to suggestions so please do share in the comments if you have some good ones (with the raws available). And of course, I¡¯ll translate the Death flags chapter once they come out.


    Anyway, I wish you an excellent day, I¡¯ll see you next time on a new project, or maybe more! ?

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    Erica did not appear to be shaken by that question which had come out of seemingly nowhere.


    ¡¾¡±Why are you asking such a thing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m curious, that¡¯s all. You denied that you¡¯re Harold¡¯s fiancee, so I was wondering if maybe that was because there was someone else you liked.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s not the case. It¡¯s just that there is too big a difference between the values and ways of thinking of Harold and I.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯re saying that you two just can¡¯t be together?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right.¡±]


    This was the exact same answer that Erica had always given so far on this journey.


    At this point, it would likely have been meaningless for Lifa to ask whether that answer was a lie, because she had no actual basis upon which she could overturn Erica¡¯s words.


    Saying that Erica was amazing as a person was no exaggeration.


    It was only by traveling alongside her that Lifa had come to know that even a girl like Erica had a weak point of her own. However, Lifa herself was hesitant about calling that part a weak point in the sense that taking advantage of it would likely be no easy task.


    But perhaps Erica herself was quite aware of her own weakness, hence why she had to be careful not to expose that particular side of her. Her strong rejection of Harold was probably a consequence of this.


    Erica was particularly quick to share her opinions openly when it came to speaking about Harold, that was why Lifa figured that Erica was actually putting on a front in order to camouflage her feelings.


    Moreover, that camouflage was hardly flawless. Or at least, it was bad enough that it made Lifa doubt whether Erica¡¯s words of rejections towards Harold were actually real. And yet, Liner and Colette did not seem to have noticed anything at all¡­ But Lifa made do by telling herself that ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably because they¡¯re too pure¡±.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I don¡¯t want to try to persuade you or anything, but there is something I¡¯d like to tell you, will you hear me out?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I am listening, you have all my attention.¡±]


    ¡°Thanks¡± After saying that, Lifa took several seconds before she started speaking again.


    ¡¾¡±You see, I¡¯m quite the eccentric person. Back when I was living in my village, even my own family had shunned me, and I didn¡¯t fit anywhere. Well, that¡¯s only natural since I used to only study without ever actually working.¡±]


    Lifa was openly speaking of her past, which she had not even told Harold about.


    ¡¾¡±At first, I started studying because I wanted to change this world where people who have no talent in magic have no other choice than living in poverty. If, through science,  even someone who cannot use magic properly becomes able to use spells which aren¡¯t inferior to the spells of those who were born with talent, then the world¡­ No, actually, I hadn¡¯t thought things through that far. But I still felt it would be great if my family and village could become wealthy.¡±]


    As she said she would, Erica was quietly and attentively listening.


    The fact that she was not showing any pity nor extending her sympathy was actually a good thing from Lifa¡¯s point of view, it made it easy for her to talk. Lifa was not particularly trying to fish for attention or pity; Erica had probably guessed as much and was therefore behaving accordingly.


    In any case, from Lifa¡¯s perspective, her life story was not a tale about misfortune but a tale about how she had paid for her own mistakes.


    ¡¾¡±But, although I don¡¯t know when exactly it happened, my feelings on the matter changed at some point. Looking at my family and village who had abandoned me because of my devotion to science, I started thinking that¡­ Well, in short, I became stubborn. So, when I hit a wall and found myself in a bind, I did a lot of unreasonable things.¡±]


    Lifa felt like perhaps this story would be quite absurd for others to hear.


    Even if she was told that she had just been a young girl who knew nothing about reality and had been stubbornly pursuing a dream that was too far beyond her, Lifa would not be able to deny it.


    ¡¾¡±It was at that time that I happened to came across that guy. I left the worst impression on him in our first meeting, and I kept telling him offensive things. I guess that was mostly because of the gossips about him, but still.¡±]


    Perhaps Lifa would have left a slightly better impression if Elu, who had just happened to be there, hadn¡¯t informed her about the rumors surrounding Harold.


    Nonetheless, if Elu hadn¡¯t told her that much, she likely would not have asked Harold to escort her.


    ¡¾¡±¡­That guy, he didn¡¯t laugh at my efforts. Now that I think about it, he probably had some ulterior motives, and I did end borrowing the help of Justus, too, which is pretty annoying, but ultimately, it¡¯s because Harold reached his hand to me that I was able to move forward.¡±]


    Lifa figured that Harold¡¯s actions had undoubtedly been guided by his own selfish interests on some level. Perhaps she had only been used by him. Moreover, it could be said that she had caused quite some trouble to Harold by accepting Justus¡¯ invitation.


    However, no matter what, it was not because she owed Harold a favor nor because she wanted to atone herself from her mistake that Lifa wished to do something for him. It was because of a much more simple reason.


    It was because Harold was just as lonely as her¡­ Or rather, he was struggling against an even harsher loneliness than hers, yet he had acknowledged her efforts in a certain way. And Lifa was delighted about that.


    That fact alone made her want to stick with him, and although that feeling of solidarity might have been one-sided, it was enough of a reason for her to want to support and help Harold, regardless of how dangerous that was. ¡°I¡¯m probably the only who¡¯d understand this feeling¡± She thought with a wry smile.


    She used to always be working hard, all by her lone self. And yet, there were many times when she wavered, thinking that maybe her lonesome, self-satisfied ways were a mistake.


    Back then, she believed that she would always be solitary, and she had spent countless nights crying in fear, thinking that perhaps all of her efforts would never be recognized by anyone.


    Harold had put a light in the darkness she had been locked in and had showed her the path forward. Other people likely would not understand how much of a salvation that had been for her.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I was saved by Harold. Even if he had ulterior motives, that fact won¡¯t change.¡±]


    That fact alone was plenty enough.


    Lifa had been saved by Harold. So, this time, she wanted to be the one reaching her hand out to her savior. Even if that was impossible for her, even if her help would just be an annoyance to him, Lifa could not help herself from doing so.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ I see you have got a lot of trust from Harold-sama, Lifa-san.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Trust, huh¡­¡±]


    From the outside, it would certainly seem like one could trust and rely on Harold¡¯s aberrant fighting strength and such. No matter who his opponent was, he would never be defeated easily in battle, but putting her trust in him on that aspect was too much since his lifespan was being lowered by that sword of his, as for¡­


    (Wait, no. Just now, Erica said that I got trust ¡°From¡± him, not ¡°for¡± him¡­. why would she put it like that¨D¨D ?)


    Lifa momentarily blanked out. ¡°That¡¯s only a small change, isn¡¯t it?¡± She thought.


    However, driven by a kind of intuition instead of her thoughts, Lifa raised her head. There, she saw Erica¡¯s eyes wavering, as the impregnable barrier that she usually kept on her face for appearances¡¯ sake had been destroyed.


    The two girls¡¯ lines of sight were perfectly aligned. Erica showed a slight agitation in her eyes before her expression turned into one of resignation, as if she was realizing that she had been caught in the act.


    At that pont, Lifa¡¯s thoughts caught up to her intuition. ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s what¡¯s going on¡¯ She affirmed in her mind.


    At last, she managed to connect the countless fragments of information which had been scattered all around so far.


    Why was it that the first thing Erica had recognized upon hearing the earlier story was the fact that Harold had placed his trust in Lifa? Perhaps it was because she was convinced that Harold was the one who had purposely allowed Lifa¡¯s actions. Erica¡¯s evaluation of Harold was too absolute.


    And although her words had not shown it, there was a hint of envy oozing out of her tone of voice. It was already clear why Erica had been shaken immediately after speaking.


    ¡¾¡±Ah¡­¡±]


    Lifa let out a big sigh to break the silence. But Erica, who was facing her, stayed quiet and did not say anything.


    After a short pause, Lifa returned to the conversation with a question.


    ¡¾¡±I have no idea why, but Harold¡¯s trying to keep his distance from you. You¡¯re aware of that, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, of course I am.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And that¡¯s the reason why you seem to dislike Harold. Because Harold wants you to dislike him.¡±]


    Erica closed her eyes as if to resist something.


    Then, she looked up at the night sky, and spoke out words that seemed to be painful for her to say.


    ¡¾¡±I suppose I would have to think twice before saying that that¡¯s not the case, this is the only answer I can give.¡±]


    Erica¡¯s line implied that Lifa was right indeed.


    As expected, it was to go along with Harold¡¯s own intentions that Erica was so obstinately behaving like she disliked him. Paradoxically, she was doing all of that for him.


    ¡¾¡±You can keep making up excuses, but you should just be frank and admit the truth straightforwardly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even if I do that, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t understand it, Lifa-san.¡±]


    It seemed like that somehow was Erica¡¯s evaluation of Lifa.


    Although Lifa was somewhat irritated by that, now was not the time for her to focus on her own self.


    ¡¾¡±There is one thing I¡¯d like to make clear, it¡¯s that Harold doesn¡¯t particularly trust me. I only got to accompany him by being unreasonably pushy, he actually didn¡¯t want me to come, so much so that he threatened me to stop me from following him.¡±]


    But, although she might have been an annoyance to Harold, Lifa still knew that her intervention hadn¡¯t been useless since she had played a part in solving the miasma problem.


    ¡¾¡±Also, Erica, do you know why Harold¡¯s trying so hard to keep his distance from you?¡±]


    After pulling herself back from her irritation, Lifa kept her line of questioning going.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s because he believes that no good would come from the two of us being linked to each other. But, as for what he¡¯s specifically concerned about, I¡­¡±]


    Erica spoke evasively.


    But Lifa knew what was really happening. The conversation had just taken a direction that even she did not like.


    Her stomach was throbbing, and her own emotions became heavy, as if she had drunk lead. This turn of event was close to the worst development among Lifa¡¯s predictions.


    ¡°In that case¡±, she wondered ¡°What can I do? What should I say?¡±


    Various ideas were whirling all about inside her head.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I want to ask you one more question.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What do you think of Harold? I¡¯d like you to tell me what you truly feel.¡±]


    It was surely not going be easy for Erica to reply, this was likely a question that she did not want to answer at all.


    However, if this point was not made clear, things would not be able to go forward from here for Lifa, for Erica, and maybe even for Harold.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.I love Harold-sama. And I¡¯ve been in love with him since I was a child.¡±]


    Said Erica, with her voice sounding like she was confessing for a serious crime.


    It was painfully clear how much of a taboo this subject was from Erica¡¯s perspective. And at the same time, Lifa could feel how deep Erica¡¯s feelings for Harold were.


    When Lifa and Erica faced each other in the Sumeragi family¡¯s mansion, Erica had said ¡°I think you and I are going to have a hard time on this journey¡±. At the time, Lifa thought Erica was implying that that the both of them were destined to go through some hardships since they were both getting involved in the troubles that were brought by Harold.


    But thinking back upon it, there had been other implications coming from Erica¡¯s gaze at the time. She had probably said those words thinking that both of them were similar in the fact that they were both people who cared for Harold and were taking action for his sake.


    Lifa had not noticed this on the spot because she barely knew Erica at the time. But well, even if she had noticed back then, it likely would not have changed anything.


    Because, at the end of the day, even if they did want to take action for Harold¡¯s sake, there was no way for Lifa and Erica to do it since they did not know how they should go about it, and they still were not even aware of what Harold¡¯s goals were.


    Nevertheless, Lifa believed that this relation was wrong, she believed it was wrong that Erica was lying about her own feelings out of consideration for the intentions of Harold, who did not want to be approached and who was reducing his lifespan yet was still going forward despite the fact that he was at risk of death.


    Lifa was fully aware that human relations were the problem of the concerned parties and no one else¡¯s, however, she was also certain that Erica would be very deeply wounded upon Harold¡¯s eventual and inevitable death if things still stood as they were by then. Overlooking the situation would be absolutely wrong for Lifa, not as only as Erica¡¯s friend, but also as a human being.


    ¡¾¡±That means you know that he¡¯ll do anything for his goals, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, I¡¯m well aware.¡±]


    Erica had known Harold since childhood. It wasn¡¯t clear when she had developed her feelings for him, but she had likely had to see him quite often in order reach that point.


    Perhaps that what why it seemed like she could not see any of his flaws and her respect for him was beyond absolute. And, when thinking about it, Harold really was a great person. It was not strange to think that of him for someone who had witnessed his accomplishments from up close.


    Moreover, Lifa believed that this applied all the more to people who were wise enough to understand how difficult it had been for Harold to do everything he had done.


    However, Erica was overestimating him. No matter how great he was, there was a limit to how much one man could accomplish by himself.


    Yet, despite this, Erica had faith in every single one of Harold¡¯s decisions. Hence why she unconditionally acted the way he would want her to. But that was far past the point of trust, it was simply blind belief.


    ¡¾¡±Sure, Harold is very capable and I believe he¡¯s a man who can pull off what no normal person can do. But he¡¯s only human, just like us. So it only makes sense that even he can be wrong and make mistakes at times, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­This is hard to hear.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I think you¡¯re a person who can calmly think things through, Erica, so you should understand my point. I might be saying something you¡¯re already aware of, but it seems to me like you¡¯ve been desperately trying to better yourself because you don¡¯t want to be a burden on him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I am¡­ I have no confidence in myself.¡±]


    Saying that, Erica showed a self-mocking smile.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t suit her.¡± Thought Lifa to herself upon seeing Erica in that state.


    ¡¾¡±Can I really help Harold-sama? ¡­How could I ever be confident about such a thing?¡±]


    The two girls switched their roles in the conversation; this time, Erica was the one who started talking.


    She began speaking of her life, while offering Lifa a glimpse into Harold¡¯s past at the same time.


    ¡ó


    (Erica¡¯s Pov)


    ¡¾¡±I first met Harold-sama eight years ago, I was ten years old back then.¡±]


    It was because she had been engaged to him due to political reasons that Erica had gotten the chance to know about Harold Stokes¡¯ existence. In those days, she had understood the position she was in, and although she way in no way completely enthusiastic about her engagement, she had accepted that there was no going around it.


    She had been trying to believe that, as the feudal lord¡¯s daughter, it was only natural for her to marry Harold if that could improve the people¡¯s living conditions.


    Thinking about it now, Erica felt like she would not have been able to keep herself from being displeased if she had become related to the Stokes family, given their discriminatory doctrines.


    However, the boy who had suddenly become Erica¡¯s fiance had come up with a drug that could suppress the effects of the miasma that was spreading diseases in the Sumeragi territory. In addition, the Sumeragi family only had to pay for the materials and the manufacturing process, the boy had practically offered the drug against no compensation.


    Although he himself had insisted that he was just selling them a favor, he should not have needed to do such a thing since, back then, the Sumeragi family had already been in a position where they were being supported by the Stokes family.


    At that point in time, Erica¡¯s impression of Harold had risen considerably.


    ¡¾¡±However, because of a certain matter, I started utterly detesting Harold-sama back then.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A certain matter?¡±]


    Erica hesitated a little before talking, but she still started speaking about the matter.


    Starting from Lifa, everyone who was present here already knew what kind of man Harold truly was, so there was no problem. In Colette¡¯s case, she had even played a major role in the case that Erica was about to speak of.


    ¡¾¡±At the time, there was a story circulating in the Stokes family¡¯s territory about how Harold-sama had murdered one of his mansion¡¯s employees together with her daughter. And so, I asked him whether that rumor was true. ¡°]


    Even now, Erica could still remember asking Harold while wishing that those gossips were completely groundless.


    But Harold had crushed her wish and confirmed the rumors.


    ¡¾¡±All he said was ¡®I killed them because they were getting on my nerves¡¯, and ¡®They¡¯re my servants, I¡¯m perfectly free to kill them or let them live on a whim¡¯. He also insulted them, saying that servants were an inferior species.¡±]


    Back then, Erica had felt both rage and despair. Being still young, she had found herself unable to manage those intense feelings, not knowing how to blow off her anger.


    ¡¾¡±However, his objective was actually to make me believe that. In reality, thanks to Harold-sama¡¯s doing, the servant and her daughter had both survived and escaped from the Stokes family¡¯s territory.¡±]


    He had deceived his parents, he had prepared the path and means of escape of the mother and daughter, and he had given them a large amount of money, enough so that they would not be troubled in their new life.


    On top of that, to this day, he had kept on bearing the stigma of a murderer just so that he could give full priority to the safety of the attendant and her daughter.


    ¡¾¡±¡­That really sounds like something Harold would do.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Indeed it does, and I eventually came to know about that.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s strength, grandeur, and kindness.


    When Erica noticed those traits, it had already been too late.


    ¡¾¡±I see. And all these elements were more than enough for you to fall in love with him, huh.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, by the time I became aware of it, it was already too late.¡±]


    Well, at first, she had been restraining herself due to her guilty conscience and she had been unable allow herself to actually think that she had fallen in love with him, nevertheless, there was no doubt that that whole matter with the servant and her daughter was the main reason why Erica came to see Harold in a good light.


    ¡¾¡±He is always working himself absurdly hard, so I have been doing what I can in order to reduce his burden, even if only a little.¡±]


    So as not to worry Harold needlessly, Erica had continued to take on the attitude he wanted her to take. She had also been training herself intensively in the use of healing magic, so as to be able to heal him in case he would ever suffer from a big injury.


    In order to be able to keep up with him, she had not only studied how to conduct herself in the noble society and how to manage a territory properly, but she also studied various other fields to broaden her knowledge. Moreover, so that she would not need to be protected, she had improved her attack magic, her archery, and her martial art skills.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.However, thinking about it now, I was just taking a passive attitude.¡±]


    If Erica did not want to worry Harold, she should have faced him directly so that the two of them would have been able to understand each other, then she could have put her efforts into building some trust with him, to eventually ask him what role he really wanted her to play. Had she done that, perhaps Harold would not have suffered from such serious wounds on that day.


    Because, no matter how much she had polished herself, it was meaningless if Harold deemed that he did not need her. And given his personality, it was obviously very unlikely that he would come by himself to the conclusion that she was necessary to him.


    Yet the moment he would start thinking ¡°I need her¡±, he would lose the choice of walking away, and the only option left for him would be to find a compromise with her.


    ¡ºWatch over him to see what he¡¯s trying to achieve, support him, stay close to him, and you¡¯ll become able to truly understand him.¡»


    Those were the words that Erica had been offered by her father. She had been putting a lot of effort into accomplishing that, but she was now fully realizing that she had completely failed.


    Was she watching over Harold? No, she was only looking at him from a distance.


    Was she supporting him? No.


    Had she stayed close to him in difficult times? No, Harold did not want that.


    Was she able to understand why he was putting himself in so much risk? No, she did not know what he was thinking.


    Things had taken an awful turn. And the fact that Harold did no want Erica to help was no excuse.


    It was by going against Harold¡¯s own intentions that Lifa had earned his trust. If Erica really had been thinking of Harold¡¯s well-being, wouldn¡¯t she also have faced him with her true feelings and opinions, no matter how much he rejected her?


    The only reason she could not do that was nothing more than the fact that she did not have the courage to do it. Due to her fear of being rejected and her desire to protect herself, she was unable to take a single step forward.


    She had been running away from the very beginning, avoiding to actually face Harold, clinging on the uncertain hope that perhaps one day, he would be the one to reach out to her.


    ¡¾¡±How shameful of me¡­¡±]


    If she kept thinking back to her past mistakes, she would never be done. Perhaps things would have taken a different turn if Erica had clearly said what she had been thinking when she had taken Harold¡¯s hand on that boat in the town of Kablan.


    But even then, she had been too afraid.


    She had only been able to jokingly say ¡°No matter how much of a sinner you are, I¡¯m willing to accept you¨D¨DWell, that¡¯s probably what my brother would tell you¡±.


    Would she ever be able to get over her fear of getting hurt and to reach a compromise with Harold?


    Lifa was able to do it, but Erica simply could not, that was the difference between them. And this made Erica realize that, in the end, her feelings did not amount to much.


    So there was no way she could be confident in herself. She had yet to do a single thing for Harold.


    She believed that all her hard work had no meaning since she had only done it to satisfy herself.


    And, above all, she hated herself for speaking about the matter concerning Clara and Colette despite having vowed to keep that secret sealed in her heart until the day Harold would be willing to tell her about it upfront.


    Due to Lifa¡¯s words, Erica was being completely overwhelmed by her own cumulated foolishness.


    ¡¾¡±Erica¡­¡±]


    It seemed like Lifa wanted to cheer Erica up but she did not know what to say.


    However, that only served to make Erica feel more and more ashamed for imposing her own troubles on others. She felt like the least she could do now was to behave as usual.


    ¡¾¡±Forgive me for complaining like this. Well then, you should go get some rest Lifa-san, it¡¯s getting late.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry about me, I am fine.¡±]


    Afterwards, the two of them continued to have similar back and forths, until Lifa finally gave in and entered the tent while still worrying about Erica.


    Having been left on her own, Erica was staring at the campfire that was still burning. However, for some reason, she was not feeling any warmth from it. Even after she threw twigs inside the fire and strengthened it, there was no change.


    ¡®Ah, maybe that¡¯s what having a broken heart feels like¡¯ She thought, as if this was someone else¡¯s problem.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I¡¯m not worthy of being by your side.¡±]


    Then, she finally let these words out. Until now, she had been stopping those words rom coming out of her mouth over and over again, to the point where they were very deeply imprinted in her mind.


    After that, tears gathered inside Erica eyes until they started falling. The only warmth she was able to feel at the moment was from the tears that were running down her cheeks.


    However, that warmth was reminiscent of the deep affection and love that she felt for Harold, and she was afraid, afraid that those feelings were flowing out of her endlessly as she continued to weep quietly, until the sun started rising in the sky.


    Translator¡¯s note: Next chapter, we¡¯ll see how things are going on Harold¡¯s side, so do look forward to it! ?


    As for my other projects, sorry for the delays and all, death flags is my priority and I really did not expect the author to release the chapters this week, sorry about that, I¡¯ll get back to translating them starting tomorrow.


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll have a great day and I¡¯ll see you in the coming days!

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    Both of his hands felt heavy as he held his sword. The mere act of holding his stance to keep the point of his blade above the ground was making him even more tired.


    Despite all the aberrant training that he was usually putting his body through, Harold was reaching the limits of his endurance.


    More than an hour had passed since the start of the battle. That would not have been a problem for him in an ordinary fight, but this was a fight to the death, against an opponent who was as strong as him. Using a long sword over a long period of time in this setting was not good for his mental.


    While Harold had speed on his side, his opponent was launching one attack after the other to cover that gap, and a single clean hit from any of those blows would be powerful enough to bring the battle to its end. Although that alone was troublesome enough, the attacks were also rapidly becoming more precise.


    There were already several times where Harold had failed to dodge the blows and had blocked them instead, but his defense was surpassed by the damage created by Vincent¡¯s strength and the mass of his sword. Owing to that, Harold¡¯s left hand was severely numb, having almost completely lost its grip, and his black sword had already fallen to the ground.


    Earlier, he had been afraid that the enemy¡¯s blade would completely overwhelm his guard and strike him directly, so he was now feeling relieved knowing that he could somewhat defend himself. Even so, his whole body was creaking and his face was distorted in pain.


    He was running out of breath, and although he had no fatal injuries, his body was full of bleeding wounds. Harold¡¯s battle against Vincent was simply that fierce.


    Vincent was brandishing a large sword that closely resembled a Zanbato, or a long Katana. There was currently too much distance between the two foes for that sword¡¯s length to be of any use, but a light blue aura was starting to appear on its blade. Harold immediately recognized said aura and jumped even further away from Vincent.


    As if implying that he did not care about that, Vincent swung the sword down to strike the floor beneath him.


    There was a heavy, crushing sound. The floor broke into many pieces that then rose up in the air.


    That move alone was clearly absurdly powerful, but there was more to this attack. Immediately after Vincent¡¯s blade struck the ground, space distortions appeared all around Harold. Those distortions were actually highly compressed air, formed under the pressure of Vincent¡¯s sword.


    The next instant, the distortions turned into plasma, and exploded together with their surroundings.


    ¡º¡¯Exploding sword¡¯¡»


    This was one of Vincent¡¯s techniques that also appeared in the original story, and it was one of the very few attack methods that he had that wasn¡¯t short-ranged.


    Harold managed to dodge by a hair¡¯s breadth. Although this attack did not deal much damage in the game, Harold had to consider the fact that this was Vincent and that not a single one of his attacks could be taken head-on.


    And, above all, in the game, each of the plasma attacks would appear at a predetermined distance of about one meter (3 feet) only, but here, they were generated at random in a fan-shaped area that started from the point where Vincent¡¯s sword had struck the ground. The technique¡¯s area of effect was much wider than in the game, and it was therefore harder to dodge. There was only a second between the moment when the distortions appeared in the air and the moment when they turned into plasma and exploded.


    If Harold was hit even a single time, there was a very high risk that Vincent would rush at him immediately after.


    ¡°How the hell can you create plasma by just swinging down your sword?!¡± Harold almost voiced out such complaints, while ignoring the fact that his own speed and movement went completely against the laws of physics.


    But when he considered things calmly, he knew he was not one to talk, and that this world was simply a complete fantasy in this regard.


    Despite all of that, Harold was still putting quite a lot of pressure on Vincent, as a matter of fact, they were currently on equal standing. Perhaps it could even be said that Harold had the advantage considering the fact that Vincent was more injured than him.


    Harold had been continuously attacking and retreating while aiming at the thin parts of Vincent¡¯s armor and the small gaps within it. The damage dealt through that method was not much, but it had been accumulating. At this point, most of the hard material under Vincent¡¯s armor had already been destroyed.


    The wounds and blood that Harold could see on Vincent¡¯s body were a proof of that.


    (And yet his movements haven¡¯t weakened at all, that makes no sense¡­!)


    On the contrary, Vincent was adapting to Harold¡¯s movements. Seeing how he was incoherently murmuring ¡°Eliminating the target is the top priority¡± over and over again, it did not seem like Vincent currently had a sense of self or reason, and assuming he was able to disregard pain and tiredness due to that, then the fact that his attacks had not weakened would not be difficult to believe.


    However, Harold figured that if that was the case, Vincent¡¯s movements would normally be more monotonous and lackluster. Yet while Vincent¡¯s expressionless face was somewhat reminiscent of Lilium and Ventos, he was not fighting as mechanically and straightforwardly as them.


    At first, Harold¡¯s strategy had been to create an opening from a distance through diversions and disturbances, and to then jump at his opponent to attack and withdraw. However, after Harold repeated that a few times, Vincent counter-attacked.


    He avoided Harold¡¯s blow and pretended to counter-attack. Fooled by that feint, Harold tried to dodge but it was then that that Vincent¡¯s real counter came.


    As one would expect, Harold was unable to avoid that one, so he blocked it with his sword instead, but he was still blown several meters away.


    If Lilium and Ventos were robots programmed to repeat a regular set of movements, then Vincent would be a robot with an artificial intelligence that gathers experience and changes its movements accordingly. That was basically the difference between them.


    And the fact was that, compared to the first stage of the fight, it was becoming more and more difficult for Harold to attack.


    (¡­ Hold on, hold on, don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s actually learning?)


    That was just a passing thought, but even since Harold had taken over this body, he was sometimes struck with bad premonitions which would very often turn out to be true.


    And if his thoughts were right, then that would mean he was facing a killing machine which not only did not fear attacks and could therefore keep moving when taking damage, but it could also study its opponents¡¯ movements. Moreover, since Vincent himself was also initially very powerful, his attacks could kill Harold in a single blow, and his defense was like that of a fortress.


    To make matters worse, because Vincent was currently brainwashed, his fighting pattern was not the same as it was in the game, therefore Harold¡¯s knowledge of the original story was meaningless here.


    ¡¾¡±Heh, so what?¡±]


    Said Harold, only to act tough. But when that mutter actually came out of his mouth, it suddenly sounded determined and full of confidence.


    Perhaps it was odd, but¨D¨DHarold was actually encouraging himself.


    ¡®If you hardly know any of his patterns, then you just have to figure out new ones.


    If he¡¯s studying your movements, then use that against him.


    Harold Stokes can do it. You know that better than anyone else.¡¯


    Harold let out a forced but fearless laugh to encourage himself even more. And the next moment, he let go of his restrained position and dashed forward at top speed.


    ¡®Air Dash¡¯. The first time Harold had used this technique in an actual fight was in his battle against the Sarian empire¡¯s mage, Ritzert. At the time, he was already doing the impossible by being able to speed up or change directions while using the skill, but since then, several years had passed and he had perfectly mastered the use of three dimensional maneuvers at high speeds in the air.


    However, while back then, Harold had been too fast for the enemy; in this fight, Vincent was quite capable of coping with Harold¡¯s speed.


    Even so, despite being aware that his move would be seen through, Harold still rushed towards Vincent¡¯s chest. At his maximum speed, he kicked the ground to fly even further away from his initial position, and he then kicked the air through the air dash technique in order to take his opponent¡¯s back.


    Harold was aiming for Vincent¡¯s neck. Such a vital area was, of course, protected by Vincent¡¯s armor, but Harold¡¯s goal was neither to kill nor to deal any damage to him, his aim was the act of ¡°slashing¡± itself. Then, just like Harold expected, Vincent used his left gauntlet to stop the blow.


    Even since the start of the battle, Vincent had been using his gauntlet to block any attacks that he was seeing for the first time. But after Harold used the same slashing attack twice and then thrice, Vincent counter-attacked instead of blocking the blow.


    Harold dodged and sneaked behind Vincent while preparing to attack.


    In response, Vincent released a punch behind himself with his left arm. His main goal was not actually to attack, rather, it was to prevent Harold from attacking again.


    Although Vincent was not holding his sword with his left hand, the attack was still sharp and powerful. Moreover, if Harold received the blow, not only would he lose his stance, but Vincent¡¯s large sword would also come at him right after.


    Yet, despite being aware of that, Harold still dared to take the punch. The gauntlet was not as strong as the large sword, but it still was powerful enough that if he had taken on the punch directly without defending, he would have had to prepare himself to break a bone or two.


    Then, the instant after he blocked the punch, the large blade of Vincent¡¯s sword came swinging down at him. This blow alone could put an end to the whole battle, and at worst, it could even kill Harold on the spot.


    But he still barely managed to avoid the attack.


    He would normally dodge such an attack by jumping backwards, yet this time, he stepped forward instead, letting the sword pass him by, almost grazing him.


    This had been a gamble. Harold absolutely could not have afforded to receive that counter-attack. If his timing had been off by the slightest of delays, he would likely have been cut in half starting from his back or from the back of his head.


    It might have been impossible for him to avoid the blade if his battle capabilities were not currently being boosted by his sword. Still, while feeling the ground break under Vincent¡¯s sword, Harold slipped right through death¡¯s fingers.


    Following that move, he once again went behind Vincent.


    However, Harold could not use a counterattack at this point. Although the last action of his set of movements had taken a mere instant, it was precisely because of that that he had needed a high concentration to do it properly. And it was simply too difficult for him to directly get on the offensive the moment after.


    To prepare to start yet another exchange, he opened the distance between Vincent and him again. With this, the series of movements Harold had just used was likely going to be much harder to pull off again. The reason the fight had been lasting for so long was that, because he had been at a loss as to how he could win the battle, Harold had been trying various things to study the pattern behind Vincent¡¯s actions, but the process had prevented him from dealing any decisive damage.


    And what Harold had learned was that Vincent would always counter attack against his moves after seeing them around three times.


    (So, I have to pave the way for that third time now.)


    Harold took a breath and repeated the series of movements he had used right before, with the determination to put his life on the line. The second time was even more dangerous than the first. As the sword passed by the side of Harold¡¯s head by the end of his choreography, he was able to hear the wind generated by the blade much closer to his ear than before. He even noticed a piece of cloth, which had been sliced off of him, fall at the feet of Vincent.


    Vincent was able to follow Harold¡¯s moves much better this second time.


    ¡®If he does it a third time, I¡¯ll kill him for sure¡¯ Vincent was surely thinking so, assuming that his brain still had the ability to think at all.


    Any mistake here would spell Harold¡¯s death. Harold was terrified as he waited for that which he had been continuously avoiding.


    Running away was not an option. In this situation, he needed to jump at the side of death in order to survive.


    (¡­I guess now is the time. Really, I should have made my resolve way earlier. )


    Harold clearly understood now. He had not been fighting against his fated death, he had been escaping from it.


    Although once he used his ¡°switch¡±, his feelings of fear were pushed away by the small parts of Harold that still remained within him, that did not mean that Kazuki himself was able to confront his fear of death. Perhaps that escapism was coming back to bite him in the form of Vincent.


    Therefore, right now, both Kazuki and Harold needed to take action.


    Kazuki needed the resolve to fight alongside Harold Stokes. He needed the resolve to challenge fate itself.


    Kazuki¡¯s resolve, his knowledge about the game, and Harold¡¯s capabilities. Without all of that, it would be impossible for Harold to win against Vincent or Justus.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m coming for you, you damn puppet!¡±]


    And so, Harold jumped to the side of death for the third time.


    He sneaked behind Vincent while avoiding a sword slash that was coming at him. Once again, Harold had taken the back of Vincent, but this third time, Vincent¡¯s response was even faster than before. Vincent released a punch behind himself without giving Harold any time to take a fighting stance, but Harold blocked it by using his sword as a shield.


    Up to here, everything had happened like the first two times.


    Vincent¡¯s large sword was already coming from over Harold¡¯s head. Even if Harold stepped forward or jumped behind, he would most likely be unable to avoid the attack. Therefore, he stayed where he was.


    Then, he pivoted off his left foot like a gate opening, therefore shifting his whole body slightly to the left. In its vertical descent, the large sword missed Harold by a paper-thin margin.


    However, unlike the first two times, the sword was not swung down low enough to smash the ground. That was because Vincent believed that if he did this, his response would be delayed once Harold would move behind him.


    This was the result of Vincent studying the pattern behind his enemy¡¯s movements. Vincent assumed his opponent¡¯s next move and optimized his own movements accordingly.


    So, what would happen if Harold moved outside of Vincent¡¯s assumptions? The answer to that were the innumerable scratches and wounds on Vincent¡¯s armor and body.


    Most of those damages had been dealt immediately after the start of the fight, before Vincent could accumulate data about the patterns behind Harold¡¯s way of fighting. Which meant that the longer a fight against Vincent lasted, the more disadvantageous it would become for his opponent, unless a decisive blow was dealt at the very beginning.


    But there was a flaw to this way of fighting. Vincent¡¯s ability to learn patterns was only a passive technique.


    Although he was able to respond upon being attacked, he could not use his own attacks as a starting point to control or predict his enemy¡¯s actions. Perhaps that was some kind of technical limitation.


    In any case, the current situation was outside of Vincent¡¯s expectations. Harold moved at a spot that was even further away from the sword that Vincent had swung down with his right hand. Vincent did not have time to raise back his sword to attack, and since, earlier, he had attacked with the gauntlet on his left arm, which was his main means of defense, it was now too far away from Harold.


    The problem was that this was the perfect distance for Vincent¡¯s fighting style. Moreover, Harold was not currently using any spells to accelerate himself, and speed was what he needed to release an attack light enough to allow him to directly follow up with a combo and yet powerful enough to make his opponent flinch.


    That would not be an issue if Harold used a special technique or magic. However, those techniques needed to us mana, and he would therefore need to slightly charge them before using them. He did not know at all if a normal sword attack would work, but he did know that at this distance, and with an opponent like Vincent, using up time to charge an attack would create too much of a gap for the enemy to exploit.


    Then, what was he going to do? Harold¡¯s answer to that was neither to use a normal attack nor a magic attack.


    His answer was to use his bare hand, striking with his palm.


    A jab with the heel of his palm was going to be much faster than swinging his sword. In the game, the ¡®Palm strike¡¯ technique was only worth anything when used in the middle of a combo. Moreover, Harold was going to use it with his left hand, which had such a weak grip that he could not hold his sword with it, and given how strong Vincent¡¯s defense was, the technique would deal a ridiculously small amount of damage to him.


    ¨D¨D Or at least, it would if Harold was actually using the game¡¯s technique.


    ¡¾¡± ¡®Thunder Palm strike¡¯ !¡±]


    As his palm struck Vincent¡¯s jaw, an electric shock was simultaneously transferred from Harold¡¯s left hand.


    In the eight years he had devoted to avoiding death flags, he had learned all of the techniques that Harold Stokes could use in the game. He had also tried to learn the techniques of other characters. And, on top of that, he had put some effort into figuring out new techniques that had not appeared in the game.


    This ¡°Lightning palm strike¡± was one of them. As its name implied, this technique combined a strike from the palm with an electric shock.


    Truthfully, this attack did not deal much damage either. That was because, just like for any other such skill, the electric shock would need to be charged before attacking in order to deal any real damage.


    But this technique did not waste any time on charging. Harold simply released the palm strike and let the electric shock charge itself in the short time it took for his hand to reach Vincent. Because of that, neither the physical aspect of the attack nor the electricity dealt much damage.


    However, it was effective enough. All that Harold needed was to paralyze Vincent¡¯s muscles with the electricity so as to stop him from moving, even if only for an instant.


    The brainwashing allowed Vincent to disregard any pain, but no matter how brainwashed he had been, it was still impossible to restrain the natural responses of a living being¡¯s body. Even if he had some of the characteristics of a game character, Vincent was still a human being.


    ¡¾¡±¡­!¡±]


    Vincent did not say a word and there was no change in his facial expression, but Harold could tell that he had successfully made his muscles flex and freeze up, just like planned.  In the fight between these two particular opponents, a single moment of stagnation was still much too long, to the point of being fatal.


    By the time Vincent managed to move his body again, it was already too late.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºLightning Slash¡»¡±]


    The sword attack, which Harold had secretly been charging to the maximum, hit Vincent right in his abdomen. Even so, Vincent did not fall., He raised his head and tried to swing his sword some more, but that was not enough of a threat for Harold.


    Harold was attacking continuously, without giving Vincent any opportunity to use his weapon. The more he attacked, the more powerful his attacks became.


    After Vincent¡¯s armor was burnt off by the lightning attacks, his upper body was pushed backwards by a thrust of Harold¡¯s sword. Right after that, Harold drove a strong spinning kick towards Vincent¡¯s abdomen, which was now defenseless. But before Vincent could fall down, Harold went behind him and slashed his sword up. Then, Vincent was sent floating into the sky by Harold¡¯s ¡°Lightning Bird¡± skill.


    However, Harold¡¯s combo was still not over. That was because he understood that a superficial attack would never be enough to take down his opponent. Before long, his combo had reached a count of one hundred hits. Vincent¡¯s body had risen remarkably high up.


    And then, Harold held his sword straight upwards right under Vincent¡¯s body, and the point of the blade started radiating with an intense light.


    That was Harold¡¯s strongest technique, it could take away a little more than 60% of the total HP that the main character of the game had at level 100, which was the game¡¯s highest level cap in the first playthrough.


    A lightning attack was fired from the tip of the blade, creating a tear in space around the ceiling of the ruins, and from there fell a bolt of lightning that hit Vincent¡¯s body together with Harold¡¯s sword.


    Then, Harold swung down the sword as if to cut Vincent in two.


    ¡¾¡± ¡®Lightning clash¡¯ !!¡±]


    A loud sound of thunder, that did not fit in the ruins, resounded. The ruins trembled as a thunderstorm raised a cloud of dust in the area.


    after a while, the cloud slightly cleared up, as a single person¡¯s shadow appeared from inside.


    The man was gasping for breath, but he spoke to his fallen opponent as arrogantly as ever.


    ¡¾¡±Looking good over there, Vincent¨D¨D but this is my win.¡±]


    Author¡¯s note: Since this is the one hundredth chapter, I wanted to mark the occasion by writing something cool for the MC. This is also a scene I¡¯ve wanted to write ever since Harold imagined himself fighting against Vincent in chapter 13, so I¡¯m very satisfied with myself.


    Translator¡¯s note: Author¡¯s seems to be taking things at his pace but he doesn¡¯t seem to be thinking of dropping the novel at all, so there is that,this project seems like it will stay afloat. Thanks author and thanks to everyone who¡¯s supporting this project.


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll have a great day, see you next time ?

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­¡±]


    After confirming that Vincent had fallen, Harold dropped on one knee, like he had lost all the strength in his legs. The wounds he had received were not very serious, but the battle had lasted for a long time, and it was only natural that his bleeding body was depleted of its strength after he used a combo of over a hundred hits.


    Moreover, his mind was exhausted from being continuously exposed to Vincent¡¯s fierce attacks.


    But he had won. Even Vincent would not be able to withstand the attack he had just received. It would not even be surprising if he died from it.


    The last technique Harold used, ¡°Lightning clash¡±, was undoubtedly his most powerful special move. But due to its immense power, charging it was a long process, and it was very difficult to use.


    Even in the game, it was clear that the skill was not suitable for combat, to the point where it was considered as a sort of joke skill that was always interrupted before it could be fired. The game was set up to be played in parties of four, so it seemed obvious that a skill that would take this long to charge would end up being cancelled by an attack from the enemy.


    In this fight, Harold¡¯s use of the skill was a wise decision only because he was in a one-on-one fight, in a situation that would never have happened in the game.


    (And it¡¯s thanks to that that I won.) Thought Harold.


    As Harold was looking down to the ground and struggling to catch his breath, he suddenly heard something.


    He stopped breathing. One thought took over most of his brain (This can¡¯t be happening).


    However, at the same time, he was also thinking (This is Vincent so maybe¡­).


    He did not want to believe it, but Harold raised his face to look straight at the reality that was likely taking place.


    As he looked in front of him, he let his thoughts escape his mouth.


    ¡¾¡±¡­He¡¯s a monster¡­¡±]


    His armor was smashed up, and his body was riddled with wounds and dyed with blood. Despite that, Vincent stood up. It felt like he was a ghost, back from the dead.


    Probably because he did not have any strength in his arms, he dragged his huge sword on the ground while staggering as he stepped forward. His body made it look like he was on the verge of dying, but oddly, there was a sharp glint in his eyes.


    ¡¾¡±Harold¡­ Stokes is¡­ the top priority¡­ elimination¡­ target¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯re just a puppet now? To think you¡¯re supposed to be the leader of the saint knight order; how the mighty have fallen.¡±]


    In the original story, Vincent was deceived by Justus¡¯ words and lost sight of himself, but now, he had completely lost his self-consciousness through some sort of brainwashing. Therefore, his current state was even worse than it was in the game.


    When he thought about it, Harold realized that he and Vincent were in the same position. He was a boss character, and the stage was set for him to be brought down by the protagonist. Vincent¡¯s death had not been clearly depicted in the game, but it could be guessed that he died based on Cody¡¯s dialogue with the protagonist.


    In other words, Vincent also had death flags on his path. This twist of fate that had made two such people fight to the death would have made Harold laugh if his life was not on the line. And he wondered, was it their destiny to keep fighting here until one of them died?


    ¡¾¡±This is such bullshit¡­.¡±]


    This felt horrible. Harold had possessed this body without knowing why, and since then, he had been constantly struggling with his fear of death, every single day.


    This world closely resembled his favorite game, and yet it was impossible for him to merely enjoy it. Because, while enjoying himself had helped him slightly reduce the burden on his mind, that was very limited due to the fear and anxiety that came with knowing his future and the future of this world.


    However, he felt like Vincent was also quite unfortunate. He was currently in wrecked state, hurt everywhere, but he did not know anything about what was happening or why it was happening.


    He had lost his family and hometown, he had to become a mercenary and to dye his hands with blood in order to survive, however, in order to protect his friend; in order to protect everyone he could, he became a knight. Then, by relying not only on his talent but also on his continuous and considerable efforts and his strong and straightforward personality, he was able to ascend to the rank of leader of the saint knight order.


    And yet, this was the final result.


    In the original story, he lost a lot of his subordinates, and his dream and pride, the saint knight order, was destroyed. This had weakened his heart, and the one responsible for all of that, Justus, made use of Vincent¡¯s weakness to make him point his sword at Liner and his party. In the end, he was defeated and killed by his close childhood friend, Cody.


    And now, he had been brainwashed and turned into nothing more than a puppet that could only faithfully execute Justus¡¯ orders. Moreover, the result of fulfilling those orders would be a massive disaster that was going to swallow the whole continent, taking with it all of the people that Vincent was trying to protect.


    If Vincent was not considered unfortunate, then there was no such thing as misfortune. In any case, his life was full of hardships.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Are you seriously satisfied with such a life?¡±]


    Asked Harold, before he was aware of it. Even though he knew that it was useless to speak to Vincent in the state he currently was in, Harold still could not help himself from speaking the feelings that were twisting and turning in his mind.


    ¡¾¡±Being unable to accomplish one¡¯s own goals, and being used for someone else¡¯s plans¡­¡±]


    That unreasonable reality was enraging.


    ¡¾¡±Such a shitty existence is worthless. Can you really call a life that you can¡¯t live for yourself a ¡°life¡± ?¡±]


    At the same time, he still craved for life. There was no way he would accept to die as a mere tool for a story.


    ¡¾¡±Is your current pathetic state really the so called ideal justice that you were targeting, Vincent?¡±]


    Naturally, Vincent did not give an answer, but Harold was not really expecting any.


    He merely wanted to speak. He was rebuking his own self, selfishly pitying Vincent for being like him, and resenting the fate that surrounded them both.


    Thrusting his sword to the ground in order to use it as a cane, Harold managed to stand up. His strength was almost at its limit.


    The moment when he mistakenly thought he had won, Harold had lost his tension, which was likely what allowed his weariness and fatigue to surge. He barely managed to lift up his sword, but he had no confidence that he could fight properly in his state. Vincent also had suffered some heavy damage, but given how he was able to disregard his own injuries, Harold¡¯s chances of success were low.


    Still, for the sake of his own survival, Harold had no other choice than to keep a grip on his sword.


    (I¡¯m in a pretty bad spot, aren¡¯t I?) While thinking that in a corner of his mind like it was someone else¡¯s problem, Harold shouted powerfully.


    ¡¾¡±You bloody idiot, you¡¯re letting someone else manipulate you! Your will is yours to control!¡±]


    Immediately after Harold screamed that, a change occurred in Vincent.


    He stopped his slow walk and dropped his large sword.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Haaah?¡±]


    Harold unintentionally voiced out his dubiousness. He noticed the tone he used sounded pretty bad, like he was some small time yakuza or hoodlum, but that was the result of his bewilderment as he was faced with this sudden turn of events that he did not understand.


    Harold hesitated about whether to exploit this opportunity for a quick attack or to just observe the situation, but in the end, he picked the latter choice.


    If he failed his attack, that would spell his defeat; the pressure from knowing that was keeping his feet from moving.


    ¡¾¡±I need to¡­ I¡­ Harold¡­!¡±]


    Then, Harold noticed something. Compared to earlier, Vincent¡¯s strange way of speaking was becoming more normal.


    What was the meaning of that change? Harold found a thread of hope in the conclusion that he immediately reached.


    (Could it be that he¡¯s getting rid of his brainwashing?)


    Although had no real proof of this, Harold still felt like the robotic aspect of Vincent¡¯s voice was fading and making way for a hint of humanity.


    If Vincent really was getting rid of his brainwashing, then what was the reason? Was it due to the damage he received from being attacked? Was it because of Harold¡¯s actions? Or was it simply due to the passing of time?


    However, none of that mattered.  The important part was that there was a chance for Vincent to turn back to normal. If he could do that, then there would be no need for he and Harold to kill each other here.


    In a sense, that train of thought was due to Harold being soft. At the end of the day, the personality inside him was that of a college student who had been living peacefully in Japan until eight years ago.


    After possessing the body of Harold, whose path was full of death flags, he had experienced many battles against monsters and humans alike. And the whole time, he had been living his life while being careful not to make any mistakes that would lead to him killing someone or being killed. In other words, he had never killed a human being so far.


    There would be no coming back after stepping over that line, it was a clear boundary. Hence why he had been continuously hesitating to cross it, both consciously and unconsciously.


    That was the reason he chose no to attack Vincent right now, but to shout at him instead.


    ¡¾¡±Wake up already! Is this farce really the end you want?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­!¡±]


    In response to Harold¡¯s words, Vincent held his own head and let out a painful groan.


    Harold was certainly driven by the selfish thought that it would be best for himself if the fight stopped. However, right now, the words he was shouting also came from the bottom of his heart.


    That was because Harold, or rather, Kazuki Hirasawa, sincerely wanted the man called Vincent Van Westervoort to survive. He may have been just a game¡¯s character back in Kazuki¡¯s world, but the Vincent that he was facing here and now was a real human being, made of flesh and blood.


    Harold was not close to him. He had barely even had any actual conversations with him. He merely one-sidedly knew Vincent¡¯s personality and circumstances due to the game.


    But it was precisely because of that that he knew that Vincent deserved better than to die here. He wanted to save him if there was any way to do it.


    That was the manifestation of Harold¡¯s kind and soft side.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry the hell up and come back, Vincent!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Ah, aaah¡­ Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±]


    Vincent¡¯s very loud scream resounded inside the cave. Then, he fell to his knees like he was about to collapse.


    He stopped moving and stayed in that position.


    ¡¾¡±Hey¡­.¡±]


    Harold tried to call out to him but got no response.


    (Was the brainwashing wiped away or did he just pass out?) As Harold wondered that, he carefully approached Vincent while staying cautious in order to be able to react if he was suddenly attacked.


    And the moment the distance between the two of them became lower than two meters (6 feet), Vincent made a move.


    Harold took some distance right away.


    As for Vincent, after starting to move again, he did not pay any attention to Harold and took something out instead. It was a transparent, cylindrical container with a sky-blue liquid inside.


    Seeing that, Harold immediately became pale.


    (The astral potion!)


    This was the potion that Harold had taken in the original story. It was a dreadful item that could grant strength to its user only to ultimately kill him due to being too potent for the body to handle.


    But now, it had been given to Vincent instead of Harold.


    Harold had thought that, by simply not taking the potion, he would be able to avoid dying like Harold Stokes did in the game. However, what was going to happen if Vincent drank the potion in the current situation? The temporary power up would likely allow him to kill Harold before he himself would die as well.


    The worst development possible had just crossed Harold¡¯s mind. No matter what, he had to stop Vincent from using that item.


    As he thought of that, Harold knew that he had to step forward immediately, but his body did not move. That was because he had jumped backwards when he widened the distance between him and Vincent, and his center of gravity was pulling him behind in consequence.


    Redirecting his center of gravity, crossing the distance between himself and Vincent, and then destroying the astral potion; all of that would only take Harold a few seconds. However, those few seconds felt hopelessly far away to him.


    Because Harold knew that he did not have enough time.


    ¡¾¡±Stop!!¡±]


    The only thing Harold could do now was scream at Vincent. Although it was useless, he extended his right hand forward, but he was not close enough to grab anything.


    Right now, all he could do was watch.


    Vincent raised his face to look up above him, he opened his mouth to drink the astral potion, and then, the sound of the container breaking echoed within the cave.


    ¡ó


    Itsuki was busy  tidying up the paperwork in his room. Once he worked enough to be able to take a pause, he breathed out while stretching his stiff back.


    ¡¾¡±Haa¡­ I guess I¡¯ll take a little break.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then, I¡¯ll go make tea.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Thanks, please do.¡±]


    Silvie, who had been sitting beside him, left the room to prepare some tea. Before coming here, Silvie was used to black tea only, but nowadays she had been actively making green tea.


    The sight of her becoming accustomed to the Sumeragis¡¯ culture so quickly made Itsuki¡¯s heart spontaneously warm up.


    ¡¾¡±Becoming married is so much better than I thought.¡±]


    Suddenly muttered Itsuki. Although this statement was not very persuasive coming from him who had gotten married less than half a year ago, he still had the conviction that he and his wife would love each other all the same in the future¡­. or rather, that they would love each other even more.


    Regardless of that, there was a certain thought that was still occupying his mind.


    ¡¾¡±If only Erica and Harold could also just get together already¡­¡±]


    They were both very obstinate people, especially Harold, who was perhaps the world¡¯s most obstinate person. Although they could both be somewhat shaken by Itsuki¡¯s methods, it was extremely difficult to make them compromise.


    Be it in the past or now, Harold was always one to carry on through the path that he chose for himself. Perhaps this made it sound like he had a very firm will, but those who knew him well could not help but be worried knowing that Harold had picked a lonely road on which he would not rely on anyone.


    ¡¾¡±Harold relied on my family only a single time¡­ No, I guess it was twice?¡±]


    The first time, he came to ask for support so that he could ambush the Sarian empire soldiers who had come to attack the Bertis forest due to Justus¡¯ schemes. However, Harold¡¯s actual request was a very simple one, all he asked them was to prepare a uniform of the Sarian empire for him, and apart from that one thing, the Sumeragis weren¡¯t able to support him publicly.


    As for the second time¡­. The Sumeragi family had yet to fulfill that request.


    Itsuki took out a sealed envelope that was locked in his desk drawer. It was given to him by his father, and it contained a letter that Harold had written.


    Although he had already read it so many times that he could recite it from memory? Itsuki took the letter out of the envelope and opened it.


    Inside, Harold had written down a method to produce a medicine which worked against the miasma that had spread in the Sumeragi territory, he had also offered a ground-breaking industrial technique that he called LP farming, and he proposed to cancel the engagement that had been made by exploiting the family¡¯s weakness.


    Moreover, believing that the Stokes family would eventually decline, he wanted the Sumeragi family to take action in order to make it so that the lives of the people of the Stokes territory would not be affected at that time. Truthfully, Itsuki did no want the Stokes family to decline, but back when Harold was eight years old, he believed that that future was already set in stone. And that had likely not changed now.


    ¡¾¡±¡­What does the world look like from Harold¡¯s perspective?¡±]


    He had the power to understand a situation, to think ahead of it, and to then make use of that information to get things done and pave the way for the future he wanted. (There is no matching him on these points) Thought Itsuki.


    Moreover, it was no exaggeration to say that, when he held a sword, he was the strongest fighter on the whole continent.


    Heart, technique, physique, strength, ingenuity and resourcefulness. Itsuki¡¯s friend possessed all of these qualities, with each of them being at a very high level. He was a remarkable man, and at this point, it would not be strange if he left his name in history.


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s only made very few requests of me so far, but if anything ever happens, I will lend him my power no matter what-¡­¡±]


    At that moment, Itsuki suddenly cut off his own words. But that was not because his determination had wavered.


    However, as he recalled the contents of the letter, he felt like something was amiss. Would Harold really make an easy to understand and straightforward request such as asking to save the people of his territory?


    Itsuki did not notice back when he received the letter, but now, he knew the man called Harold Stokes well, and he could say with confidence that Harold would not make that simple of a request.


    And, assuming that Stokes family was going to decline, then the territory would likely stay unchanged and simply be assigned to other aristocrats. Even without the Sumeragi family¡¯s involvement, it was unlikely that the lives of the territory¡¯s people would be significantly worsened, rather, it was possible that their conditions would actually improve upon being released from the clutches of the Stokes family.


    (He said he wanted the Sumeragi family to manage the territory once it comes to that¡­ If that¡¯s the case, then it seems to me like cancelling the engagement was a pretty bad move on his part, unless he isn¡¯t interested in being personally involved at all with the territory after the decline of the Stokes family¡­ But if that¡¯s the case, does that mean that he doesn¡¯t want us to just manage it and that he actually thinks it¡¯s necessary for the next feudal lord of the Stokes territory to be of the Sumeragi family?)


    Itsuki¡¯s thoughts kept circulating hectically in his mind as he tried to read through the true meaning of the words Harold had written. However, all of the answers that he came up with did no really fit.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the matter?¡±]


    Seeing Itsuki lost in his thoughts, Sylvie, who had returned after making some tea, called out to him.


    Itsuki received the cup of tea after thanking her, and then, at the risk of changing the mood, he unfolded Harold¡¯s letter on his desk so that Silvie could see it, too.


    ¡¾¡±Nothing, I was just rereading this letter that I received from Harold in the past, and there is something that feels a little out of place in what he wrote.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Out of place?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, look¡­.¡±]


    Silvie looked over the letter as Itsuki urged her to do so. But her thoughts on it could be expressed in a single sentence.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Sorry, I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s strange about it.¡±]


    Itsuki expected as much. But this did not mean that Sylvie¡¯s judgement was particularly bad, even he had barely managed to notice that something was a little out of place, and that was because he knew of Harold¡¯s tendency to twist words and meanings.


    It was absurd to expect Sylvie to notice this given that she had hardly ever come in contact with Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry about it. Maybe I¡¯m just misunderstanding things.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But, Itsuki, you¡¯re anxious¡­ aren¡¯t you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Haha¡­ I can¡¯t hide anything from you, Sylvie.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I can tell from the look in your eyes. You¡¯re clearly confident that there is something out of place there.¡±]


    Indeed. Itsuki felt like there had to be more to this letter.


    At the same time, he had a presentiment that made him feel indescribably impatient. It was a baseless uneasiness, but he felt like if he failed to grasp Harold¡¯s meaning as soon as he could, it would be too late to intervene.


    ¡¾¡±But is what is said on the letter true? Is sir Harold¡¯s family really going to fall¡­.?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, it seems like Harold calculated that this was going to happen when he wrote the letter eight years ago.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s calculations were so precise that they sometimes made Itsuki wonder if he could see the future. Since he said the territory was going to fall, then that meant it would fall, or something along the same lines at least¡­.


    ¡¾¡±Wait, ¡®fall¡¯¡­? That¡¯s right, normally, that¡¯s what you¡¯d¡­ Why did Harold specifically use the word ¡®decline¡¯¡­.?¡±]


    The word that Sylvie employed was ¡°fall¡±. This word was used to describe something that used to be flourishing only to then decay and eventually perish. Its implication was almost the same as that of the word ¡°decline¡±.


    However, the word fall was much more common. That was likely why Sylvie had spontaneously used it.


    Harold was naturally aware of that. And yet, he still went out of his way to use the word ¡°decline¡± instead, why was that?


    Fall and decline. Although both words had almost the same meaning, there was one definite difference between them.


    One implied that something had already fallen to ruin, the other implied that it was in the process of falling to ruin. Although it was only a slight difference, there was a difference between saying that the family was declining and saying that it had completed its decline.


    And normally, in the way it was placed in this letter, the use of the word fall would have been more adequate.


    However, if the word decline was actually used with its correct meaning, then didn¡¯t that mean that Harold wanted the Sumeragi family to take action during the decline of the Stokes family and not after their fall?


    ¡¾¡±Still, how should we go about that? If this is about supporting them economically, then we could do so to some extent by using the LP farming method¡­..¡±]


    That was Harold¡¯s request. He wanted something that he was going to need in a future that he had seen coming eight years ahead of time.


    As he lost himself in his thoughts again, the gears in Itsuki¡¯s mind started turning.


    ¡¾¡±The future he predicted, or rather, the present¡­. was it a crisis in the Stokes family?¡­. No, maybe it was the fact that he was going to be under the threat of an enemy at this point in time¡­ Could it be that he saw all this coming back then?¡±]


    Then, Itsuki finally reached an answer. It was absurd, but when he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t really impossible.


    Saying that Harold had predicted the present eight years ago would put the word ¡®abnormality¡¯ hard at work, but as far as Itsuki was concerned, that word and Harold had been going hand in hand for a long time. And he could absolutely believe that Harold had played with words in the letter on purpose eight years ago so that nobody would understand its meaning until the right moment. The reason Itsuki could think that way was that he happened to have known Harold for years, and, for better or for worse,  Harold was a walking and talking mass of abnormality.


    Or rather, Harold might have built his relationship with Itsuki specifically for the purpose of making him think that way at this precise moment.


    Still, that was fine with Itsuki, he was willing to do what Harold needed him to do. Because, no matter what kind of ulterior motives Harold had, he was Itsuki¡¯s irreplaceable friend. Maybe Itsuki was overthinking things and would end up looking stupid later on, but that was still a thousand times better than not doing anything and to then regret in the future.


    ¡¾¡±Is something wrong, Itsuki?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sylvie, there is a little something that I have to do.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I see. It¡¯s very important to you, isn¡¯t it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, that¡¯s right. But if I fail, it might bring some trouble to both you and your family.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If it ever comes to that, I won¡¯t mind. I am your wife, and we¡¯ve sworn to walk together, no matter what lies ahead.¡±]


    As she said that, a soft smile appeared on Sylvie¡¯s face. Seeing her like that, Itsuki wanted to tell her a thousand words, but he kept them to himself and only said one thing.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Thank you.¡±]


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Said Sylvie with a nod. They did not need to say anything else, this short exchange was enough for both of them to understand each other perfectly well.


    Translator¡¯s note: I think you might be overestimating Harold just a little bit Itsuki¡­ Also, this one was pretty hard to translate ¡¯cause of the whole decline/fall thing, so I did my best to get the meaning through, do tell me if anything is not clear, I¡¯ll try to fix that.


    Also, here is the annoying part but hey, I wouldn¡¯t ask if I didn¡¯t need it, trust me >< Please do consider supporting me on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/defiring I¡¯ll work on death flags chapters when they come out, but I¡¯m also working on Tsuyokute new saga and Almadianos Eiyuuden. I also, I have a discord server, so if you want to ask anything I can answer you there (there is a also a chat on the side of the website but I don¡¯t really use it).


    Anyway, I hope you¡¯ll have a great day/evening/night, and I¡¯ll see you in¡­ who knows at this point? ><

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    As the container broke, the azure liquid scattered out and fell towards the ground, without ever reaching Vincent¡¯s mouth.


    ¡¾¡±Gh¡­.¡±]


    Vincent let out a small groan, his face distorted by pain.


    Mixed with the blue liquid that was dancing in the air in its fall was a crimson liquid of a different origin. Said substance was coming from Vincent¡¯s right hand, which had been holding the container. It was his blood.


    Having found himself unable to take action on the spot, the only thing Harold had been able to do was to focus his eyes to the utmost limit, and he had perfectly seen what had taken place. An arrow had come from behind him and gone straight towards Vincent¡¯s right hand.


    Without wasting any time wondering who had done this, Harold closed the distance between Vincent and himself.


    One more hit would be enough. No matter how effective was Vincent¡¯s ability to disregard damage, there had to be a limit to it. The damage he had been taking had actually been accumulating, and the astral potion had been his best solution to disregard that damage even further, however, it was gone.


    Therefore, Harold used every bit of the strength that remained within him to drive the fastest blow that he could pull off.


    Vincent, who had just dropped the container, tried to block Harold¡¯s attack but it was too late. The timing of the attack made it impossible to defend against it, let alone counter it or dodge it. Harold powerfully thrust the handle of his sword towards a section of Vincent¡¯s abdomen that was not protected by his broken armor.


    The handle dug dip inside Vincent¡¯s body, which already had only very few parts that were not damaged yet.


    Vincent threw up some blood and slowly fell on his back. But as he looked down on this fallen opponent, Harold did not relax his guard.


    However, Vincent still did not move in the slightest. This time, he had truly become silent.


    ¡¾¡±Aren¡¯t you going to finish him?¡±]


    Rather than being triumphant over his victory, Harold was stunned to have beaten Vincent and survived. And as he was stuck in that daze, a voice came from behind him¡­ In a sense, it was not strange for the owner of that voice to be here, but when Harold considered the events of the original story, he found himself unable to understand why this person had come.


    ¡¾¡±Your intervention was unnecessary. Putting that aside, what the hell are you doing here, Cody?¡±]


    Cody Ruggier. In the original story, Vincent was supposed to die by his hands, yet he was also Vincent¡¯s best friend.


    ¡¾¡±Well, Vincent¡¯s been looking pretty strange lately. So when he left out of nowhere without telling anyone, I followed him.¡±]


    Harold agreed that this made sense. Unlike in the original story, Cody still belonged to the knight order as of now. Therefore, he was at a close enough proximity to see Vincent¡¯s situation. Given that, it was no wonder that Cody had seen through the changes in Vincent, after all, they were childhood friends.


    ¡¾¡±Long story short, you¡¯ve been sneakily peeping at us the whole time, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯ve got one disgusting hobby.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No no no, that¡¯s not it, it¡¯s just that there is no way I¡¯d have been able to get involved with that insane fight. ¡°]


    ¡°I might not look like it but I value my life, you know?¡± Added Cody with a laugh. Harold had a hard time seeing through Cody¡¯s true thoughts, but he knew he surely did not want Vincent to die.


    (He did help me in the end though so he¡¯s probably not going to find fault with me for this.)Thought Harold while using healing magic on Vincent.


    Although he was using his knowledge of the game¡¯s settings as a reference, Harold¡¯s healing magic was tremendously effective. In terms of numbers, his magic could recover around 2000 HP or more, which was far above the recovery magic that Erica could use in the game, even though she was the healer of the protagonist¡¯s party.


    But, as one would expect, Harold never found the time to heal himself during his one-to-one fight with Vincent. In the game, he could recover instantly after using a healing spell, but in this world that was bound by the rules of reality in an odd way, the healing effect took quite some time to work.


    Leisurely healing himself in front of Vincent would have been a suicidal move on Harold¡¯s part.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, is it really okay to help him? He might attack you again if he recovers though, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That won¡¯t be a problem, he¡¯s only made of flesh and blood.¡±]


    Harold could drink his Ether potion to recover his stamina, and as long as he restrained Vincent, it would not be too difficult to suppress him once he would wake up. Although Harold was out of energy both physically and mentally, he had not taken much damage.


    However, just in case, Harold did put Vincent¡¯s weapon away. Furthermore, Vincent¡¯s consciousness was not going to come back the moment his wounds would heal completely. And, above all, if Vincent was left unattended any longer than this, he would undoubtedly die from his injuries. That would be a weight on Harold¡¯s conscience.


    ¡¾¡±Or could it be that you actually want him to die?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­That¡¯s a kinda unfair way of putting it, don¡¯t you think?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then keep your mouth shut and mind your own business.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Fine, fine, I get it.¡±]


    Since the day he had left the knight order, this was Harold¡¯s first time talking face to face with Cody. They hadn¡¯t spoken in five years, but Cody¡¯s witty behavior was the same as it used to be.


    While reminiscing about the past inside his head, Harold finished healing Vincent. His biggest wounds had closed up and he had stopped bleeding. While he was as it, Harold stripped Vincent of everything he had on him.


    ¡¾¡±What are you doing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He could be hiding something dangerous on him.¡±]


    Vincent did not necessarily have only a single astral potion on him. So Harold judged that he had better do a body check on him.


    (He could be a holding a treasure on him or something. But well, it seems to me like Justus took over him way before he came to wait for me here, so¡­).


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Looks like he doesn¡¯t have anything.¡±]


    In the end, this had all been done in vain. Not only Harold¡¯s treasure search, but his fight with Vincent as well. The only harvest Harold had gotten out of this whole ordeal was that he had crushed the danger that the brainwashed Vincent represented.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, Harold. What are you planning to do after this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­First, I¡¯m going to go back to town.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±On foot?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is a carriage waiting for me nearby. If I call for it, it will come for me immediately.¡±]


    ¡°Furieri¡± was quite helpful when it came to small things like this.


    For the time being, Vincent, who was still injured, had to be taken to a doctor. Once the doctor would confirm that there was no problem with Vincent¡¯s condition, then Harold would let Cody take him back. Even if the brainwashing on Vincent would not be wiped off once he would wake up, he had been restrained and his weapon and armor had already been taken away. In this state, even he would likely not be able to defeat Cody.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s go.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Okay.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Also, you¡¯ll have to carry that guy on the way.¡±]


    Said Harold while pointing at Vincent. Although his armor and helmet had been taken off, Vincent¡¯s tall and muscular body still weighed over 100 kilos. (220 pounds)


    To get Vincent out of the cave, the one carrying him would have to deal with the poor condition of the uphill road that led to the outside. Moreover, Harold had been fighting just a little while ago and was still exhausted. So it was evident that Cody had to be the one to do the carrying.


    ¡¾¡±Hahahaha, you¡¯re joking, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Humph!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Guuoo?!¡±]


    Cody¡¯s groan of agony echoed within the cave as Harold¡¯s left fist sunk into his body.


    ¡ó


    (Cody¡¯s POV)


    While carrying Vincent, who had both of his hands tied together behind his neck, Cody rubbed his own abdomen on the spot where Harold had punched him earlier, with a wry smile on his face. Harold had become taller than he was in Cody¡¯s memories, they stood at about the same height now. Moreover, although he had become a fine, handsome young man, he had not changed his ways at all personality-wise, rather, it felt like his haughtiness had become even worse as he grew up.


    After leaving Vincent in Cody¡¯s care, Harold had gone deeper inside the cave. Apparently, there was something he had to look for there, although he did not seem to have much hope of finding it.


    Cody had no idea what could possibly be hidden in the depths of a cave located in a remote region like this one, but he figured that was probably related to Vincent¡¯s strange condition. Anyhow, the things that Cody had to think about in regards to Harold were piling up, and he knew that even if he did try to understand, he would probably not be able to, so he could only sigh at the thought of it.


    However, putting that aside, what was actually occupying his mind at the moment was whether or not his best friend Vincent would regain his sanity and recover from his clearly abnormal condition.


    ¨C


    (The hell is going on?) Thought Cody to himself as he stepped outside of the cave.


    He had entered the cave a little while before sunset, but it looked like several hours had passed since then. Considering that Vincent had already been fighting intensely with Harold when Cody found him, he wondered, just how long had their battle lasted?


    The strangest part was that, despite fighting that intensely for that long, Harold had immediately moved towards the depths of the cave right after the end of the battle. Even though he had recovered his stamina using Ether, that potion had no effect on mental fatigue, and that alone should have been enough to make any normal person unable to move for a long while.


    ¡¾¡±Well, I guess that logic doesn¡¯t apply on Harold.¡±]


    Cody knew from the day he met him that Harold couldn¡¯t be measured by the standards of normal humans.


    For the time being, Cody left those thoughts in a corner of his mind and took out the light that Harold had given him. Then, he repeatedly turned it on and off again, with intervals in between, while pointing it towards a certain direction like he had been instructed to. Once he did that, several men appeared from the surrounding trees.


    One of them called out to Cody.


    ¡¾¡±Are you a friend of the boss?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If that boss you¡¯re talking about is Harold, then yeah. He said we should take this man to the nearest hospital.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the code?¡±]


    ¡¾¡± ¡®The brave hearts gather within the gem of the great sky¡¯, was it? Also, I have this.¡±]


    Saying so, Cody showed a silver key that he had also received from Harold.


    The code and this key seemed to be needed as a set in order to prove that he really was one of Harold¡¯s allies. The process felt quite elaborate.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Come.¡±]


    Once the man was done with his inspection, he guided Cody towards a small carriage.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll take you and that man in this carriage. We won¡¯t be traveling all that fast, but we should arrive at the nearest town by dawn.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What about Harold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯ll manage one way or another.¡±]


    Though that seemed like quite the halfhearted answer, all it showed was the trust that this man had towards Harold¡¯s capabilities.


    When he thought back upon it, Cody remembered that Harold was able to move even faster than a horse back when he ran towards the Bertis forest. At the time, he had only been 13 years old, so he had likely become even faster by now.


    Actually, during the fight in the cave, Cody had placed himself in a place where he had a pretty good view on both opponents, and yet the speed that Harold had displayed made it hard to even see him properly when he moved. When fighting Harold face to face instead of seeing the fight from afar, it was guaranteed that he¡¯d look like he was just disappearing from one spot to another.


    Knowing all that, Cody felt alright with leaving right away, and hoped into the carriage. After several hours, he arrived at a certain town where he was able to take Vincent to a doctor a for a checkup.


    By the time the treatment ended, the sun had already risen higher in the sky. Cody was finally able to take a breath once he heard that Vincent would wake up soon if he just rested some more. A short while after, he was joined by Harold.


    Just out of curiosity, Cody asked him how he came. Harold answered that he was informed by someone who had been on standby near the cave about where Cody and the rest had gone. Since he already had the information, he did not wait for the carriage to come back and ran towards the location directly instead.


    Soon after he had been done with that long battle, he had gone to explore the cave further, and then, immediately after leaving the cave, he had proceeded to run through dozens of kilometers (miles) on foot. Just the mere act of thinking of doing this was already strange, let alone actually doing it.


    ¡¾¡±So you¡¯re not human after all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Looks like you want me to hit you again.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What I meant to say was that you¡¯re a model human being, yup.¡±]


    Cody¡¯s smile did nothing to stop the kick that came towards his calf, forcing him to crouch down.


    Although he lamented that this was unfair in his mind, he abstained from saying it out loud.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t increase the number of patients in the hospital¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That reminds me, how¡¯s Vincent doing?¡±]


    Asked Harold while looking down at Vincent, who was lying in bed.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, so you¡¯re just gonna change the subject¡­ Well, according to the doctor, his life isn¡¯t in any danger and he¡¯ll wake up sooner or later.¡±]


    The wounds Vincent had sustained from Harold could very well have been deadly, but it was thanks to Harold using his personal healing magic that that result was avoided. Cody was confused as to whether he was supposed to complain or be grateful.


    Harold only answered with an ¡°I see¡±, his reaction was the same as usual. But Cody did not believe that that meant Harold did not care about Vincent, because if he really did not, he would not have paid any attention to his condition and would not have used his healing magic on the spot to save him.


    ¡¾¡±So, Harold, do you know why Vincent became like that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m pretty sure Justus used some sort of brainwashing on him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You mean¡­. doctor Justus Freud? And there is this brainwashing thing again¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡±]


    Cody was surprised when he heard the name of that rare genius who was famous in the kingdom, but the reason Cody what had captured his attention and left him at a loss for words was the mention of the word ¡°brainwashing¡±. That wasn¡¯t just because this was the reason behind Vincent¡¯s strange state, rather, it was because that word made a certain memory of his rise to the surface.


    This had happened several years in the past, back when it looked like Harold would suffer from the death penalty due to the Bertis forest incident.


    In his search for the reason behind this baffling judicial decision, Cody had slipped some truth serum in the drink of an old colleague of his, Finnegan, who had been involved in the discussions that had led to the jury¡¯s final decision. However, the moment he had tried to make him confess, that man had entered a state of confusion and started banging his head on a pillar.


    Although it took the intervention of two grown men, he did eventually stop. However, the strange appearance he had on that day was still deeply engraved within Cody¡¯s mind.


    That man had looked as if he had been¡­


    ¡¾¡± ¡®Possessed by a demon¡¯, huh¡­¡±]


    Those were the words he had instinctively let out upon witnessing Finnegan¡¯s condition that day. Cody also remembered that those words had given him a bad feeling even though he had spoken them himself.


    After that event, Finnegan had kept on repeating his incoherent mutterings, and nowadays, he had left the knight order and was recuperating at home. From what Cody had heard, the man was no longer able to communicate and was bedridden.


    And Cody could not help himself from wondering if the same fate was waiting for Vincent. The thought of it alone was enough to make his chest boil with indescribable anger and sorrow.


    ¡¾¡±What are you talking about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh, I¡­¡±]


    Cody instinctively hesitated to speak. First, he did not know if that event with Finnegan was really related to Justus or if it was just an isolated incident, and second, Harold currently belonged to the research laboratory of that Justus.


    Cody had no idea about what was Harold¡¯s position in all this, and that was making him waver about whether he should talk.


    ¡­However, that hesitation only lasted for a moment.


    Although he hadn¡¯t spent much time with Harold, Cody still understood his true nature to some degree.


    This man had fought with his life on the line in the Bertis forest. If not for Harold, the damages taken by both the knight order and the stellar tribe on that day would likely have been doubled.


    There were some people who were of the opinion that the damages could have been suppressed even further if Harold had warned the knight order beforehand about what was going to unfold, but Harold had only been a newcomer at the time, if he had tried to persuade the order with words alone, it was very doubtful that they¡¯d have taken any sort of countermeasures.


    It was likely because he understood this that Harold had fought without relying on the knights.


    Moreover, this time, although he could have easily killed Vincent after the fight, he had rescued him instead. Even if that was driven by some kind of ulterior motive, Cody still believed that Harold was not a man who would snatch away a person¡¯s life or dignity.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Actually, a few years ago, there was a man who fell in some kind of state of confusion, and it looked kind of like what happened to Vincent.¡±]


    Cody talked about Finnegan, about how he was someone who had participated in the discussions which had let to Harold¡¯s condemnation, and about what had happened when he was asked about said discussions.


    Having heard all that, Harold kept silent like he was thinking about something.


    ¡¾¡±I was never able to find out the truth about that incident, but now I think it might have had something to do with doctor Freud.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I can¡¯t really confirm it, but it¡¯s very likely. That man has a way to suppress a person¡¯s ego and to turn him or her into a puppet that does his bidding.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sounds terrible. Is that doctor really that incredible?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±One thing I know for sure is that he was the mastermind behind the Bertis forest incident. He was also the one pulling the strings when the tribunal sentenced me to the death penalty, as well as when they overturned that decision.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How does a mere researcher have so much authority?¡±]


    When Cody asked that, Harold pulled his sword out of its scabbard.


    ¡¾¡±This is a sword that Justus created. By absorbing the user¡¯s mana, it can rapidly increase his efficiency in battle. But in exchange, it consumes the user¡¯s lifespan.¡±]


    That explanation left Cody at a loss for words.


    That was because he knew that Harold had actually been using that very sword. Therefore, it was certain that Harold¡¯s lifespan had been consumed to an extent, although it wasn¡¯t clear how much of it had been taken.


    ¡¾¡±Once the research advances, he¡¯ll be able to improve on the lifespan consumption defect. However, in order to do that, he needs to experiment, and that can be problematic when it comes to humans, due to ethics and the like. So, his solution to that was to use someone who was supposed to die anyway.¡±]


    Harold spoke indifferently, as if this was somebody else¡¯s problem.


    It would have been easy to scold Harold and tell him that what he had done was foolish. However, if he hadn¡¯t taken that sword, he may well have been killed on the spot. The one who had planed for things to turn out that way was Justus, and he was also the one who had made that demonic sword.


    From the start, Harold had had no choice in the matter.


    ¡¾¡±Once that sword is completed, it could be used to create the strongest of armies. With that at stake, would the higher ups of the country really hesitate to switch their decisions regarding one death row criminal?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­.They wouldn¡¯t. Of course they wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±]


    Many things in life were built on sacrifices, be it the kingdom, or the lives of the people who resided within it. That was why there was a dark side to the country, working behind the scenes. Cody knew about that all too well.


    However, just because he was aware of it that did not mean he agreed with it. Perhaps he would have if this had been about an actual death row criminal, but Harold was a man who had saved many lives. And yet they had pushed him into a trap, making him pass off as a bad man while letting his life be toyed with by someone else. There was no way Cody would excuse such injustice.


    Thinking of Vincent, Finnegan, and the Bertis forest case, Cody felt angry like never before in his life.


    However, he managed calm down by telling himself that he could not let the anger take over. Now was no the time to be angry, now was the time to get a good grasp of the situation and to consider how he should respond to it in the future.


    ¡¾¡±But, if he went that far to get you under his control, why did he try to make you and Vincent kill each other? You were both supposed to be on his side, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That man has a clear set goal in mind. I went along with it on the surface at first, but then I ended up betraying him, so he had no hesitation to come kill me. It¡¯s simple as that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s a pretty straightforward reason.¡±]


    The fact that Harold had said ¡°On the surface¡± meant that he had been fully intending to betray Justus from the very beginning, or so it seemed.


    Even when his life had been grasped by that man¡¯s hands, Harold¡¯s strength of will had not weakened in the slightest. Except by completely brainwashing him, there was just no way to make him submit to anything or anyone.


    Thinking about all this, Cody smiled wryly as he realized how many of his thoughts had merely been about what things ¡°seemed¡± like.


    ¡¾¡±So, what¡¯s the goal of that annoying doctor?¡±]


    What Cody was wondering about now was what had all of this been done for.


    ¡¾¡±Well ¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hold on¡­ I¡¯d like to hear about that, too¡­.¡±]


    But before Harold could answer, someone interrupted him.


    Although he was in a very weakened state, he was someone that Cody would never fail to recognize.


    (tn: Please read what¡¯s under here, it¡¯s important)


    Translator¡¯s note: So, about getting the next chapters (the ones after chapter 103)¡­ I thought of a little something that might motivate the author to post more often. So, here is the thing, his novel is not that popular, and I¡¯m pretty sure he doesn¡¯t even know you guys exist, so I asked someone to make a little fan-art, ¡¯cause art is a universal language¡­ or at least, it will catch the author¡¯s attention, if nothing else >< Anyway, I¡¯d like you to please like and retweet this post https://twitter.com/yacine_ak47/status/1066108144517029888


    And maybe also tweet the author some simple, nice things, even in English at https://twitter.com/orefura. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I really think this could help him be more inspired for his writing, ¡¯cause if I was in his position, I know it would help¡­ And even if it doesn¡¯t, at least he¡¯ll know


    By the way, if you need anything or want to ask anything, hit me up on discord https://discord.gg/9Xhs8UX And thanks you for Wikidrawz for doing the fan-art for me, you can follow him on his instagram page right here https://www.instagram.com/wikidrawz/

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d wake up so early.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, you know, I just didn¡¯t really feel like sleeping right now¡­¡±]


    Right upon waking up, Vincent proceeded to exchange pleasantries with Cody. It looked like Cody was slightly teary-eyed, but it did not seem like pointing that out would be appropriate.


    That aside, Harold was surprised. Vincent seemed to not only have regained his consciousness but also his ego.


    Harold had considered this possibility during the fight. However, he had no confidence that it would actually fully happen, and ultimately, he had no idea why the brainwashing had been removed.


    Therefore, having thought it would most likely be difficult to completely wake Vincent up, Harold was confused by this fast turn of event.


    ¡¾¡±¡­That¡¯s a complicated¡­ expression you have there.¡±]


    Said Vincent, although it looked like it was painful for him to talk. He had apparently sensed something from the expression in Harold¡¯s eyes.


    Indeed, some things were still unclear for Harold, and he needed Vincent to confirm them. However, there were a few things that needed to be done before any of that.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, the patient woke up.¡±]


    Harold informed a nurse who happened to walk past the room.


    She did not think a patient in such a condition would wake up in less than a day, so she was very surprised, but she still immediately called a doctor. After the doctor was done with his examination, his conclusion was that Vincent¡¯s recovery speed was extraordinary and that there should apparently have been no way for him to wake up so soon.


    The doctor had said that this was one of the mysteries of the human body, but that statement only served to emphasize how inhuman was Vincent¡¯s resilience. As one would expect from a boss character. Well, Harold¡¯s healing magic likely had helped with the fast recovery, too.


    Thanks to all this, Vincent completely sobered up about an hour later.


    Once again, Harold, Cody, and this time, Vincent, gathered together to discuss the current state of affairs. However, the only who was aware of the situation was Harold, so the other two were actually just playing the role of listener.


    ¡¾¡±So, I¡¯d like you to tell me, Harold. What on earth is doctor Justus¡¯ purpose?¡±]


    Asked Vincent, whose voice had somewhat regained its strength.


    Truthfully, what Harold was about to say was something that had to be carefully worded, but Harold¡¯s mouth was hopeless when it came to speaking ambiguously or paving the way for a bombshell. Therefore, he decided to talk without beating around the bush.


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s trying to bring someone back to life.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Come again? How?¡±]


    Cody¡¯s doubtful stance was only natural.


    And yet, even though thinking about bringing people back from the dead was already this absurd, the method that that man wanted to use was even more absurd. After all, the method was related to the formation of celestial bodies.


    Well, it was meaningless to give all the details, so Harold kept his words to a minimum, sharing only the information that was necessary.


    ¡¾¡±Do you know about astral bodies?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve heard about them but I don¡¯t know much.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I do recall something about this being the theme of doctor Justus¡¯ research¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s exactly right.¡±]


    The word ¡°Astral¡± meant that something was ¡°Star-like¡± or that it was within the realm of the stars.


    And an ¡°Astral body¡± was rather defined as something that governed over the mind and emotions of a person. This was difficult to explain since it involved the game¡¯s settings, but a brief explanation would be that an astral body was what made the human ego, turning the mind and the body into a single entity.


    To begin with, everything in the universe was filled with astral bodies, and that included humans as well. In other words, each person had his or her own astral body. But upon their death, their astral bodies all gathered at a certain place.


    That place was a star core, an enormous, solid astral-body. Incidentally, the energy leaking from that core was magical power, therefore making it a source of mana. It was similar in nature to the dragon veins that could be found within the Sumeragi territory.


    ¡¾¡±Sorry but, I¡¯m not really knowledgeable about the subject so I¡¯m having kind of a hard time understanding this¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t need to understand it perfectly. It¡¯s sufficient for you to be aware that this is how things are.¡±]


    Even Harold did not know much about the subject beyond what was explained in the game. All he knew was that this was what astral bodies were like in this world.


    ¡¾¡±And so, Justus is trying to select the astral body of a dead person and to separate it from the gigantic, solid astral body that it is a part of. That would allow him to revive said person.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Is that really possible?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±He¡¯s been preparing for his plan for over ten years. I doubt he¡¯d fail at this stage.¡±]


    In a way, this was the manifestation of a kind of trust that Harold held towards Justus. But truthfully, he was also saying that because he knew that the only thing that had stopped Justus from succeeding in the game was the intervention of Liner¡¯s party.


    With no hopes that the whole plan would just fail on its own, Harold believed Justus had to be stopped by any means necessary, or the consequences would be catastrophic.


    ¡¾¡±Problem is, if that plan succeeds, there is a high chance that the whole continent will go down.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    Cody let out a dumbfounded voice whilst a look of disbelief appeared on Vincent¡¯s face.


    This response was not unreasonable. It was a natural reaction to have upon suddenly being told such a thing.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Why would it turn out like that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even though I said he wants to select a single person¡¯s ego from that core, the number of astral bodies in there is enormous. Because of that, Justus isn¡¯t going to interfere from the outside. Instead, he¡¯s going to directly synchronize himself with the core.¡±]


    In the original story, Justus was beaten before the synchronization was complete, and it all ended with a happy ending. Even so, he had still managed to use the energy of the core as a source of magical power in order to throw some very powerful and explosive attacks.


    ¡¾¡±Once Justus completes the synchronization, he¡¯ll remove all the extra egos inside of the core as a way of keeping only the one he wants, which will make the whole core collapse. Once the core is gone, the continent will sink, taking out most of humanity with it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s insane¡­ But then, even if he does succeed, the doctor and the person he¡¯s planning to revive won¡¯t be able to survive either, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, that¡¯s right. That would be impossible for normal human beings.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±There is a group of people who could actually survive in a world where the continent has gone down and only the drifting ruins of the star core remain. They¡¯re the people of the stellar tribe.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t tell me he¡­.!¡±]


    That name seemed to have made Cody and Vincent realize something major; Justus¡¯ plan and the Bertis forest incident were related.


    Well, taking on the stellar tribe hadn¡¯t been the only goal that Justus had with that incident, he had also been trying to destroy the prestige of the knight order, and to therefore put a mental burden on Vincent, all the wile strengthening the army¡¯s influence, starting by Harrison, who was under his control.


    It had been very vicious double, or rather, triple trap.


    ¡¾¡±To be more accurate, those people are ancestors of the stellar tribe, called the children of the stars.¡±]


    Justus had mentioned before that the stellar¡¯s tribe people had special organs. Because of this, the magic they used was different from that of ordinary people, and that special magic was the key to living in the astral world.


    Justus called this special organ the ¡°Oracle organ¡±. It was quite ironic for a man who did not have a single string of belief in god to use a term like ¡°oracle¡±.


    ¡¾¡±You said those children of the stars were ancestors of the stellar tribe, which means there shouldn¡¯t be any of them left, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah. That¡¯s why Justus captured people from the stellar tribe and did experiments on them. To awaken their ancestors¡¯ powers.¡±]


    Although this was not depicted in the game, it seemed like Justus had been experimenting secretly on the stellar tribe¡¯s people even before the beginning of the original story. The only reason Harold knew that information now was because of the time he had spent working for Justus.


    In fact, the real priority of the Bertis forest incident had been to affect Vincent psychologically in order for Justus to be able to use him for his end plans. Gathering bodies had all been a secondary goal.


    Given all that, while Justus had said that his experiments had required more bodies than he initially thought, getting Lilium and Ventos had probably been enough for him. And perhaps the reason their feelings were restrained was because he had tempered with that previously mentioned oracle organ, which was an organ that was connected to the ego and emotions.


    At any rate, his actions were revolting.


    ¡¾¡±The Oracle organ that the stellar tribe¡¯s people have inside them allows them to amplify their power by boosting their mana with their emotions. However, this use of the organ is actually defective compared to how the children of the stars used it. Those people were able to directly draw out the energy of the star core in order to use it as magic power.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hence the name, I see.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And you said that star core is a gathering of different egos, a solid astral body. I can¡¯t imagine the power those children of the stars could create if they were to gather the emotions inside that star core and turned them into magical power.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The thing is that Justus has already succeeded with his experiments. All that¡¯s left to do for him is to synchronize himself with the star core, to select the astral body he wants, and then he¡¯ll use an experiment subject¡¯s oracle organ to absorb his own ego.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The more I hear about it, the scarier this sounds. So that¡¯s what your actions have been all about, trying to stop this plan from succeeding¡­¡±]


    Cody let out a long sigh that he had been holding inside him for a while.


    As Cody became silent, Vincent asked yet another question.


    ¡¾¡±Assuming everything you just said is true, why can the children of the stars survive in a world where the whole continent is gone?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know the details, but I heard that the oracle organ has more than one use. Maybe there is some kind of trick to it.¡±]


    This question was never really touched on in the game either. There was a fan theory that said that the children of stars could turn into ethereal bodies upon synchronizing with the star core, and that, by doing so, they could keep their ego even in the astral world.


    That would be a form of astral projection¡­ In simpler terms, it would be something like an out-of-body experience. Granted, that kind of setting would imply completely stepping in the domain of the occult, but, after all, this was a world where monsters and magic existed.


    ¡¾¡±Putting that aside, Vincent¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How the hell did you get back from that state of delirium? And how did you fall into that state in the first place?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sorry but I don¡¯t remember well. I have a vague memory of doctor Justus calling out to me and then talking to me in his laboratory¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What did he talk to you about?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It wasn¡¯t anything important so I don¡¯t recall all that well. Lately I hadn¡¯t been seeming all that well so we had a casual chat to help me take my mind off of things.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±When was this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, what day is it today?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±The 11th.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Then¡­ It was about four days ago.¡±]


    It was a wonder what had happened to Vincent in those four days. It was unlikely that Justus had fought him directly, rather, he had most likely used a drug or something similar to make Vincent fall asleep before brainwashing him.


    It wasn¡¯t crazy to think that the brainwashing had been cancelled during the battle because Justus had not had enough time to apply it properly in those few days. But Harold still did not understand how exactly that had happened.


    ¡¾¡±Do you remember anything from before you woke up?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I do remember fighting with you, but the memories I have of it start from around the middle of the fight. I was in a strange state. It wasn¡¯t a state of consciousness, it was more like a dream.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Long story short, you only started being completely conscious again when you woke up in the hospital bed earlier?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, yeah¡­ Wait, actually, no. At the end of the fight, in the instant right before I passed out, my senses and consciousness became clear again for just one instant.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Maybe it was just the pain that made you conscious again?¡±](Cody)


    ¡¾¡±If that was it, then I think that attack from before would have been plenty enough¡­¡±]


    Indeed, it was hard to imagine that the pain alone had awakened Vincent given that, before the last attack, Vincent had taken on Harold¡¯s most powerful blow, lighting clash.


    Furthermore, Harold¡¯s very last attack had been nothing more than a simple strike to the abdomen anyway, and he had merely used the handle of his sword.


    (¡­The handle?)


    Having thought of something, Harold walked towards his two swords, which were leaning against a wall, and pulled one of them out of its scabbard. At the base of this grey blunt sword, in the border between the handle and the blade, was a jade green crystal.


    That crystal was the sword¡¯s distinguishing factor. It had the power to improve the user¡¯s fighting strength by absorbing his or her magical power, but the process slowly erased the wielder¡¯s lifespan in exchange.


    In truth, Harold knew that this was how the sword worked because his body could feel the absorption when he used it first hand.


    (But is that really how it works? If it really absorbed my mana, my magic would have been weakened and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to use my strengthening spell properly, would I?)


    Maybe it had not caused any harm because Harold, as one of the main story¡¯s characters, had an extraordinary reserve of mana. But even so, if a life-endangering amount of his magic power was consumed, he should have been hindered to a certain extent. So the amount consumed couldn¡¯t be much.


    If so, then it would have made much more sense to explain that the sword improved the user¡¯s efficiency in battle by absorbing their life force instead of saying that it was by absorbing their magical power.


    However, if it indeed just directly absorbed the user¡¯s life force, there should have been no need to even mention magic power and so forth.


    Given all that, what if the sword absorbed something else beside the user¡¯s mana and life force? If so, what would that ¡°something¡± be? What was there other than mana and life force that would threaten the user¡¯s life upon being absorbed? And, in the first place, what were the true colors of this crystal that had the ability to absorb that ¡°something¡±?


    Once he started thinking about this, Harold was surged by a bad feeling.


    ¡¾¡±Harold? What¡¯s wrong?¡±]


    When Cody called out to him, Harold quickly raised his face. It seemed like he had lost himself too deep in his thoughts.


    ¡¾¡±¡­It¡¯s nothing. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±Really? ¡¯cause you¡¯ve been staring at that sword with a gloomy face.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I said it¡¯s nothing.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Can¡¯t you just be honest, man?¡±]


    Cody refused to ignore the problem.


    He was speaking in a light manner, like usual, but he was likely concerned in his own way. Maybe he was trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.


    Perhaps because he had noticed that, Vincent interjected with a question.


    ¡¾¡±Can I ask you one last thing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Who on earth is the person that doctor Justus is trying to bring back to life?¡±]


    Before answering, Harold looked at Vincent¡¯s straight towards his eyes. He was showing his resolve that, no matter what Justus¡¯ motivations were, his plan had to be stopped.


    ¡¾¡±Estelle Lakes. She was that lunatic¡¯s one true love.¡±]

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    Only a day after he regained consciousness, Vincent chose to return to the royal capital. Even though he had the option of staying in the hospital for a while longer, he decided against it.


    His doctor insisted that he needed more rest, but Vincent¡¯s decision was firm and unshakable.


    After all, he was the leader of the saint knight order. Considering his position and responsibilities, it was probably very problematic for him to leave the order for many days without giving any prior notice. It was easy to imagine the state of chaos that the knight order was currently stuck in, with their leader missing. Which was why Harold had no intention to stop Vincent from leaving.


    ¡¾¡±By the way, what do you intend to do from here on out?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s none of your business.¡±]


    Harold tried to say ¡°there is something I have to do¡±, but, as usual, his words did not get through the filter of his mouth. If possible, Harold wanted to start a collaboration with Vincent, but Vincent would most likely not agree before confirming that Harold¡¯s words were true.


    It was simply impossible to get the knight order to make a move based on mere words and circumstantial evidence.


    In the previous night¡¯s talk, the group had come to the temporary conclusion that the only reason Vincent had been brainwashed was that he had the strength to defeat Harold, who was planning to thwart Justus¡¯ plan.


    It was going to be a great help for Harold if he could get Vincent and Cody to confirm whether that conclusion had actually hit the nail on the head, after their return to the royal capital. However, it looked like there was not enough time left to focus on those worries.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.I¡¯ll give you one advice.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m listening.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You should send a number of your men to Travis, and you should do it fast.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why?¡±]


    Harold¡¯s words were probably extremely strange from Vincent¡¯s perspective.


    Travis was a peaceful city, far away from the royal capital. It was built on a land that penetrated in the sea towards the south. On top of that, there was a line of mountains that covered the west and the north side, leaving only the road on the east side open, and even that open side was a mountainous area, with a steep cliff at its edge. This geographical position granted Travis the title of ¡°natural fortress¡±.


    It was not doing as great as the port city, Delfit, but it was still quite prosperous trade-wise, and it was popular for being a beautiful sightseeing area. It also had better public order than other cities. It did not feel like there was any particular need to dispatch the knight order in that natural place.


    However, the fact that the place was difficult to attack made it so that it usually was not exposed to any particular danger. Moreover, the same things that made it hard to attack it would also make it hard to escape from it in case of an emergency or an invasion. That would be especially true if the narrow roads near the cliff towards the east were blocked. Then, there would only be two paths of escape left; by using boats and going through the sea, or by crossing over the mountain range at the north and the west.


    With only these two options available, many people would fail to escape fast enough. That was what had happened in the original story.


    ¡¾¡±Sooner or later, that place is going to turn into hell on earth.¡±]


    The reason this had happened in the story was due to a monster invasion and to the original Harold¡¯s act of violence.


    In the original story, the monster invasion happened to occur while Harold had been staying in the city, but instead of trying to obstruct said invasion, he had chosen to escape. However, as previously mentioned, there were few paths of escape available in Travis, so Harold used the locals as sacrifices. He started fires all over town, spreading chaos everywhere, which had simultaneously increased the number of casualties and delayed the monsters¡¯ attacks.


    Is was an extremely despicable display.


    Of course, the current Harold had no intent to do such a thing. That being said, if he did not intervene at all, it was very likely that Travis would be overrun by monsters just like in the original story.


    In the story, Liners and his party arrived one step too late in Travis and witnessed a picture of hell, before they proceeded to eliminate the remaining monsters. Letting things happen that way would likely mean letting many victims accumulate, and the monsters¡¯ numbers were in the tens of thousands.


    The exact numbers weren¡¯t quite clear, but the monsters¡¯ army¡¯s scale was still enormous, and it was unrealistic to expect a party of six to defeat an army of even only ten thousand. Therefore, it was necessary to decrease the number of monsters as much as possible before the invasion could begin.


    Hence the need for the knight order to stay on standby in Travis. If the monsters attacked, the knights would be able to immediately react and to evacuate the civilians. At the same time, it was also necessary to guide Liner and his party to Travis so that they would be there in time for the monster invasion.


    With the support of Furieri from the shadows, things would go smoothly for the team¡­ probably. Harold did not know the exact date and time of the invasion and it was going to be problematic if Liner and the others intervened too late or too early. Some very precise adjustments would need to be made, depending on the situation.


    Therefore, Harold intended to make a request to Elu; ¡°Once you get my signal, you need to get Liner and the others to rush to Travis¡±. Harold felt apologetic as he was aware that this would be an unreasonable request, but he needed Elu to do it one way or another.


    For emergencies, Harold also intended to use Furieri¡¯s funds to prepare a ship for the evacuations, but even with that, it would still take Travis¡¯ residents several hours to escape. During that time, Liner, his party and the knight order were going to have to hold back the monsters.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I understand. I will keep your advice in mind.¡±]


    This answer was enough for now. Given VIncent¡¯s personality, he would probably not ignore a matter that he was informed about in advance.


    In the end, Harold left Vincent without adding a single word. He did not have any time to spare, there was something he wanted to do without delay.


    For that purpose, he was waiting for Elu to get in touch with him, however¡­.


    ¡¾¡±Are you thinking of something, Harold?¡±]


    While Harold was worrying about what he was going to do, his thoughts were interrupted by Cody. Harold had figured Cody surely had already left towards the royal capital with Vincent, but it apparently was not the case.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Why the hell are you still here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, there is a little something I have to do.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see. I¡¯m leaving.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hold on, hold on!¡±]


    Harold tried to leave but Cody blocked the way. It seemed like the thing he had to do was related to Harold.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t have any time to waste accompanying you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t say that, I just have a favor to ask.¡±]


    Unlike his usual self, Cody sounded serious, which prompted Harold to halt his steps.


    Harold had absolutely no idea what it was that Cody would want to ask of him at this particular time. In other words, it was very likely that this was going to lead to a development that was not in the original story.


    Well, at this point, one more new development would not change much, but given that Cody was going to stand by the side of the protagonist, this could be worthy of some worry. Putting aside whether Harold was going to accept the request or not, it was better for him to at least listen to it for the time being.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Speak quick.¡±]


    He said, with the resolve to take on any troublesome matter that would arise from this.


    However, Cody¡¯s next words were completely beyond any of Harold¡¯s expectations.


    ¡¾¡±That sword that drains your life, can you lend it to me?¡±]


    ¡ó


    Her heart was numb.


    ¡¾¡±I will cover you.¡ºWater Fan¡»¡±]


    Her emotions had dried out.


    ¡¾¡±The way things are going, we¡¯re not going to make any progress.¡±]


    Be it the blue sky, the green vegetation, the streets that gave way to the light of the sun, or even the sight of fresh blood¡­


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m starting my incantation.¡±]


    Everything had become dull.


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡ºWind Burst¡»¡±]


    It felt as if¡­¡­


    ¡¾¡±I am sorry for being violent, but please stay asleep there for a little while.¡±]


    It felt as if she had become detached from the rest of the world.


    (Was I always such an empty person?)  She wondered. She never thought that she would lose so much of her own self by giving up on her love for Harold and on her determination to support him.


    Right now, Erica could not even ridicule herself for her choices anymore. And that made her feel even weaker.


    ¡¾¡±You saved me there, Erica¡­¡±]


    Although Francis said so with a smile, his smile was somewhat unnatural.


    But he was not the only one behaving that way. The complexions of Liner, Colette, Lifa and Hugo were not great either. Although battle fatigue had something to do with it, the main reason was something else.


    (..I guess it makes sense. After all, we¡¯re not fighting monsters anymore, we have to fight humans now.)


    To put it plainly, they had to kill now. Whether the enemies were monsters or humans, there was no distinction.


    Including Harrison¡¯s soldiers, who had been made to faint by Erica¡¯s spell, everyone was probably feeling dejected.


    ¡¾¡±First, let me heal you.¡±]


    While using healing magic on Francis¡¯ wounds, Erica asked herself; (Then, what about me?)


    Had she had any hesitation to use her bow and arrows against the enemies or any hesitation to fire her spells at them in order to make them pass out?


    Although she did not intend to kill anyone, a single mistake or just a bit of misfortune could very well be enough for an opponent to die by her hands. Had she really thought this through?


    ¡­No, that did not matter. Her top priority right now was to disempower the enemies facing the team.


    ¡¶Who cares if they get a bit injured?¡·


    (The fact that that was the predominating thought in my mind earlier makes me pretty cruel I suppose.)


    She did not even loath herself for thinking that way anymore.  From the start, as a person, that had always been the extent of her goodness.


    Still, she got to know of the light called Harold and she tried to grasp it even though it was far beyond her reach. She was never able to catch up to it, but she still kept stretching her hand towards it, until she finally gave up. What remained in result was an empty vessel in the shape of a human, with no purpose or goal.


    She found it funny; this result should have been evident to her but she was only noticing it now.


    ¡¾¡±With this, most of the soldiers on the premise should be down. We¡¯re almost done.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Alright! Let¡¯s go, everyone!¡±]


    Following Erica¡¯s words, Liner encouraged the rest of the team.


    As she walked behind them, Erica¡¯s steps felt too light, like she was just standing on the spot. She did not feel like she was making any progress.


    (This may have been the case for a very long time) Thought Erica. She could not keep up with Harold indefinitely¡­ But that was not because he was going too far forward, it was because she herself was not taking a single step ahead.


    (Sir Harold¡¯s existence and my love for him have made me too shallow.)


    How had she not been able to understand something so simple?


    Though it was said that love could make one blind, this was not what was happening, this was worse than that. Like Lifa had said, Erica¡¯s trust in Harold had devolved into blind belief. Erica¡¯s goals, her way of living and even her way of being, all of those aspects were now reliant on Harold.


    Even so, despite knowing that, this fight was¡­ She still needed to see this fight to its end. It did not matter to her how it would end, it did not matter if this was all meaningless.


    That was the manifestation of the very small hint of will power that was left in Erica. Even if she could not be Harold¡¯s strength, she would at least avoid holding him back.


    A loud thud echoed in the room. It was the sound Liner made as he ran towards the door in front of him and forcefully opened it.


    When the door opened, it allowed a cold wind to enter. The door led to a terrace at the top floor of the residence, which was more of a small castle than a mansion.


    Waiting in this terrace was the head of the residence, as well as the man who was responsible for the theft of the sword and heirloom of the Griffith family, Harrison. In front of him were two guards, whose faces were covered with hoods.


    ¡¾¡±Shit¡­ They¡¯re so damn persistent!¡±]


    Said Harrison with an annoyed tone, as he looked at the team.


    This made it clear to Erica that she would not be able to get him to surrender peacefully.


    ¡¾¡±Please give up. We have proof of your crimes, and you only have these two guards left to protect you.¡±]


    While Lifa was prompting Harrison to give up, Erica was thinking about the most effective way to disempower the two guards in front of him. (Trying to talk to him is useless); As Erica thought so, she realized that she had not even considered the possibility of trying to persuade the enemy instead of fighting.


    She realized how uncivilized she was now that she had dropped the selfish and shameful mask of wanting to ¡°look nice for Harold¡±.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, these guys are different from the ordinary soldiers of the estate! They won¡¯t have any difficulty killing you!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Seems like the persuasion failed.¡±]


    (Let¡¯s end this quick, before my ugliness gets exposed even further.)


    With that single thought in mind, Erica stepped forward ahead of Liner and the others, leaving them all dumbfounded. While perceiving the group¡¯s surprise from behind her, she proceeded to fire a spell without using any incantation beforehand.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºIce End¡»¡±]


    The magic she fired with an ice cold tone in her voice managed to instantaneously freeze half of the terrace. The potbellied Harrison was not able to resist the spell, and both of his feet ended up getting caught in blocks of ice.


    ¡¾¡±Agh! Damn you¡­!¡±]


    With that power, range, and speed, it was hard to imagine that this was cast without any prior incantation. Indeed, it was an extremely powerful spell, so powerful that she had not been able to use it beforehand because the inside of the mansion was too narrow for it.


    Incantations were normally a way to help fire a spell properly and to improve the precision of the casting. For experts, incantations could also help to raise the power of a spell . Of course, that also applied to Erica, at first.


    However, at some point, before she realized it, the meaning of incantations changed for her. That changed had only happened because she had been putting great efforts into becoming someone suitable for Harold. That was all there was to it.


    When Erica used incantations, it was only in order to suppress the power of her magic. Because her spells were far too powerful when she did not use incantations.


    This also applied to the ¡°Meteor Blast¡± spell that she had used on the source of the miasma, back in her family¡¯s territory. If she had used the spell with no incantation, the device that was supposed to be deactivated would have been obliterated with the monsters around it instead. Therefore, she had used an incantation to regulate the spell¡¯s power.


    Because of this, the reality was that the large crowd of monsters had only looked fragile and delicate to her, nothing more.


    ¡¾¡±Erica, wait!¡±]


    Hugo shouted something. But before she could worry about what he had to say, the two guards in front of Harrison, who had leaped above the Ice End spell, drew closer to Erica. Their reaction showed that they were no ordinary people. Just like Harrison had said, these two people were much more competent than the other soldiers of the residence.


    The guard who leaped from the left was a tall man, while the one on the right was a short girl.


    (It will be troublesome if the man gets closer.)


    Having calmly assessed that, Erica used her bow and an incantation to fire three Water Fan spells towards the spot where the man was about to land. Water Fans were water arrows that were shaped like folding fans and that turned into ice upon landing. The use of the three Water fans had turned the ground into something akin to a skating rink. Because of this, the man was unable to land properly and fell on the spot.


    In order to not give him enough time to stand back up, Erica immediately sent yet another Water Fan his way. The moment the man took the direct hit, he was pinned down to the ground and was then held in check by an other Ice End spell.


    He had landed only a second ago, yet he already been caught in a prison of ice and was rendered unable to move.


    (Now, the second one.)


    The remaining person was the short girl, who was holding two swords. Unlike the man, she had not tripped on the ice. She was rushing at top speed towards Erica.


    However, Erica¡¯s honestly felt like this girl was hopelessly slow.


    Even back when he had been a child, Harold used to be faster than that. How many times had Erica hiddenly watched him fight her brother Itsuki back in the dojo? And how many bouts had she herself had against Itsuki, who was well acquainted with Harold¡¯s speed?


    The twin swords that the short girl was holding were a pair of scimitars; they were shorter than normal swords and also had a shorter reach. For Erica, it was a short enough reach to allow her to use a throwing technique.


    A hit from those scimitars could have easily cut her to the bone, but when the sharp flash of the blade on the right came for her, Erica was able to dodge it by a paper-thin margin. By the time the blade was done cutting through nothing, the girl¡¯s right wrist was already in Erica¡¯s grasp.


    Instead of killing the girl¡¯s momentum, Erica used it against her to throw her down. In the process, she also slightly twisted the girl¡¯s hand to make her drop one of her weapons. The strength she used would only cause a strain to the girl¡¯s wrist at worst.


    After she was flung away, the girl slid down the frozen ground right towards a wall¡­. But she stopped herself before hitting it. Erica had used this attack out of consideration, she figured that this would be enough to make the girl lose her fighting spirit without having to hurt her.


    ¡¾¡±¡­But it looks there is no way around it.¡±]


    Erica let out a small sigh as she looked at the girl who expressionlessly stood up with her sword in hand. Then, while still shouldering her own bow on her back, Erica picked up the scimitar that the girl had dropped. This sword was not fit for close quarter combat at all.


    Even so, with this girl as her opponent, Erica could not allow herself to fall behind.


    Once again, the girl rushed forward.


    As the shadows of Erica and the girl intersected, the high-pitched sound of clashing swords resounded before fading into the depth of the blue sky.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    ¡±That sword, can you lend it to me?¡±


    Cody had made that request despite being aware that the sword absorbed the user¡¯s magic power and could cut down his lifespan. While Harold had his doubts about what the sword¡¯s real powers were, he had not doubts that it was dangerous enough to be referred to as a demon or devil sword. He naturally couldn¡¯t simply hand it over.


    Although he used it as little as possible due to the risks, this weapon was still his lifeline in some situations. More importantly, lending this sword to Cody without knowing what he intended to do with it would be worrying in more ways than one.


    Due to all of these reasons, harold had intended to refuse the request.


    But that was before he heard there was a certain man who could potentially be saved by the sword.


    ¨C


    Three days had passed since Vincent¡¯s depart.


    Harold was currently in the middle of a rural town. This was the town where the man that Cody had mentioned was residing.


    Harold had previously claimed in that he was too busy and that there was something he had to do in haste, and yet here he was. The words he had spoken back then now seemed pretty half-hearted, but the reason he ended up coming here was that there was a chance he could reap some benefits. The path that passed from this town to his original destination was not much of a detour, and Frieri would take action by themselves the second he would contact them anyway.


    So stopping by here to make use of an opportunity was not a loss.


    (¡­To think I¡¯m calling this an opportunity, I¡¯ve sure come a long way.)


    Harold felt disgusted from thinking of this matter that way when the life of a human being could be in play.


    However, the last stage of the original story was gradually coming closer. In other words, the day of the original Harold¡¯s death was approaching. If he had to be honest, the care he had for his surroundings was about to attain its limits.


    No matter how much he tried to gloss over his thoughts, his own life was still important to him. So, though he felt bad about it, he wanted to be a bit selfish now.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Especially now that I¡¯ve come this far.¡±]


    Harold unintentionally said so out loud, though under his breath.


    For the last eight years, he had done many things just to survive. He had saved some people in the process, but Harold himself had no such noble goals in his mind.


    He was an ordinary person in all aspects. While his body and abilities were out of norm, it was a mistake to assume that he was a hero. If he had that sort of ideology, he would not be able to move swiftly when presented with a conflict or a dilemma.


    The ones who were going to save the world were Liner and his party, not anyone else. It was fine for Harold to cooperate from the shadows while giving priority to his own safety.


    That was the perfect position for him.


    ¡¾¡±You came far from what?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I wasn¡¯t talking to you. Instead of putting your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, tell me where is the man who was brainwashed by Justus.¡±]


    Harold changed the subject while ignoring the question of Cody, who had heard his mutter thanks to his sharp hearing.


    Or perhaps it was more correct to say that Harold got back to the main topic. But if he had to be more accurate, the fact that the man had been brainwashed was not a certainty, it had yet to be confirmed.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re almost there. It¡¯s right by the corner.¡±]


    The place Harold was guided to was a rented house, the kind that could be found anywhere.


    The exterior drywall had been patched up multiple times, and the poorly maintained windows were almost opaque, which made the whole house seem shabby.


    Cody knocked on the front door. There was no knocker, so he used his bare hands instead. The sound of his fist hitting the door repeatedly was strange. It sounded like it was coming straight out of a horror movie, though Harold felt like he was being rude for thinking that way.


    ¡¾¡±¡­.Who¡¯s there?¡±]


    The door opened along with the sound of a childish voice, followed by the appearance of a little girl of around ten years old.


    For a child her age, her cheeks were a little bit thin and her limbs were too slender, to the point where they looked like wooden branches sticking out of her dress. From the looks of it, her health was in a concerning state.


    ¡¾¡±Sarah, it¡¯s been a while. Do you remember me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Y-yes¡­ You are mister Cody, right?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right, I¡¯m your papa¡¯s friend. And the guy with the scary face over here is my friend.¡±]


    Although Harold wanted to object to being introduced as ¡°the guy with the scary face¡±, he couldn¡¯t deny that his face did make him seem like he was in a bad mood, and according to the game¡¯s settings, his current height was at 1m81 (6¡ä). He definitely looked scary to the girl called Sarah.


    Moreover, because of the difficulties he had with his mouth, Harold had to silently content himself with this introduction. The girl was already nervous, he did not want to make her even more afraid.


    ¡¾¡±Is your mother here?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±She¡¯s at work now¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That so? Then, when do you think she¡¯ll be back?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­..I don¡¯t know. She always comes late at night.¡±]


    For some reason, the exchange between Cody and Sarah made Harold recall his own childhood.


    Both of his parents had a job, and since he was their only child, Kazuki used to be a so-called latchkey kid. Whenever he returned home after he was done playing with his friends or when his school day was over, he always ended up staying there by himself. There was  a deserted atmosphere to his house, especially in winter.


    However, there were hardly any days where his parents did not eventually come back home later in the day, and he was free to do whatever he wanted until they came back, so he did not feel particularly lonely.


    Thinking about it now, the reason he could feel that way back then was that his parents had never failed to give him all their love. As he thought about this, a powerful feeling of wanting to see his parents¡¯ faces arose in Harold¡¯s heart.


    (Will I be able to survive until the game¡¯s ending and return to my world?)


    For now, he had yet to figure out a way to go back.


    ¡¾¡±Hey, Harold.¡±]


    After his consciousness went to another place for a short while, Harold refocused his mind.


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Come in.¡±]


    It looked like Cody had gone inside the house while Harold had been lost in his thoughts.


    As Sarah was still afraid of him, Harold wondered if this was really okay. From his perspective as a man from the modern days, he felt like this scene should have been reported to the authorities.


    ¡¾¡±You want to get it done right away?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, that¡¯d be too much. We have to explain things to his wife first and get her permission.¡±]


    (Seriously?)


    Although Harold could agree with this reasoning, this also basically meant he and Cody would have to wait inside this house until Sarah¡¯s mother returned.


    (No matter the circumstances, aren¡¯t we going to be a bother if we just stay here?)


    This felt wrong to Harold, but for the time being, he was still lured in by Cody and ended up entering.


    And as he expected, the inside of this house felt desolate.


    ¡¾¡±Sister, who is this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re papa¡¯s friends, Mihai.¡±]


    When they passed by the living room, a boy of around four or five years old appeared.


    Mihai had the same brown eyes as his older sister Sarah, and just like her, he was far too skinny. From this and the state of the house, it was easy to infer that this family¡¯s economic situation was very difficult.


    When Harold thought about it, their father, Finnegan, had been the pillar of the family, but he had lost his mind and retired from the knight order. Since his symptoms had yet to subside, he was confined to his bed, and there was no way he could work. Thus, the only one left to take care of the two children and their bedridden father would be his wife.


    (This is even worse than how Clara¡¯s situation used to be¡­.)


    The mother worked until late at night, day after day, and judging from the two siblings¡¯ conditions, all that work was still not enough to feed them properly. As things stood, even the mother probably couldn¡¯t get a single decent meal.


    Looking at poverty straight in the face was a bitter experience.


    ¡¾¡±Their father¡­ Finnegan, where is he?¡±]


    To occupy his mind with something else, Harold decided to take a look at Finnegan to check on his current state.


    Although he was speaking to Cody, the answer to his question came from another direction.


    ¡¾¡±Papa¡¯s room is this way.¡±]


    Mihai approached up to Harold¡¯s feet and then pulled the cuff of his coat. Perhaps this was because Mihai was naturally friendly, or maybe because he had dropped all his wariness after hearing that these people were his father¡¯s friends. Either way, Harold did not expect this response when he asked where Finnegan was staying.


    Sarah let a small ¡°Ah¡± escape her mouth. She likely thought Mihai had done something rude. Well, his hand certainly couldn¡¯t be said to be the cleanest. If he had done this to Harold¡¯s father, Hayden, then at worst he would have been executed on the spot.


    ¡¾¡±Take me there.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes¡±]


    Well, Harold had no intention to do such a thing, so he openly let Mihai take him along. That being the case, the house was so small there wasn¡¯t really a need for a guide. After going out of the living room, they took a narrow passage that couldn¡¯t quite be called a corridor, and from there, it did not even take ten seconds to reach Finnegan¡¯s room.


    At first, Mihai tried knocking on the door, but since there was no response, he just silently opened it.


    The room was dimly lit: a weak sunlight that came from the cloudy sky was making its way through a single window, shedding light on a bed where someone was currently lying down. That was likely FInnegan.


    ¡¾¡±Papa, your friends are here.¡±]


    Mihai called out to his father, while standing by his bedside.


    However, there was no reaction from Finnegan. He was gazing at the ceiling with hollow eyes, doing nothing except for blinking every so often. Even so, Mihai kept calling out to him while shaking him with both hands. This scene pierced Harold¡¯s heart deeper than the sight of the siblings¡¯ poor conditions.


    It looked like the kid was about to cry.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s okay.¡±]


    Unable to bear watching Mihai call out to his father, Harold gently stroked his head with his hand. Mihai looked up at Harold with a face that showed incomprehension towards the situation.


    The kid¡¯s pure eyes reminded Harold of his younger half-brother, Huey.


    Suddenly, a thought crossed Harold¡¯s mind.


    (Could it be that Huey will share the same fate?)


    Assuming that Justus was going to be defeated, that wouldn¡¯t change the fact that the Stokes family have been putting the people of their territory under a reign of tyranny. Based on the original story, this past tyranny was going to bring the Stokes family to its knees and to make them lose their status as aristocrats.


    If that happened, then what would become of Huey and his mother, Dorothy? In the past, after the business of Dorothy¡¯s family failed, they had sold their noble title and had become commoners. As a former noble, Dorothy had been used as a bargaining chip and had become a concubine so that her family could get its peerage back through the Stokes family¡¯s help, but from what Harold had heard, they apparently were nobles only in name now, and the territory they had obtained was actually insignificant.


    Considering all that, it was hard to imagine that the mother and son would live a comfortable life. Harold had made arrangements so that the Sumeragi family would intervene in the management of the Stokes territory, but they were only going to focus on the territory as a whole in order to prevent any administrative disorder from arising. They would not be of help when it came to the living standards of individuals.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s wrong?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Nothing.¡±]


    But that did not mean there was any deep meaning to what Harold was about to do here. It was not like he was trying to make up for his sins or anything. In the first place, Huey and Mihai were completely different people.


    It was just that someone who was within his hand¡¯s reach was going through a deplorable fate, so it was only natural for him to want to help, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m going to step out for a little while. As for you, Cody, you¡¯re free to play the babysitter.¡±]


    ¡ó


    (Cody¡¯s POV)


    ¡¾¡±Did we make him angry¡­?¡±]


    Asked Sarah to Cody, confused as she watched the back of Harold as he went outside. Although she was getting flustered, while muttering to herself that maybe this was because Mihai had been rude, the truth was that Harold was probably not even angry at all.


    Well, even Cody had to admit that, in the eyes of the people who did not know him, Harold always looked like he was in a bad mood.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, he may not look like it but Harold is a good guy.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±R-really?¡±]


    Sarah¡¯s face looked like she had just heard something unbelievable. Cody, on the contrary, felt like Harold getting angry at this child was an unimaginable scenario. To begin with, while Harold did have a sharp tongue, that did not mean he had a bad temper¡­ In fact, it was quite hard to get him angry as far as Cody could tell.


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, you really don¡¯t have to worry so much.¡±]


    Cody made his words as clear as possible. That was because he had a rough idea as to why Harold had left his seat. It was in order to do something that Cody had naturally also thought of doing without having to be reminded, and that he would normally have done himself.


    In his heart, Cody felt sorry not doing it, but he felt like this was a good opportunity to change Sarah¡¯s image of Harold. So he came to the conclusion that his role here was to support Harold¡¯s actions with words rather than to personally intervene.


    Of course, he was aware that he was basically wiping his hands off the matter and leaving it to someone else, but his answer to such a claim would be: ¡°So what?¡±. That was the kind of man Cody Luzial was.


    An hour after that, while Cody was getting friendlier with the pair of siblings, Harold came back.


    He was holding a big paper bag with both hands.


    Inside the bag was a large amount of food, just like Cody had predicted. However, what he had not expected was that Harold had brought raw ingredients instead of already cooked food.


    ¡¾¡±Wait, you¡¯re going to cook?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Obviously.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I thought you¡¯d buy something that was already ready so that they could eat directly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You want me to abruptly feed that kind of food to malnourished people? You¡¯re one hell of a hare-brained fool.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I didn¡¯t think things through, it¡¯s my bad..¡±]


    Although Cody backed his words with a grandiose, exaggerated bow, Harold completely ignored him. He probably felt like it would be too troublesome to respond.


    However, now that Cody thought about it, the already cooked food that was sold inside the shops certainly did combine many heavy flavors. A healthy person would not pay attention to that, but for the stomachs of these small children whose meals were normally quite lacking, eating the kind of food that was sold outside too suddenly could create too big of a stimulus.


    Especially since Mihai was still four years old. They had to be careful about what they fed him.


    (As expected, single men like me are no good when it comes to these things¡­ Wait, Harold is single too, isn¡¯t he?)


    In the end, the only difference at play was that one of them considered his actions and the other did not. Well, Harold did technically have a fianc¨¦e, so Cody figured that counted for something.


    While Cody was wallowing in self-pity, Harold took off his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt up to his elbows. Then, he used his magic to ignite the firewood inside the kitchen¡¯s stove. The performance was welcomed with Sarah and Mihai¡¯s cheers of surprise.


    While casually putting a pot of water above the stove so that it would boil, Harold also placed some vegetables inside a wooden bucket and started washing them. He appeared to be quite skilled.


    Aside from his cynicism, Harold was already a flawless man, and now he apparently also knew how to cook.


    ¡¾¡±Anything I can do to help?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Can you cook?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Can you not make me spell it out and make a guess just this once?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re useless.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s words was terribly direct. But Cody did not have anything to say for himself in response.


    While they were having this conversation, Harold had peeled the vegetables, and he was now cutting them up to adequate sizes.


    ¡¾¡±E-excuse me¡­¡­¡±]


    At that time, Sarah found the resolve to call out to him.


    ¡¾¡±What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±P-please allow me to help¡­ I know how to cut vegetables so¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have no need for your help.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±B-b-but I¡­.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Go clean up your brother instead. And make sure to use this.¡±]


    As he said so, Harold took a bar of soap out of the paper bag. Since it was an expensive item fancied by aristocrats, the soap was packaged in its own wooden box.


    Sarah was young but she was still a girl; she probably wished to take care of her personal grooming. Cody did not know if Harold had thought that far, but that would explain why he had gone out of his way to buy this soap.


    ¡¾¡±T-this is a very precious item¡­.!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It was only worth some loose change. While you¡¯re at it, clean yourself up, too. I don¡¯t want your dirty hands to touch my handmade food.¡±]


    Although that was typically the kind of thing Harold would say, his words showed that he did spare some thoughts for the worries Sarah had as a girl. After all, was there such a thing as a girl who¡¯d want to show herself looking dirty?


    Perhaps because she had seen through Harold¡¯s words as well, Sarah bowed deeply with a ¡°Thank you very much!¡± and then took Mihai to the bathroom.


    After watching all of this unfold, Cody spoke to Harold, who was still standing in the kitchen.


    ¡¾¡±You popular men sure have your ways.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Look, there is no way in hell I¡¯m going to feed a man who¡¯s doing less work than livestock. You better go chop some wood if you don¡¯t want to find poison in your plate.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yessir~!¡±]


    Although Harold had once again replied very harshly, Cody rushed outside without any complaints or hesitation and grabbed an ax.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    ¡°They¡¯re sound asleep.¡±


    Cody muttered, looking through the half-open door of the room by the living room, where Sarah and Mihai were sleeping together on one bed. Given that it was nearing midnight, it wasn¡¯t strange for them to be in bed, but they had been sleeping for eight hours already.


    As predicted, their malnourished bodies must have undergone a great strain.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, that¡¯s what they get for becoming so engrossed in playing right after having their meal.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re saying that, but didn¡¯t you play with them?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I only did it because they wouldn¡¯t quiet down.¡±]


    Perhaps because of how happy they were after eating their meals, not only Mihai but also Sarah seemed to have grown fond of Harold. They had opened up to him so much that once they finally grew tired of playing, they ended up falling asleep against him.


    They hadn¡¯t woke up since then. Just in case they woke up, Harold prepared and served their dinner, but at this rate, their meals might become tomorrow¡¯s breakfast.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s not very persuasive to say that while you¡¯re preparing snacks, you know?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m just killing time.¡±]


    The truth was that Harold and Cody had nothing to do until Finegan¡¯s wife came back home. Therefore, when Cody complained that he was a little hungry, Harold used this free time to prepare something light for both of them to eat.


    That being said, all he actually did was cut thick slices of dried meat that were cooked on the surface and seasoned with pepper. This was so simple that even Sarah would be able to do it.


    Normally, he would accompany this type of snack with some Sake, but he was not crazy enough to down drinks in a stranger¡¯s house on his own accord. Instead, he decided to make do with the vegetable soup he prepared at noon. It was lightly-seasoned, so it did not go well with the very salty flavor of the dried meat at all.


    Afterward, Harold had to deal with the shenanigans of Cody who repeatedly poked fun at him, until he felt the presence of someone outside.


    ¡¾¡±She¡¯s here.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Huh? How¡¯d you know?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I can feel the presence of a person dragging her steps towards here. I¡¯m certain it¡¯s her.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Say, aren¡¯t you stepping away from the rest of us humans way too fast?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Whatever, just hurry and go meet her.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, yeah.¡±]


    Pressed by Harold, Cody went to the front door of the house. Rather than wait inside for her, it was probably safer to have Cody greet her at the door. Even then, he would probably still look suspicious. Suddenly finding a stranger in her home would shock her, causing her to become vigilant no matter what. But Cody could at least keep her from making a fuss by telling her that he was her husband¡¯s former coworker.


    The problem was that Harold, not satisfied with just entering the house, had gone as far as borrowing the kitchen out of boredom. He entrusted the explanation of that part to Cody¡¯s glib tongue. It was a more important role to assign to him than just assisting with the cooking.


    While his thoughts were going all over the place, Harold sat down and waited for Cody to return with the lady of the house.


    After a few minutes, Harold and Finegan¡¯s wife finally met.


    ¡¾¡±Very nice to meet you, my name is Cynthia.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m Harold Stokes.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Sorry, he¡¯s not the sociable type. Still, he¡¯s not a bad guy, trust me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s fine¡­ So, anyway, you wanted to talk about my husband?¡±]


    She probably had some suspicions about this abrupt situation, but thankfully, she pushed the conversation right ahead. This testified to her desperation in finding any hint of hope to her husband¡¯s condition.


    Harold directed his gaze towards Cody with a look that said, ¡°Explain the situation in my stead¡±. His own mouth was not suited for explaining things, especially not during first meetings. Catching on to Harold¡¯s thoughts, Cody began talking.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll be direct. We might have found a way to improve Finegan¡¯s condition.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I-Is that true?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes. But there is no guarantee.¡±]


    Cody implied that there was a possibility of complete failure. Harold looked at him, thinking, ¡°He can be unexpectedly serious when he wants to, huh.¡±


    Well, as a man holding an authoritative position within the reputed organization of the saint knight order, he naturally could adapt his speech to any situation.


    However, the one who was abnormal here was Harold, whose mouth could only speak harsh and arrogant words whenever he spoke to anyone in any situation, save for his parents.


    ¡¾¡±¡­How much will it cost?¡±]


    Cynthia¡¯s words pulled Harold out of his train of thoughts. Indeed, one would not normally assume that such a treatment could be offered free of charge. That was especially true for those who led difficult lives.


    However, Cody was not that cold. He was a man with a more or less proper personality; he was not going to make any absurd requests. With that conviction, Harold stuck detachedly to the role of a listener. That is until Cody started looking towards him.


    ¡¾¡±What? If you¡¯ve got something to say, say it clearly.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s not that I have something to say. It¡¯s just that we wouldn¡¯t be able to do this without your sword, so it¡¯s up to you to decide.¡± ]


    ¡¾¡±The hell are you on about? I¡¯m just here to lend a weapon. ¡°]


    For Harold, finding out whether he could successfully remove Justus¡¯ brainwashing from Finnegan would be an adequate reward. A few other questions lingered on his mind, but now was not the time to address them.


    In short, Harold was telling Cody to decide on his own.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, I guess¡­ You don¡¯t really have to pay anything for the treatment. It¡¯s fine.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±How could I do such a thing! If you manage to cure my husband, how could I offer nothing in return?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well, I mean, I see your point but, you know¡­¡±]


    The reason Cody was being evasive was that, even though he said it was going to be free, the treatment was going to eat away some of Finegan¡¯s lifespan.


    However, if he explained that to her, Cynthia might have the common reflex of refusing the treatment on the spot. Even if she did accept, it was not easy to put a price on a life-saving debt. Cody was having a visibly hard time coming up with an answer. Meanwhile, Harold was wondering how he himself would go about persuading her.


    Harold understood Cynthia¡¯s feelings, but he did not want to pointlessly waste time on this. He planned to promptly try the treatment on Finegan and to then bring back the results, be they good or bad, to Cody and Cynthia. He had already made his decision.


    ¡¾¡±If I give you a price now, you think the likes of you would have the money to pay? Or perhaps you¡¯re thinking of giving something of value that would make up for the cost?¡±]


    But when Harold tried to chime in to help persuade Cynthia, those were the words that came out.


    Not to mention Cody and Cynthia, even Harold was left speechless by what had unintentionally escaped from his mouth; a mouth that did not understand the concept of subtlety.


    Despite that, he knew the atmosphere would become too heavy and sink to the point of no return, if he kept his silence. While lamenting over his carelessness, Harold rode on the momentum of his previous words and continued speaking.


    ¡¾¡±But you don¡¯t have any of that, do you? And if you do somehow have a few meager savings, shouldn¡¯t you be using them to get those brats of yours a decent meal for a change?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re right but¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t run your mouth about things that you can¡¯t do. I have no need for the gratitude of someone like you.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Harold, you¡¯re going a bit too far.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m just pointing out the facts. You understand? You can either refuse the treatment or accept it free of charge, those are your only choices. It¡¯s useless to think about any other options.¡±]


    Unable to bear with the verbal violence, Cynthia hung her head in shame as tears ran down her cheeks.


    Seeing that, Harold heard his conscience howl at him. But stopping the conversation there would only commit him to being nothing more than a high-handed bastard who spoke nasty words without purpose.


    In a hurry to find a solution, Harold momentarily resolved to put a lid on their conversation and to make up for his words with his actions, instead. He stood up and scooped some of the still steamy vegetable soup into a bowl. He then placed the bowl in front of Cynthia, whose head still hung in shame.


    ¡¾¡±¡­This is?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Before you start running your mouth, drink this.¡±]


    Although Cody and Cynthia seemed to be trying to decipher this sudden action, Harold simply thought that drinking something warm would help her calm down.


    It was hard to tell if she understood his intentions, but she still had a taste of the soup.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s delicious¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Of course it is. I¡¯m the one who made it.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±You made this?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, and some other dishes, too.¡±]


    Saying so, Harold grabbed the meals left from lunch and lined them up on the table. His movements were smooth and controlled as if he was a trained waiter.


    At Harold¡¯s pressing, Cynthia started eating.


    ¡¾¡±How¡¯s the taste of a decent meal?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­It¡¯s delicious. It¡¯s so delicious, it could make me cry¡­¡±]


    (But you¡¯re already crying¡­) Thought Harold, but he naturally kept that rude retort to himself.


    Truthfully, Harold¡¯s cooking was not exceptional. Setting aside professional cooks, his cooking couldn¡¯t even compare to anything the vicinity¡¯s housewives could make. The fact that his food was enough to bring Cynthia to tears attested to how impoverished the household was. On the other hand, Harold was unsure if her tears were for the meal or if they were the remnants of the tears she shed from shame earlier.


    ¡¾¡±Right? Your brats were gleeful too when they ate this completely regular meal. They even cheered in joy when I bought them a mere bar of soap.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why did you go that far for them? You said it yourself, we have nothing to repay you with¡­¡±]


    If Harold could answer that he simply wanted the children to smile, he would instantly leave a good impression on Cynthia. Unfortunately, he was not such a good young man.


    ¡¾¡±I did it on a whim. But it¡¯s not like I have nothing to gain from this. There will be some benefits for me if the treatment succeeds.¡±]


    Glancing at Cody¡¯s face, he saw an expression that read ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t hear about that.¡± Harold had withheld information of his goals from Cody because they weren¡¯t related to him, but thinking back on that, the negotiations could have progressed much more smoothly if he just told him.


    Though, it was too late for regrets.


    ¡¾¡±That being the case, I felt like being generous this time. I am an aristocrat, I can grant you a favor just because I feel like it, and I can punish you just as easily.¡±]


    Harold knew this was cruel to hear, but there was some truth to what he was saying.


    ¡¾¡±We don¡¯t have the same standings. If I want you to do something, you do it. You don¡¯t get to choose. Get that through your thick skull.¡±]


    Cynthia¡¯s face turned grim.


    Her expression revealed her anger towards the arrogant Harold, her misery from her own lack of power, and her resignation towards this cruel world where the weak were at the mercy of the strong.


    But just when she was about to let those emotions overwhelm her and to yield to Harold¡¯s words, a certain voice came to wake her up. It was the voice of none other than Harold, himself.


    ¡¾¡±¡­However, if you¡¯re not able to accept that, then make an oath right here. Swear that you¡¯ll become strong enough to have your own free-will and to protect those you want to protect. If you can make that oath, I¡¯ll lend you the money for the treatment.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah¡­?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Naturally, it will be expensive, much more so than you can afford. Knowing that, will you take a loan or will you leave me alone and let me do what I came here to do? Are you really ready to walk on a steep road and get what you want instead of waiting in vain to be fed like an abandoned bird hatchling?¡±]


    In short, Harold was telling her to either accept the treatment free of charge and end things here or to take a loan and repay it later.


    This was a malicious offer to make to a woman whose family was so poor that she couldn¡¯t afford to take proper care of her household. Harold was well aware of that, but these were two choices he ultimately spun up as both he and his nasty mouth desired to quickly end things.


    (Well, she¡¯s probably going to pick the first option. It might hurt her emotionally but I¡¯ll just let Cody take care of that.) That was what Harold was thinking as he waited for Cynthia¡¯s answer.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I understand. I accept your proposition.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? Then¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, I will take the oath here. I shall become strong enough to protect my husband and my children. And no matter how long it will take me, I will repay this favor without fail.¡±]


    (¡­What?)


    Harold was dumbfounded.


    (Huh? She picked the loan? Does she realize how hard that will be on her? )


    While he was thinking that, Cynthia stood up from her chair, kneeled in front of him, and bowed her head.


    ¡¾¡±I also swear my utmost loyalty to your noble self.¡±]


    The atmosphere was no longer right for Harold to say that she need not go that far.


    Faced with a development that derailed far from his aims, Harold mustered his best and coldly responded, ¡°Humph, save those words for when your husband wakes up, if he does.¡± That was all he could do.


    But this turn of events proved satisfactory in the end, since it would allow him to test the treatment on Finnegan without any delay.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, I see what you did there. Take ¡®A loan¡¯ or leave you ¡®Alone¡¯. Nice pun.¡±]


    For the time being, Harold stopped himself from screaming ¡°I wasn¡¯t making a pun, you moron!¡± at Cody who stood next to him and decided to step on his foot instead.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    (Cynthia¡¯s POV)


    ¡¾¡±That hurt¡­ You got something against my foot now, Harold?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I have something against you saying unnecessary things.¡±]


    Harold and Cody¡¯s exchange dissolved all the accumulated tension.


    Though there was a big age gap between them, they looked like two old friends in Cynthia¡¯s eyes. This wasn¡¯t surprising to her. Cody had come many times to visit after her husband was suddenly bedridden, so she knew his bright and straightforward personality. She felt like he¡¯d be able to become friends with almost anyone.


    On the other hand, Harold was as unfriendly as Cody had said. With his harsh and excessively frank manner of speech, it was easy to guess he was the type to make many enemies.


    But while his words were sharp like knives, for some reason they had struck and moved Cynthia¡¯s heart much more than any encouragement she received in the past.


    Deep down, maybe she had given up. Her husband had been ill for five years, there were no clear hopes of recovery for him and Cynthia¡¯s income was decreasing, which made it impossible to get a doctor to see Finnegan.


    Somewhere in her heart, without realizing it, she may have been thinking that she no longer hand the strength to face this crisis and that the situation just could not be helped.


    But it seemed like this young man, despite his age, had seen straight through her resignation.


    Because he understood what she had been thinking, he made her choose. Was she going to lose and escape from the painful and cold reality or was she going to fight it through her own will?


    He gave her those options for her own sake.


    So that she would be stronger as a wife, and a mother.


    (His words¡­ They were self-centered and harsh¡­ but they were kind.)


    Considering the circumstances, there was no need for a noble like Harold to give Cynthia any options or to even acknowledge her. If he had something to gain from curing Finnegan, then he did not have to discuss anything with her. Whether he succeeded or not, a commoner like Cynthia had no right to complain.


    Harold told her that her only option was to choose, but given her position, even that option was more of a favor than a right. He could just as well have started the treatment on Finnegan straight away like he initially intended.


    However, he did not like the idea of submissively obeying the powerful. Even though he himself was powerful.


    Seeing that Cynthia was faced with a situation that she could do nothing about, he had stretched his hand to her.


    But once she grabbed that hand and stood up, he wanted her to start walking forward through her own power.


    That was what Harold¡¯s words and actions showed from Cynthia¡¯s perspective.


    She had been moved like never before. He had been tough in his approach, but this noble had done everything he could to encourage a commoner like herself. It would be strange if she wasn¡¯t feeling that way.


    Ultimately, she realized one thing. This young man called Harold Stokes was a noble in the true sense of the word.


    ¡¾¡±Well, I guess it¡¯s fine. Anyway, we should hurry and get started.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±R-right now?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I know it¡¯s sudden but Harold is pretty busy.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And yet you dragged me all the way here.¡±] Complained Harold, before standing up from his seat.


    As Cynthia followed him with her eyes, Harold looked straight back at her before asking her a question.


    ¡¾¡±Let me confirm this one last time. The cure I¡¯m about to use is not guaranteed to succeed. It can make him recover but it can also be completely ineffective, and I can¡¯t exclude the possibility that it will add unexpected complications to his condition. Knowing that, you still want me to do it?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Yes. I will leave my husband in your care.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­I see.¡±]


    Harold started walking immediately, like he was saying there was no need to say anything further.


    He had probably already checked where Finnegan was staying seeing as he headed straight towards there.


    Looking inside the room after lighting up the candles, Finegan seemed to be asleep, with his eyes tightly closed.


    Harold stood in front of him and put his hand on his sword¡¯s handle.


    ¡¾¡±¡­What are you doing?¡±]


    However, before Harold could draw out his sword, Cody grabbed his hand and stopped him.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s my line. I can¡¯t let you go that far, alright?¡±]


    The two men silently looked at each other. Cynthia did not understand what was going, but she figured there were some circumstances she did not know about.


    After a few seconds passed, Cody was the first one to speak.


    ¡¾¡±Knowing you, you¡¯ve probably been thinking this whole time that you have to take care of this on your own. Am I wrong?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But I can¡¯t let you do this part. I¡¯m the one who asked you to come here, so let me take responsibility.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Suit yourself.¡±]


    Harold gave in. He passed his still sheathed sword to Cody.


    Cody received it and pulled the sword out.


    ¡¾¡±E-excuse me¡­ What do you intend to do with that?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s a bit hard to explain, but Harold¡¯s sword has a special power. We might be able to cure Finnegan with it.¡±]


    A special power? They were going to use a sword as a cure?


    (He¡¯s not going to cut him with it, right? No way.) Cynthia could not imagine how one would use a sword to cure someone. Without paying attention to her, Cody opened and closed his eyes twice, then thrice, while taking deep breaths.


    Then, the sword¡¯s crystal started shining. At first, in only showed a dim light, but it rapidly became brighter and brighter.


    Cynthia silently watched the process, until Cody started groaning in pain.


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­!¡±]


    He was having trouble breathing and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. The crystal¡¯s light repeatedly blinked and gradually weakened. Before long, it disappeared.


    All of this took only a few minutes, but by the time the light went out, Cody had fallen on one knee, sword still in hand.


    ¡¾¡±Ahh¡­ This is exhausting¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±A-are you alright?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±What happened there? You did not seem fine at all.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No no, there is¡­¡±]


    ¡°nothing to worry about¡± was what Cody wanted to say as he stood up. However, that did not happen, for when he tried to stand up, the sword fell from his hand.


    The metallic sound of the steel blade clattering against the ground echoed within the room.


    ¡¾¡±Give it up. It¡¯s impossible for you. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±¡­You could have clarified that earlier, man. I didn¡¯t think it was this intense.¡±]


    Cody spoke with a self-deprecating smile. Guessing from the exchange he had with Harold earlier, he was probably feeling down because this was his role and he failed to uphold it.


    Nevertheless, he still reached his hand to the sword a second time, but Harold picked it up before him.


    Once he picked it up, Harold looked at the sword fixedly, seemingly lost in his thoughts. This lasted for a little while.


    ¡¾¡±Oh, so that¡¯s what happened.¡±]


    After muttering so, Harold turned to Cody and mercilessly explained what was the matter.


    ¡¾¡±You can¡¯t handle this sword. ¡°]


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re not gonna tell me it chooses its wielder, are you?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Anyone can wield it, just like any other sword. However, you don¡¯t have enough mana to use its functions.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If your mana is the reference to follow here, then you¡¯re more or less the only one who can use it, Harold¡­¡±]


    Looking dejected, Cody sat back down on his chair. He seemed completely worn-out.


    Cynthia knew that Cody was one of the most powerful people of the saint knight order.


    If someone like him was exhausted just from trying to use the sword, that meant it most likely put a considerable burden on its wielder.


    So how come Harold could hold it so nonchalantly? What did this say about him?


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s how it is. So how about you be quiet while I show you how it¡¯s done.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Alright, I get it, I get it. Haaaah¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I last felt that much pity for myself.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s surprising. And here I thought your whole life was pitiful.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Too bad I¡¯m way too thick skinned to mind it. You know me, I¡¯ve no idea what shame is.¡±]


    Although Cody was joking around, his face showed he really was bitter.


    Cynthia was glad to see he felt so sincerely implicated in helping Finnegan. Although he had failed to wield the sword, she was just happy to know there was still someone who had not given up on her husband.


    Even so, he had showed nothing but enthusiasm until now, so Cynthia could not help herself from thinking that maybe there was some other reason he was suddenly feeling down. She did not have suspicions about him, but she was troubled by his earlier use of the word ¡®responsibility¡¯.


    She started wondering if their attempt to help Finnegan was somehow risky for them.


    ¡¾¡±Then use that thick skin of yours to switch back to your usual careless self. Can¡¯t be any worse than having him wake up to your bitter face after 5 years of slumber.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Alright alright, I¡¯ll be as self-confident as ever.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Same goes for you, Cynthia. Is that supposed to be the face of a wife awaiting her husband¡¯s return? I have no need for you to believe in me, but you could at least believe in Finnegan.¡±]


    Harold¡¯s words shook off Cody¡¯s bitterness and Cynthia¡¯s insecurity like they were never there.


    (My, no matter how tough he shows himself to be, he is really kind.)


    His words and his dependable back were enough to give anyone the courage to face adversity. As she thought so, Cynthia spontaneously smiled.


    ¡¾¡±¡­I do believe in Finegan. And I believe in you, too, sir Harold.¡±]


    Perhaps because he was satisfied, Harold turned towards Finnegan¡¯s bed without adding another word.


    Once he readied the sword, the crystal started shining just like earlier. However, the light was clearly stronger than when Cody did it. This likely showed the difference in magic power between them.


    The room¡¯s atmosphere grew hectic. Although Cynthia could not use magic, even she could feel some sort of energy gathering around the sword¡¯s light.


    Once Harold looked like he had gathered enough magic, he held the sword with both hands and thrusted its handle towards Finegan¡¯s abdomen. From there, there was an immediate change.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ Ah¡­ ah!¡±]


    Finnegan opened his eyes; the same hollow eyes that he had had every since he became bedridden; and he let out a small voice.


    Finnegan and Harold were currently enveloped by a dazzling, pale green light. The scene looked like a painting of a god bringing about a miracle. No, for Cynthia, this truly was a miracle.


    A blessing that came to wake her husband from his long slumber after she spent the last five years trying to cure him with no success.


    That was what she was witnessing.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and return already.¡±]


    When Harold suddenly muttered so, the crystal¡¯s light instantly grew stronger before bursting away and vanishing entirely.


    Afterwards, there was silence. The room¡¯s candles were not longer lit. The weak moonlight coming through the window was the only light allowing Cynthia to see Finnegan in the darkness.


    Waiting to see if he would wake up or not, Cynthia could not help herself from being anxious. Her heart was beating so fast that it like it was resounding all over the quiet room.


    The silence lasted for several seconds.


    And then it happened.


    ¡¾¡±Uh¡­W¡­hat? Where am I¡­¡±]


    Finnegan was talking. His voice was hoarse and weak, but he was actually talking.


    Everything looked blurry through the tears gathering in Cynthia¡¯s eyes. She had a lump in her throat and was on the verge of weeping, but she was doing everything she could to hold back and find the strength to greet her husband through the flood of emotions arising in her heart.


    ¡¾¡±Dear..¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Cyn¡­thia? Why¡­ are you crying¡­¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Dear¡­!¡±]


    Cynthia could no longer say a word.


    Though Finnegan was awake, it did not seem like he could get his body up yet, but she still clung to his chest and openly cried as she felt his heartbeat and the warmth of his body.


    Finegan was surely confused, however, there was no way for Cynthia to explain anything to him given her current state. All she could do was call out his name and sob with her face buried in his chest. With all the time he had spent in bed, he was likely so weak that just raising his arms would be painful. Even so, Finnegan silently moved his now skinny right hand to lovingly caress Cynthia¡¯s head and cheek.


    They both immersed themselves in this shared moment, to the point where they did not feel the passing of time. But after god knew how long, the sound of a knock came to interrupt them.


    (Ah!) Cynthia raised her face to look towards the door, when she heard a voice coming from the other side.


    ¡¾¡±Hey guys. Sorry for interrupting this emotional reunion, but for now, I should explain the situation to Finnegan, if that¡¯s okay.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±M-my apologies!¡±]


    Cynthia hurriedly opened the door.


    Looking at the room¡¯s window, some hints of light were starting to come from the outside. It was already almost dawn.


    After entering the room, Cody directly walked up to Finnegan¡¯s bed.


    ¡¾¡±Hey there, Finnegan. How are you doing?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Co¡­ dy¡­? You look¡­ older than¡­ the last time I saw you, but¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That would be because you¡¯ve been sleeping for the past five years. I guess I look a little dandy now.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­What?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I also want to explain that part to you right now, but first, tell me about your body. Do you feel anything abnormal?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well¡­ I can¡­ hardly talk¡­. and¡­ my whole body feels¡­. like it¡¯s made of lead¡­ but¡­ if I¡¯ve been sleeping¡­ for all those years, then¡­ I can see why¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±If you¡¯re in pain, we can talk about this another day if you want.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±No, it¡¯s fine¡­ tell me. What happened¡­ to me¡­?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Alright, then I¡¯ll tell it in the order it happened.¡±]


    Having said so, Cody started explaining.


    He talked about a battle from five years ago, in the Bertis forest, which involved both the knight order and the Stellar tribe.


    He explained that Finnegan was selected as one of the jury in the trial of a new recruit who was suspected of acting as a spy in that battle.


    Then, Cody talked about how, when he asked Finnegan about the trial, he suddenly went mad and started hurting himself. He hadn¡¯t injured himself too much, but after being subdued, he had lost consciousness and kept on sleeping for the next five years.


    ¡¾¡±¨D¨D then, a little while ago, you finally woke up. And that¡¯s where we¡¯re at.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I see¡­ Cynthia¡­ I¡¯m sorry for¡­ all you¡¯ve been through¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re awake now, dear, so everything is alright¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±And Cody¡­ You¡¯re the one¡­ who saved me?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±I wish I were, that would have been pretty cool of me. But the one who saved you is Harold Stokes. Remember him?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Aah, yes. The one on death row¡­ I do remember¡­ So he¡¯s¡­the one who¡­saved me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±W-what do you mean?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s a long story, but basically Harold fell into a trap in the battle I mentioned earlier.¡±]


    According to Cody, Harold was framed and suspect of being a spy, and someone pressured the court to make it so he¡¯d receive the death penalty for it.


    But in reality, far from being a spy, Harold had exposed the Sarian empire¡¯s schemes and had put his life on the line to prevent the start of a conflict between the knight order and the Stellar tribe.


    Even so, he was still sentenced to death, but that turned out to be only a pretext to use and exploit him. As a consequences, Harold¡¯s life was still at risk now, after all this time.


    ¡¾¡±Finnegan, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but did someone threaten your family to make you agree to give Harold the death penalty?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­right¡­ If I didn¡¯t do it¡­ my family¡­ would have been¡­ in danger¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±But that¡¯s¡­! Is mister Harold aware of-¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, he knows. But he doesn¡¯t hold any grudge against Finnegan.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Harold¡­ is he here¡­? If so¡­ I¡¯d like to apologize¡­ and thank him¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Well¡­ Actually, he had an emergency to take care of, so he went out of town immediately after curing you. I stayed to explain everything to you and check your condition.¡±]


    Cynthia was shocked, she didn¡¯t get to thank Harold at all.


    He had given her kindness, courage, happiness with the man she loved, and a mind that now aimed to be stronger.


    And yet, he had just up and left right after. And based on what Cody had said, there was no guarantee that she¡¯d ever meet him again in this life. In other words, he had done all of this knowing that he was possibly going to leave for good afterwards and would never even get a thank you.


    ¡¾¡±But he did have a message for you two. ¡°From now on, you¡¯re free to live as you will.¡± That¡¯s all he said. I know, he could have said something a little more thoughtful.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­No, there is nothing wrong with these words, they are more than good enough.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Is that so? Well, that¡¯s great then.¡±]


    The sun rose and the room¡¯s window fully let its white light in. It was excessively dazzling, but to Cynthia, it looked similar to the light that Harold radiated with. At the sight of this morning sun, she spontaneously looked down to the ground. Though she thought she had stopped crying, she found there were new lines of tears running down her cheeks.


    She knew her words would not reach him but she could not help herself from saying it. ¡°Thank you, for everything.¡±


    ¡¾¡±Mommy, why are you crying? Are you hurt?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Mihai¡­¡±]


    Seeing cynthia cry and rub her eyes, Mihai tried to console her with a hug. He had apparently woken up early.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry Mihai, mommy is fine. Go greet your father, okay?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, mommy¡­ Good morning, papa.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Mihai? Oh, you¡¯re all¡­ grown up¡­¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Ah! Papa! You¡¯re up!¡±]


    Mihai jumped into the arms of Finnegan, who had raised himself up with Cody¡¯s help.


    When Cynthia thought about it, Mihai was born right after Finnegan fell ill. So this was the first time the father and son had ever interacted with each other.


    Mihai was talking to his father with an innocent smile, and Finegan listened to him attentively while smiling and tearing up at the same time. This was it. This was the sight of happiness that Cynthia had been waiting for all these years.


    As she thought of that, Cynthia noticed that Cody looked like he was thinking of something.


    ¡¾¡±Cody, is there a problem?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s no big deal. I was just wondering, how many children do you have?¡±]


    Cynthia did not understand why Cody was asking that. It had certainly been a little while since the last time he came here, but in the last five years, he had come to visit many times. Why was he asking about the family¡¯s composition after all this time?


    While wondering what was up with the odd question, Cynthia answered like it was obvious.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s wrong all of a sudden? Mihai is our only child, Cody.¡±]


    Author¡¯s note: I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to call this foreshadowing, but if you remember, in chapter 51, Finegan did not have any children yet, he said that he was going to be a father soon.


    The child he was about to have was Mihai. Of course, he couldn¡¯t have any children in the meantime, and especially not one who was so much older than Mihai. After all, these events happened five years before the current events.


    There might be some of you who remembered and thought ¡°Wait, what?¡± after hearing of Sarah¡¯s existence.


    So these last three chapters were not about the heartwarming rescue of Finnegan. They were about little Sarah raising new death flags on Harold¡¯s path.

 Chapter 108.1

    Chapter 108


    (Cody¡¯s POV)


    Having confirmed that Finnegan had regained consciousness, Cody left the room with Harold, while feeling useless and ashamed. He was waiting for the atmosphere to be a little less intense before explaining everything to Finnegan and his wife.


    After returning to the living room, he sat down on a chair and let out a long sigh.


    Seeing him like this, Harold spoke to him in his usual tone, with no regard for his state of mind.


    ¡°Satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°Ah well¡­ To be honest, I wanted get this done without bringing any trouble your way, and yet here we are¡­¡±


    ¡°You can only blame yourself for being a weakling.¡±


    ¡°That I am. Sorry¡­ and thank you. Sincerely.¡±


    Cody bowed deeply. Not only had he ended up making Harold help Finegan, but he had even made him use the sword that drained his life. It was because he knew about this aspect of the sword that Cody wanted to handle the situation with his own hands. He had promised himself that he would not depend on Harold this time.


    (In the end, I still left everything to him. I don¡¯t know if I should say I¡¯m shameless or just the worst¡­)


    Cody was not the type to get preachy or says things like ¡®I¡¯m the adult here¡¯. Even so, there was still a reasonable limit to how much he could accept. That was why he had been so adamant on stopping Harold from intervening.


    However, when that sword dropped to the ground and Harold picked it back up to save Finnegan himself, Cody had surrendered.


    He had surrendered to Harold¡¯s strength and kindness. But more than anything, he had surrendered to his own weakness.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your meaningless gratitude. Well, if you do feel like you owe me, then I guess I¡¯ll just have to work you to the bone from now on.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ Please go easy on me.¡±


    ¡®Alright, he wins, I admit defeat¡¯ Thought Cody. This was not a simple question of being physically stronger or weaker.


    Harold had probably used words of encouragement because he had guessed that Cody was sincerely beating himself over what had happened this time.


    It was almost a wonder who was older than who here.


    Harold always had a mature personality since the day Cody first met him, but now that he was a young man, he exuded a kind of special presence and charisma. He was a hero of Vincent¡¯s caliber, or perhaps even greater.


    ¡®Tough break for common sense, this guy¡¯s just something else¡¯Sighed Cody in his mind.


    ¡°Well, anyway, we should get some rest.¡±


    It was already very late at night.


    Looking for an inn at this time of the day was not a realistic option. Besides, in the first place, it would be ridiculous to arbitrarily leave the house now given that they had to explain everything to Finnegan and his wife once the sun would rise.


    ¡°You took care of everything here so you can have the sofa. I can sleep on this chair or on the floor, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Cody stretched himself and yawned. Rather than saying he felt sleepy, it was more accurate to say he was worn out.


    Due to his profession, he was confident in the strength of both his mind and body, but it seemed like the mere act of grabbing that sword had drained him of every bit of his energy. Thinking that this might be what it felt like to have one¡¯s life essence drained, Cody felt shivers down his spine.


    And when he thought of Harold, who could casually wield such a weapon with a calm expression on his face, he felt kind of afraid. He did not understand how Harold could do this. ¡®If you keep letting it drain your life, the only thing waiting ahead of you will be certain death. Aren¡¯t you scared?¡¯


    Of course, even Cody would never say something so insensitive out loud.


    ¡°Oh wait, you¡¯re not one of those guys who absolutely can¡¯t sleep on a sofa, right? Well, you do come from noble birth.¡±


    Though he was the one saying it, it was hard for Cody to believe that Harold was that delicate. He seemed like the type who could fall asleep in the middle of a pitch-black forest while standing up.


    ¡®¡­Hold on, that¡¯s not it. Why is he being so silent? Is he ignoring me? Man, that hurts.¡¯ Thinking so, Cody turned towards Harold¡¯s direction, only to find him very intensely staring at a letter. It was unclear where he had gotten it from.


    Seeing him in such an unusual state, Cody hesitated to call out to him.


    But while he was stuck hesitating, Harold roughly put the letter in his pocket and turned around.


    ¡°Something urgent came up. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you do the explaining to those two. But don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine, but don¡¯t you want to say anything to them?¡±


    ¡°¡­From now on, you¡¯re free to live as you will. Tell them that.¡±


    The second he said that, Harold immediately rushed out of the house, not giving Cody any time to even try to stop him.


    Left in the living room by himself, Cody could only look on in a daze.


    He did not know exactly why Harold had left, but he knew he was a busy man; it couldn¡¯t be helped if he had some urgent business to take care of.


    Besides, Cody did not mind explaining everything to the couple himself. However, the problem was that there was no one left to receive their gratitude for saving Finnegan.


    While he was busy worrying about what he was supposed to do, someone suddenly called out to him from behind the chair he was sitting on.


    ¡¾¡±Mister Cody.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Oh hey, little Sarah. I¡¯m sorry, I guess I woke you up.¡±]


    Standing there in her pajamas was Finnegan¡¯s daughter, Sarah.


    It seemed like Cody had been making a little too much noise. He wondered if he should explain the situation to her right away seeing as she was already awake, but Sarah started speaking before he could say anything to her.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ve done well. However, you have another role to play now.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­Sarah?¡±]


    Something was odd. It was not just her way of speaking, nor was it her gaze that was locked right on him yet felt like it was peering into an empty void.


    Something was amiss. It was like a fundamental part of her was out of place.


    However, Cody did not know what it was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t think of any answer, it was as if his brain was refusing to think.


    Sarah slowly walked closer to him, one step at a time. Her behavior was obviously not normal, but as she stared through him with her sky blue eyes, Cody found himself unable to move.


    (Sky-blue¡­? No, the color of her eyes is supposed to be¡­)


    Before Cody could fully remember, something blocked his vision. The small palms of Sarah¡¯s hands covered his eyes.


    He could tell from the soft touch of her hands on his forehead that his eyes were being covered. Even so, his body remained petrified.


    ¡¾¡±What are you doing to¡­¡±]


    Before he could finish his question, everything in his field of vision turned black.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll make for another fine trial for him.¡±]


    The voice that reached his ears right before he lost consciousness was fuzzy. It was stuck somewhere between Sarah¡¯s regular voice and the voice of an adult man.


    ¡ó

 Chapter 108.2

    Chapter 108 (part 2)


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    Harold was running out of breath. This was proof that he was running with all his power.


    Even so, he kept going without any breaks.


    The sun was already high in the sky. Harold was cynically thinking that this clear blue sky was here to make fun of him for going through one unexpected predicament after another, with nothing ever going smoothly for him.


    He could not help his thoughts from going to such a negative place given the emergency of the situation he was being faced with.


    (Why the hell did they already step into Harrison¡¯s mansion?!)


    There certainly was supposed to be an event where Liner fought in Harrison¡¯s mansion in order to get back his sword. But through Elu and Frieri, Harold knew how things had been progressing on Liner¡¯s side, and he knew there were supposed to be 2 or 3 more events before this one. But these events had been skipped to make way for this sudden progress of the story.


    Back when he read the emergency contact letter that had been suddenly delivered to Finnegan¡¯s house, Harold had been stuck in disbelief.


    Harold hadn¡¯t told Elu about the original story in detail as he thought it would seem odd and would raise questions. All he had told him was basically to just tail and observe Liner and the others without being noticed, and to contact him him if they did anything that stood out. He had also told him about a few key events, pretending they were predictions of the future. When any of those events took place, Elu had to notify Harold immediately and in priority over anything else.


    That was why Elu had sent an emergency contact letter to notify him, but that¡¯s all it was, a notification. The content of the letter was not sufficient for Harold to make a guess as to how the situation had progressed so fast. The easiest way for him to know would be to hear it directly from Elu, but Harold unfortunately did not have time for even that.


    ¡¾¡±This should be it¡­!¡±]


    After running faster than a horse for hours without stopping for a second, the building he was looking for finally came in sight.


    He was currently at one of the medium sized towns scattered around the royal capital. In the middle of that town, there was a mansion the size of a small castle. If the event was progressing like it did in the original work, then the fight was supposed to start around the terrace on the top floor of this mansion.


    That being the case, Harold kicked the brick wall of a house to climb on top of it, and then ran from roof to roof at full speed, straight to Harrison¡¯s mansion. There was quite a distance between some of the houses because of the roads that separated them here and there, but jumping over that much space was nothing for Harold.


    Though he was probably being an annoyance to the people who lived in the town, he still maintained his maximum speed as he came closer to the mansion.


    In reality, Harold should have had the time to sneak into the mansion at his own pace.


    He had come up with a theory when he was staying in Vincent¡¯s hospital room. He thought that if his theory was correct, then there was a chance he¡¯d be able to bring back Ventos and Lilum¡¯s ego, and their emotions with it. It was then that Cody proposed to him to go treat a man who had what seemed to be almost the same symptoms as the two siblings.


    Harold had figured that if this went well, then he might be able to save Ventos and Lilium. At the time, he believed that he still had some time on his hands despite the progress of the events on Liner¡¯s side. That was why he had granted Cody¡¯s request.


    And the result ended up being a great success. Thanks to this, the likelihood of him being able to save the siblings had increased. But just when he had been having those positive thoughts, life had thrown this unexpected situation his way.


    ¡¾¡±Shit!¡±]


    Harold reflexively tossed out an insult.


    If the information written on the letter was true, then the fight in the mansion had probably already started by now. Harold did not believe for a second that Liner and the others would be defeated, but Ventos and Lilium were another story.


    In the game, after being defeated in combat, the siblings had turned against Harrison, but nothing was said about what happened to them afterwards. It was believed that they had regained their emotions and ego, but maybe Harrison had killed either one of them from anger after his defeat. In the first place, they might have turned against Harrison simply because they had been ordered to somehow kill him by Justus, and not because they had been freed from his control.


    If that was the case, then they would be doomed unless Harold could somehow manage to save them.


    (Do I have to be responsible for someone else¡¯s life again¡­?!)


    Thinking back to the past, back when he had first arrived, he had somehow managed to avoid Carla¡¯s death while he was still trying to understand the absurdity of possessing the body of a game¡¯s character. Smiliarily, in the Bertis forest, he couldn¡¯t abandon Sid and the others and he even ended up looking after the Sumeragi family¡¯s private army. Then, not that long ago, he barely managed to somehow capture the brainwashed Vincent while keeping him alive. And though the situation was little bit different, Finnegan might also have died soon if Harold had not intervened.


    But every time he had to lift the weight of another¡¯s life like so, he was swarmed by feelings of anxiousness and fear, and just wanted to tell the world ¡°Give me a break already¡±. However, this world still kept putting the lives of others on his shoulders, one after the other, as if to ridicule him.


    Perhaps this just went to show just how much the world hated the existence called ¡°Harold Stokes¡±.


    However, it did not matter if things became difficult, it did not matter if he was the most hated man in the world, and it did not matter if causality and destiny itself tried to enforce the death of ¡®Harold Stokes¡¯; his will to survive would not be shaken. He was going to avoid all his death flags to the end, and then tell the world to ¡®suck it¡¯.


    But before he could hurl those words at the world, there were some things that had to be done ¨D¨D!


    Cha-ching!


    A metallic sound echoed all around. Harold caught the swords of the two young women, blocking the two heavy impacts that did not seem like they could come from their slender arms. He had arrived at an extremely critical time.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Harold-sama?¡±]


    Erica was staring straight at Harold. He had literally jumped up to the top of a four-story building to interrupt the fight.


    Harold felt like the expression in Erica¡¯s eyes looked completely lifeless, but his priority at the moment was to deal with Lilium. While still holding the blade of Lilium¡¯s scimitar, he pulled her by the arm and struck the pit of her stomach with the handle of his sword.


    The blow was violent but did not deal any damage to her. However, because she used too much magic before Harold came here, Lilium collapsed on the spot.


    Harold caught her delicate body and placed her on one of the benches that had not been covered in ice.


    Next, he smiliarily thrust his sword at Ventos, who immediately lost consciousness like his sister. Harold then destroyed the ice restraining him and carried him to another bench.


    Harold was relieved, at least he still had a chance to save the siblings.


    Through the whole process, the only person who said anything Harrison, who was wailing pitifully while kneeling on all fours. He was unable to stand because his feet were encased in ice. As for Liner and the others, they only stared bewilderedly at the scene that was happening in front of them. For now, Harrison was being too noisy, so Harold broke his ice restraints and dug his fist in his abdomen to force him into silence.


    Then, he finally turned towards Liner and the others.


    Harold could not tell what kind of emotions were in their eyes as they gazed at him. Were they simply surprised? Or were they confused by his sudden intrusion? Either way, the words Harold would say next were going to be very important. If he handled this poorly, his very own survival could be at stake.


    Once he firmly established that thought in his mind, Harold decided to speak.


    ¨D¨D No. He had no choice but to speak.


    ¡¾¡±If you bastards take a single step from here, believe me when I say I¡¯m going to slice you up. But make no mistake, I¡¯m dying to see you try.¡±]


    These words were from one of the three battle events that opposed Harold and Liner¡¯s party in the original story.


    This was the line Harold had used at the start of their first memorable fight.

 Chapter 109.1

    Chapter 109


    Eight years had passed since Harold Stokes was replaced by Kazuki Hirasawa.


    This whole time, he had been tormented by his mouth that always relayed cynical abuses instead of his own words. But he could not deny that he had become accustomed to it to a certain point in these last eight years.


    How could he not get used to it? If he kept thinking about how his words would make a person hate him or how it would hurt that person, he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to open his mouth.


    Besides, even though the abuses he hurled at everyone made him look like a questionable individual, those words were not backed up by his subsequent actions. This contrast brought a subtle change that turned him form ¡®the worst of all trash¡¯ to merely ¡®trash¡¯ in people¡¯s eyes, which was better than nothing. By this point, he was used to being the target of hate and disdain anyway.


    However, there was something he had yet to grow accustomed to, even now.


    It was the fact that when he found himself in a situation similar to something that happened to Harold Stokes in the game, his mouth would arbitrarily repeat the same lines the character said in the game.


    This happened to him back when he volunteered to take care of Clara¡¯s execution, which then led him to fake her death, and it  happened again when Justus came to meet him in the dungeon where he had been locked up.


    The latter event never happened in the game, but there was a similar situation where ¡®Justus wanted to grant power to Harold¡¯, which happened at around the same timing.


    Based on that, Harold guessed that what he referred to as the ¡®Line Repetition¡¯ was something that would happen when there was an event or situation that led to a similar development to what happened to the Harold character in the original story. He felt it was safe to assume that this Line Repetition wouldn¡¯t be triggered by new developments that hadn¡¯t happened in the original story, or by things that had already happened in the last eight years.


    Harold did not have much proof behind his theory. He did think of intentionally starting events from the original story to see if that did anything, but since everything that was related to the character of Harold was also connected to death flags in some way, he could not take that risk.


    However, now, the Line Repetition had happened again, and it had picked one of the worst times of all to do so.


    Before Harold had been able to say what he wanted to smooth things over with everyone, his mouth had let out the lines from the scene where Liner confronted Harold as his enemy for the first time in the game.


    Normally, this battle event was supposed to happen at an early stage in the story, when the hero¡¯s party was only composed of Liner, Colette and Hugo. But right now, the hero¡¯s party had all six of its members, and this was not Harold¡¯s first meeting with Liner.


    (Damn it! Is that how it works?!)


    Harold hurriedly tried to think of why this was happening, and reached one conclusion.


    The first time Harold had confronted Liner in this world was back in the tournament in Delfit. At that point, they did face off against each other but it was a friendly combat, not an actual fight. Then, they fought again in the fog valley, but Harold had not been fighting as himself, he had been pretending to be someone else.


    However, right now, Harold had appeared while being Harrison¡¯s underling, just like in the original story, and he was facing Liner as a real opponent.


    (¡­I was far too negligent.)


    The Line Repetition was far too rare for him to be able to figure out the conditions behind it. Moreover, he had already fought against Liner in the past, and the current state of things had deviated an awful lot from the original story.


    Knowing all that, it had never crossed Harold¡¯s mind that the repetition would be triggered here.


    ¡¾¡±W-what are you saying, Harold¡­¡±]


    Liner spoke with a slightly trembling voice, like he was witnessing something unbelievable. Well, Harold was not his traveling buddy or anything, but he still considered him to be an ally. Pure as he was, Liner could not compute the clearly and undoubtedly hostile words he had just heard. Looking at everyone else¡¯s expressions, all of them seemed confused, to varying degrees.


    The only one who was giving Harold a serious look was Erica. But Harold could tell this was not out of hatred. Rather, it felt like Erica was neither happy nor sad nor¡­ Well, either way, this was neither the time nor the place to get distracted by that.


    ¡¾¡±Are you being serious?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Who knows? Why don¡¯t you take a step and see if you get sliced up or not?¡±]


    Harold tried to give a negative answer to Erica, but he only let out some more provocative words instead. In short, he was just once again going through the development that he had learned to grow familiar with.


    This was his opportunity to show off to himself what he had learned through all these years and to put the situation back on the right track.


    First, Harold turned around, showing Liner and the others his back, to show through his actions that he had no intention to fight. Given their personalities, he knew they wouldn¡¯t attack him from the back no matter what he said, so it was safe to do this.


    With his back still turned, he stepped towards a different corner of the mansion¡¯s rooftop.


    He went towards a shed that occupied about one third of the large rooftop.


    He tried to turn the shed¡¯s doorknob with his hand, but it was locked. As a last resort, he used his sword to cut down the door along with the whole outer wall of the shed, and then proceeded to check what was inside.


    There, he found a very large collection of weapons. He remembered that, back in the game, there had only been a few swords and axes decorating the walls unlike here. He supposed that small difference did not really matter.


    Still, the number of weapons exhibited inside was truly enormous. Some of them clearly distinguished themselves from the rest. Among them was the sword that was stolen from Liner¡¯s family, and the treasures Harold, Lilium and Ventos had brought from the ancient ruins were all enshrined at the center of the room.


    These could be used to give a strength boost to Liner¡¯s party. Granted, if they tried to fight the last boss by just wearing this equipment, it would still be checkmate for them. However, Harold had already prepared a solution for that through Frieri.


    For now, as long as they had these weapons, they party should be able to progress smoothly through their quest.


    ¡¾¡±Liner. This is what you were looking for, right?¡±]


    As he said so, Harold took out the Gramgrand sword that had been stolen from the Griffith¡­ Or rather, the sword that he himself had stolen from the Griffith family, and then threw it towards Liner.


    The sword fell in an arc that outlined a clean semi-circle in the air before it landed right in front of Liner¡¯s feet.


    However, Liner did not try to pick up the sword, and his facial expression became even more distorted.


    While Harold wondered what the problem was, Colette spoke up.


    ¡¾¡±How¡­ how do you know that it¡¯s his sword?¡±]


    The answer was that Harold knew because of his knowledge of the game¡¯s story, and because he was the one who had stolen it in the first place, but he could not say any of that.


    Even so, he did not understand, what was so strange about him knowing that information? He had already been told, as ¡®Harold¡¯, that some robbers had broken into the house of Liner¡¯s family and stolen their sword.


    However, Colette¡¯s next words made Harold¡¯s blunder abundantly clear.


    ¡¾¡±Even Liner has never seen the sword before, so how¡­¡±]


    Originally, the Gramgrand sword did not have a scabbard; instead, it was stored inside an iron box. However, inside the shed, it was openly exhibited without the box. Since Liner had never seen it, then the only ones who should be aware of how it looked were his parents, Olbel and Leona, who had found it in the ancient ruins.


    If so, then the fact that Harold had recognized the stolen sword at first glance could only be seen as odd. Given the situation, they were probably suspecting that Harold knew how the sword looked because he was connected to the people who had stolen it.


    Seeing Colette¡¯s and Liner¡¯s reactions, it was clear that their thoughts had gone in that direction.


    Though the situation was more complicated than what they assumed, the fact of the matter was that they were exactly right.


    Harold did not have the time to think of how to answer. Staying silent or taking too long to answer would be the same as admitting that they hit the bull¡¯s-eye.


    He had to deny their suspicions immediately, yet he also had to choose his words carefully. Such was his conundrum.


    ¡¾¡±How, you ask? Do I have to spell it out for you?¡±]


    But these were the words that ultimately came out. It was a neutral reply, but under these circumstances, any unclear answer could only be considered as an implicit confirmation of the duo¡¯s doubts.


    Had he gotten too dependent on proving his real intentions through actions alone? Was that method obsolete, now? No, that was not it. This was all due to his own carelessness.


    (What is this, an overconfidence flag? I pick these damn flags way too fast.)


    I wouldn¡¯t expect any less from ¡®Harold¡¯, he thought, in self-derision.


    At this point, all he wanted was to just run away from here.


    However, in the real world, things rarely go the way we want them to.


    ¡¾¡±Why would you¡­ I thought we were friends¡­!¡±]


    Liner gripped the handle of his Gramgrand sword with his shaky hands. As he glared at Harold, tears accumulated in his eyes, to the point where they were about to spill out at any moment.


    For someone frank, nice, and genuine like Liner, who greatly valued his family and friends, this turn of events must have been heart-breaking. Knowing his personality, Harold could guess how he felt.


    There probably was not a single hint of falsehood in Liner¡¯s claim that he considered Harold to be his friends.


    Finding out that a person he thought of as a friend had ties with the people who had hurt his parents must have brought him immeasurable anger and sorrow.


    The surrounding atmosphere suddenly turned very tense. Liner readied his sword, releasing a special kind of pressure intended to intimidate his opponents.


    Harold also readied his sword. He resigned himself to the situation, thinking, ¡®In the end, I guess I¡¯m still gonna have to fight¡¯.


    The problem wasn¡¯t that he had not considered the possibility of this happening at some point. Rather, from what he knew of the original story, he used to think the fight would be unavoidable.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Your friendship is meaningless to me. Don¡¯t you remember what I told you? Crowding with others is a weakling¡¯s way of life.¡±]


    Nevertheless, he wished he didn¡¯t have to fight Liner and the others. He did not want to clash blades with these impossibly kindhearted heroes, who were going to save the world.


    He had been thinking that perhaps he would be able to avoid this fight now that he was starting to stray away from the original story, but his wish did not come true. Knowing from experience that it was time to give up, Harold went ahead and turned on the Switch in his consciousness.


    ¡¾¡±Harold, I can¡¯t deny that you¡¯re strong¡­ But couldn¡¯t you use that strength to protect others instead of hurting them?! Couldn¡¯t you have stopped these guys before they did any harm?!¡±]


    Liner¡¯s gaze was pointed towards benches where Ventos and Lilium were lying down.


    ¡¾¡±Of course I could have. Ending these two would be no challenge to me.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±So why did you let my mom and dad get¡ª!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Because it was necessary.¡±]


    This was the last straw.


    With a single stride, Liner covered the distance between himself and Harold. This move was much faster than anything he had shown back in the fog valley, and the sword attack that followed was endowed with a sharpness far beyond what any common human could attain.


    But what was even worse than all that was his Gramgrand sword, which had a function that allowed it to absorb the surrounding magic power to fuel magic-attribute attacks.


    As the sword came swinging downward, its blade became covered with flames, like it was responding to Liner¡¯s wrath.


    This inflamed blade could burn anything it touched. However, using his two swords, Harold blocked the attack with such force that Liner¡¯s sword was completely repelled away as he was powerfully pushed back.


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­!¡±]


    Bracing his legs, Liner endured the impact and only slid on the ground without breaking his stance.


    However, Harold was no longer focused on him.


    (There is no meaning in injuring them! This is the worst! But I can¡¯t afford to be careless here; I have to stay alert¡ª)


    The moment Harold tried to step forward; an attack came near his feet.


    The explosion that followed created a 3 feet (1m) crater in the ground, at the center of which there was one single arrow. Needless to say, this came from the only person here who used a bow.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºWind fan strike¡»¡°]


    She, who chanted her spell with a completely emotionless voice while aiming her arrow towards Harold, was none other than Erica.


    Looking at her eyes, Harold saw no sadness or anger, only his own reflection, and an indifference that matched the tone of her voice. Coupled with her beauty, this made her appear like a sophisticated doll, both pretty and eerie at the same time.


    ¡¾¡±Sir Harold, I do not understand what you are thinking.¡±]


    Although she had already attacked, Erica suddenly started talking.


    ¡¾¡±¡­So what?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Even if I asked you why do we have to fight, I suppose I wouldn¡¯t get an answer anyway, would I?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­¡­¡±]


    Harold did not have any reason to fight Liner and the others here. He had only fallen into this predicament because his words were imposed on him, which led the original story¡¯s events to become entwined with the current situation. However, if Harold tried to explain that, he would only end up seeming like he was making fun of the party and looking down on them.


    That being the case, he just stayed silent and did not answer anything.


    ¡¾¡±¡­At this point, it doesn¡¯t matter. If you wish to fight, if you have a reason to fight us, then we will do just that.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±¡­You¡¯re one troublesome woman.¡±]


    Harold reflexively smiled. It was not a cynical smile, but a smile of self-ridicule.


    In the original story, Erica was the type of character that talked first and fought after. Well, as an RPG¡¯s party member, she naturally had no trouble fighting against anyone or anything, but based solely on the personality she showed within the story of the game, she was never openly willing to fight, even when the fight was imposed on her.


    She was like a saint that craved for peace, and she avoided letting things turn violent whenever she could.


    Knowing how peaceful she was, her current behavior showed just how much she truly despised Harold at this moment.


    And Harold could blame none other than himself for letting things turn out this way. He had no right to complain about her hostility.


    Erica held up her bow, pulled its string, and once again point it at Harold.


    Although this was happening at a different time than it did in the game, it seemed like the iconic fight between Harold and the full hero¡¯s party was about to start.


    ¡¾¡±Let us fight.¡±]


    And with that last line from Erica, the battle indeed began.

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    (Erica¡¯s POV)


    ¡¾¡±Hey, come on, are you guys serious?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Liner, Erica, calm down!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Why should I?! Harold hurt my dad and mom! This is unforgivable!!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Yes, he¡¯s right. Let¡¯s fight him¡­ If we win, we¡¯ll hear all the answers we want directly from him.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±B-but I¡­¡±]


    As Erica and Harold were readying themselves to fight, Lifa and Hugo were watching from the side. They tried to change their mind, but their opinions were not welcomed.


    I figured this would happen Thought Eriuca to herself, feeling sorry for her companions.


    It wasn¡¯t like she did not understand why Hugo and Lifa thought the group should not fight Harold. Erica did not want to fight him either. Herself pointing her weapon at Harold was the most abominable image she could imagine.


    Harold was arrogant and selfish. He saved people arrogantly, and he let himself get hurt selfishly. He did even if no one was there to see it, even if nobody ever noticed.


    Though everyone hated him, he was willing to keep going, even if it meant being all alone.


    There could be a reason why Harold had hurt Liner¡¯s parents and was trying to fight the group now. Perhaps it was a mistake to fight him.


    Even so, Erica still chose to fight Harold, like he wanted her to.


    (I¡¯m afraid this is all I can possibly do for you¡­)


    She was not someone who could support Harold. She was not good enough to be able to go against Harold¡¯s flow for his sake.


    Now that Erica had fully realized that, all she could do was to fully respect his wishes. No matter how bitter this decision was, she was going to fight with all her power.


    ¡¾¡±If you do not want to participate in this fight, please fall back.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Erica! Stop being so stubborn!¡±]


    Lifa¡¯s shouting fell on deaf ears.


    Right now, Erica was trying to do the only thing she could do for the man she loved. She was not going to give that up. There was nothing to discuss.


    ¡¾¡±No, I cannot back down.¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Just listen to me, you have to stop¨D¨D¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Hey.¡±]


    The ice cold voice rendered the chaotic atmosphere much more tense and serious.


    Harold had yet to take any stance. He was merely holding his two swords, which were still completely lowered down. However, the pressure he exuded was much more powerful than anything the party had ever witnessed from other opponents up to now.


    ¡¾¡±What are you going on about? If you¡¯re not going to fight, I¡¯ll end this right here.¡±]


    His words were ambiguous but everyone could guess what he meant by it. Harold truly intended to fight them.


    Save for Liner, who had already let the blood rush to his head, the rest of the group was probably more than a little shaken by this declaration. This included Erica as well, but she was able to bear with it, and stare straight back at Harold.


    At this point, Hugo and Lifa found the resolve to join the fight, and Colette took a fighting stance as well.


    ¡¾¡±Let¡¯s see what you got, Harold!¡±]


    Liner¡¯s words were the true start signal of the fight.


    ¡ó


    (Harold¡¯s POV)


    ¡¾¡±Ah!¡±]


    The flashes of the inflamed sword carried with them all of Liner¡¯s strength. As the name of the ¡°Great Wrath Gramgrand¡± sword suggested, the power of the sword and flames kept growing as if they were being fed by Liner¡¯s anger. But what was even more astounding was that Liner was able to keep up with Harold¡¯s speed.


    His sword was connected to his emotions, be they positive or negative. When he let his feelings explode, he was able to unleash his potential and increase his strength by many folds. That was Liner¡¯s way of fighting. Harold couldn¡¯t help himself from thinking, ¡®How fitting of an RPG protagonist¡¯.


    Harold¡¯s fighting method, on the other hand could be said to be the complete opposite. He was always observing his opponents¡¯ movements, dodging their attacks, and making sure that his own attacks would land.


    What he allowed him to adopt this fighting style was his far superior speed, but he also had another absolute advantage: the fact that he ¡®knew¡¯ the skills of his opponents and the winning tactics they might go for. And that made him no easy adversary.


    Even in a situation like this one, where he had the overwhelming handicap of having to fight 6 on 1.


    While Harold was caught up with Liner¡¯s powerful onslaught, a fierce tonfa attack came from his blind-spot. Harold instantly turned 180 degrees and repeled Collette¡¯s blow with a kick.


    In addition to the hardness of the wood that was used to make the tonfa in the first place, this weapon was also endowed with magic power, which made it far more solid than any average metal. Trying to kick something this solid away was like begging to get a broken bone, but Harold made it look easy.


    With a dull ¡®crack¡¯, the tonfa broke in half.


    This was the ¡®Artillery kick¡¯ skill Harold had used in the past to crush the massive branch-like arms of a hammer treant. This technique was based on a popular move that was called ¡°Heel drop¡±. In the game, this move was only used to tie-in multiple combos, but Harold had improved it.


    The ¡®heel drop¡¯ could now give a great boost to his leg strength and to the impact of his kick, and it was nothing like what it used to be in the original story. It had turned into Harold¡¯s own original skill.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s impossible¡­!¡±]


    Colette¡¯s face showed great shock. She had probably never imagined that her tonfa, which she could normally use to clash against swords, would be broken by a mere kick.


    Still, her attack had created an opportunity for Francis and Hugo to come closer and go for a pincer attack.


    Even though he was the only one who could keep up with Harold¡¯s speed, Liner stopped moving to allow his three comrades to go for their coordinated attack. The party had probably already figured they¡¯d be no match for Harold in a on-on-one fight. They were making the right call.


    However, Harold already knew about this coordinated attack to some extent.

 Chapter 110.2

    Chapter 110 (Part 2)


    One of the experiences Harold had acquired from his very thorough playthroughs of ¡®Brave Hearts¡¯ was to play by imposing himself a sort of handicap. This handicap consisted of composing the one¡¯s party of only Liner, Colette, Francis and Hugo, who could all hardly use any magic or ranged attacks.


    Since most of their techniques were close or mid-ranged, and given that their recovery spells were not sufficient to heal themselves, it was necessary for the player to be particularly precise with their defense and their coordination when using them together.


    Back then, Harold had found it to be extremely arduous to use that combination of characters to fight against opponents such as the combo demon, Harold Stokes, the melee expert, Vincent, and the last boss, Justus, who fought by firing storms of highly powerful, long-ranged attacks.


    That being said, it was thanks to that laborious playthrough that he knew. He knew they could not reach the current ¡®Harold¡¯.


    More importantly, in the past, Harold had already prepared counter-measures in case the party were to become hostile towards him one day. Indeed, it was in preparation for such times that Harold had kept fighting all by himself against Sid and the others, as well as Isaac and his squad, for almost two months straight.


    Of course, Liner and the rest of the party were much tougher opponents. Still, those days of training had undeniably helped him learn how to instantly tell when he should dodge or block while being attacked from every direction.


    A long halberd came down and was easily dodged by Harold. The attack did not have enough power to destroy the ground upon landing, so there was no way it could have been a threat.


    Hugo naturally tried to raise the halberd back up and fix his stance, but Harold used the power of that lift to kick himself off the halberd¡¯s long handle and jump up, neatly avoiding the thrust of Francis¡¯ weapon, who had been right behind him.


    Harold¡¯s jump pushed him three meters up in the sky, yet that did nothing to stop a fleet of arrows from coming for him immediately after. Only a few of those seemed like they could hit, and they were all blocked by his sword.


    However, Harold soon found out this was only a distraction.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºBolt Lance¡»!¡±]


    The frontal attacks of the four¡¯s combined efforts had been coming from every direction, blocking all of Harold¡¯s escape routes. This left him with a single path of escape; jumping to the sky. But the only thing waiting for him there were Erica¡¯s arrows. This barely but unavoidably diverted his attention, making it impossible for him to completely dodge the spell that was fired by Lifa through her own brand of magic, backed up by the power of science and Justus¡¯ guidance.


    This coordinated attack between the group of six was beyond what could be achieved in the game. It was a truly splendid display of cooperation. Or rather, it could have been, if Harold hadn¡¯t already seen through it.


    The truth of matter was that, while Harold had been dealing with the attacks of Liner and the others, the ones he had been the most wary of were Lifa and Erica, as they could both use very powerful spells.


    Given the circumstances, he had already anticipated that Lifa would be the one dealing the finishing blow.


    After all, the rest of the group had been in the middle of a chaotic fight against him, and they had all been standing 3 meters below him at the moment of the attack. As long as they were gathered together, using a large-scale spell that could reach the surroundings would be too difficult. Hence why Harold was daring to face them one by one.


    Moreover, Harold knew that the power and speed of Erica¡¯s arrows made them the ideal attack to restrain him from a distance. Having fought alongside Erica before, the rest of the group was surely well aware of that, too. Therefore, the optimal choice was clearly to let Erica restrain Harold, and let Lifa attack.


    But Harold¡¯s specialty was speed, so if Lifa was going to attack him with her magic, she would most likely have to pick her fastest spell, ¡®Bolt Lance¡¯.


    Indeed, using that spell would be her best chance to land a hit. Although the attack was not powerful enough to defeat Harold in a single blow, it could still induce complete paralysis.


    However, that spell happened to belong to the attribute Harold was the most proficient at using, the lightning attribute. By the time he had blocked the group of arrows aiming at him, he had been fully ready to fire that very same spell.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºBolt Lance¡»¡°]


    Harold fired his spell at almost the same time as Lifa, and her Bolt Lance was easily swallowed by his. As the two identical attacks cancelled each other out, they turned into a blinding light, more powerful then the light of the sun in the clear sky.


    Everyone in the party reflexively looked away and closed their eyes. When they opened them back after a short moment of silence, they found Harold calmly standing there, without a single bruise on him.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡±]


    Unlike what his words of disappointment seemed to imply, Harold had actually barely made it.


    The only reason he had been been able to avoid taking any damage was that he had no intention to attack and was fully focused on dodging. This would have been a whole different story if he had been intending to defeat the whole party. Then again, the final decisive battle had never been closer, so injuring the party now was the last thing Harold wanted. He had to avoid that at all cost.


    But considering the events that were coming, it would not be a good idea for Harold to let himself get injured either. If that was going to happen, then it was better for him to escape directly and ignore the bad blood between him and the party. However¡­


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re not done yet!¡±]


    Annoyed by Harold¡¯s words, Liner rushed to him while shouting in anger.


    Although Liner hadn¡¯t really been injured, this battle was about avenging his parents. It was unfortunately very understandable for him to be angered upon being told ¡°Is that¡¯s all you¡¯ve got?¡±.


    Before the start of the battle, not everyone in the party had agreed to let the fight happen, so Harold had figured he could use that opportunity to say ¡°Guys, how about we stop this and put this fight behind us?¡±.


    But that did nothing to change their mind.


    Well, it was a natural result since what actually came out of Harold¡¯s mouth was ¡°If you¡¯re not going to fight, I¡¯ll end this right here.¡±, which was more of a declaration of war than an offer of truce.


    Even so, thanks to that mishap, Liner, whose biggest flaw was that he was too emotional, let his feelings get the better of him and did something very careless.


    ¡¾¡±Aaaaaaah!¡±]


    The power of his fire-sword had grown ever higher. As it came down and hit the ground, it called forth a raging flame.


    What Liner had failed to realize was that his dash forward had left him with no one to cover his back.


    Harold avoided the attack effortlessly, and in one smooth motion, he went behind Liner and hit him with the handle of his sword on the back of his head.


    ¡¾¡±Ugh¡­!¡±]


    Liner groaned but held his ground and did not fall down. Harold had intended to make him pass out in a single blow, but as expected of Liner, he was very resilient. Perhaps this was a pure manifestation of his determination to not be defeated.


    Harold proceeded to stab his black sword into the ground, and then pressed the back of Liner, who was still staggering, with his left hand.


    The next moment, there was a loud sound followed by a flash of light. Without uttering a single sound, Liner crumbled down to the ground.


    ¡¾¡±Liner!¡±]


    Colette ran up to him right after, and was soon followed by Hugo and Francis.


    Colette and the others overlapped each other right in the place that Lifa and Erica had been aiming at.


    Erica had been ready to fire her next arrow, but this had surely forced her to stay her hand. After all, even though she was a master of the bow, landing an arrow on Harold would be no simple task for her even under normal circumstances, as he was fast enough to easily avoid such attacks. Besides, Lifa, who was standing right next to her, was still not ready to fire her next spell.


    After confirming that he would be safe on that front, Harold lightly lowered his body. As his posture suggested that he was about to leap at Colette, Francis and Hugo tried to step forward to protect her.


    However, Harold was much faster. By the time they pushed their feet against the ground, Harold had already covered the distance that separated him from them.


    ¡¾¡±Huh?¡±]


    The one who let out an exclamation of surprise was Hugo. That was probably because he realized that Harold had suddenly switched targets to himself instead of Colette. Not only was Harold too fast to be followed by sight, but Hugo had also likely not thought for a second that he, of all the people present, would be picked as a target.


    To him, this was basically a surprise attack.


    Harold once again used the handle of his sword, but his time, he went for the chin. Even Hugo, with his strong armor of muscles, was powerless against this attack that quite literally shook his brain. His muscular body fell face-up, and he stopped moving.


    The very next moment, before Francis could finally fix his stance, Harold kicked him in the abdomen, and then charged a bolt of electricity in his palm. This was a ¡®Lightning palm¡¯.


    And a single hit from it proved to be enough to take away Francis¡¯ consciousness, just like in Liner¡¯s case.


    Although this was what Harold had been aiming for, he felt like this had gone too quickly. Taking down one member after the other, he had already incapacitated half of the party.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Really? That¡¯s it?¡±]


    Harold unintentionally let those words out.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself from wondering if they would really be able to defeat Justus, but no answer came to clear his doubts.


    Colette¡¯s shoulders jumped when she realized her allies had been taken down while she was focused on running up to Liner.


    She seemed dumbfounded.


    Even so, she still went in front of Liner to protect him, but she couldn¡¯t fight. Her weapon had been destroyed.


    ¡¾¡±So, you¡¯re the only ones left?¡±]


    As he said so, Harold turned towards Erica and Lifa, like he was saying that Colette wasn¡¯t worth his attention. Lifa had a tense expression on her face, but Erica showed a sharp and resolute look.


    ¡¾¡±What now? Do you really still want to keep going?¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Naturally.¡±]


    Erica answered immediately.


    This made Lifa¡¯s voice burst out like a thunderclap.


    ¡¾¡±Enough already! Erica! And you too, Harold! You¡¯re making no sense! Why do we have to fight you?!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Stop yelling. If you don¡¯t feel like fighting, just piss off.¡±]


    Granted, this was Harold¡¯s way of saying ¡®If you don¡¯t want to fight, you can fall back, it¡¯s okay¡±. But of course, that only poured oil on the fire.


    ¡¾¡±Uh! ¡­Okay, I see how it is¡­ Now that you said that, you can be sure I¡¯ll take you on¡­! You better not complain afterwards!¡±]


    Lifa raised her staff above her head and then hit it on the ground. A golden magic formation instantly formed itself around Harold.


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s¡­!¡±]


    One look was enough for Harold to tell which spell this was, but he had already been caught.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºDual bind¡»!¡±]


    This was the most powerful spell when it came to restraining an opponent. In the game, it could not only stun the enemy for 8 seconds, but it had the additional effect of reducing the target¡¯s speed and attack stats for a certain time after that.


    Considering its effects alone, this spell was completely broken. If someone simply kept using dual bind again and again, then there would be no enemy who could match him.


    But of course, there is no way such a convenient spell could exist as is in the game. It naturally had some disadvantages to balance things out. For example, it could only be used a single time per battle. Moreover, it did not consume a fixed amount of mana, instead, it took one third of the user¡¯s whole mana supply.


    Among those disadvantages, there was supposed to be one that said ¡°Cannot be cast without incantation¡±.


    (When? When did she use the incantation?!)


    While Harold¡¯s body couldn¡¯t move, his mind was moving at high-speed, trying to figure out an answer. However, he was only able to reach a single conclusion. She had simply not used an incantation.


    There hadn¡¯t been enough time between the moment she fired the Bolt Lance and now to chant the incantation of this particular spell. And he hadn¡¯t heard her say anything in the first place. If she really had used an incantation, it would have had to be some time before that.


    But Harold could not think of any moment where she would have been able to do so.


    (No, surely she¡­ Wait, is that what¡¯s going on?!)


    As his thoughts kept rapidly looking for a clue, he realized that something odd had taken place earlier. From there, he soon reached his answer.


    Lifa did use an incantation. While Harold had been fighting Liner and the others, he did catch of Lifa chanting on the side, releasing some kind of golden magic light. That was before she fired her Bolt Lance spell.


    But now that Harold thought about it, that incantation was too long for a mere Blot Lance spell. Moreover, the Bolt Lance and Dual Bind spells both had the same golden-colored magic light.


    (Are you kidding me¡­ So she used the Bolt Lance without chanting for it while simultaneously chanting for the Dual Bind?!)


    Dual Spell-casting. There was no such skill in the game and Harold had never seen it in this world either.


    In a way, this answer was something much beyond the scope of what Harold had imagined, much crazier than simply not using an incantation for the ¡®Double Bind¡¯ spell.


    And Harold happened to know a certain lunatic who could very well come up with such a crazy idea.


    (What the hell did you teach her, Justus?!)


    Lifa was anything but talented when it came to magic. However, that was normal, as the talent to properly turn one¡¯s magic power into magic spells was rare in this world. In other words, this was not due to a lack of understanding but due to a genetic trait that made her ¡®oracle organ¡¯ a bit defective.


    And Justus was the only specialist of the oracle organ in this world. Fruthermore, in this society that greatly prospered through magic, there was no other scientist whose knowledge could compare to his.


    Besides, Lifa¡¯s intellect and capabilities made her more than worthy of being called a genius from the get go. Not to mention once her Oracle Organ was fixed, allowing her to power-up her skills on both the magic and science spectrum.


    This meant she could freely display ingenious spells that were never seen before.


    ¡¾¡±Don¡¯t hold back, Erica!¡±]


    ¡¾¡±Understood.¡±]


    To make things worse, there was another genius who could fire many high-grade spells in succession without using incantations.


    Harold was finally going to be bit by Erica Sumeragi¡¯s fangs.


    ¡¾¡±¡ºRaven Storm¡»¡°]


    Two magic formations appeared at Erica¡¯s feet and overlapped each other. One was green and the other was jet black. This was a spell that Harold did not know about.


    However, he could guess its nature just by looking at those formations.


    This was a combination of two spells with different attributes, both of which were being cast without any incantation. And judging by the mana Harold was sensing, they were both high-grade spells.


    A direct hit from this was probably not going to leave Harold unscathed. But while he was aware of that, his body was still not moving.


    Very soon, he vanished in a jet black storm.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    The first image that came to mind was something dazzling. A light so powerful that it could go through the cover of closed eyelids.


    The mere remembrance of that light was like a wake up call.


    Looking on the side of the unfamiliar ceiling, there a white curtain swaying back and forth. Even further to the side was an open window letting the sun enter the room through the gaps it could find between the leaves and branches outside. The movement of the leaves moving to the rhythm of the wind slowly brought back the memory of that fight.


    ¡¾¡±So, you¡¯re awake now?¡±¡¿


    The one who suddenly said so was a person standing at the entrance of the room, on the opposite side of the window. It was Lifa.


    Lifa was the type to clearly show her emotions on the surface. And while she did look slightly angry, Erica could tell that she was also still very shocked.


    That being the case, Erica answered back with another, vague question.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Awake? Do you mean literally or figuratively?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Take it as you will. Geez, if you were going to regret this, then you shouldn¡¯t have done it in the first place.¡±¡¿


    Without concealing her bad mood, Lifa sat on the edge of Erica¡¯s bed.


    Erica considered denying having any regrets, but she realized it was useless to try to deceive Lifa, who was already well aware of how she felt.


    ¡¾¡±I have nothing to say for myself. I even dragged you with me in this¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m perfectly fine. I did tell you not to fight but I still decided to do it in the end. It was my own call.¡±¡¿


    Seeing Lifa speak so openly, with so little hesitation, Erica perceived a strength in her that she herself did not have.


    Realizing that she was about to fall in a circle of self-hatred again, Erica did her best to resist that urge and quickly asked the question she had in mind.


    ¡¾¡±So, that aside¡­ What happened to sir Harold?¡±¡¿


    When she asked that question, Lifa¡¯s expression grew darker.


    ¡¾¡±How far do you remember, Erica?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I remember firing a composite spell at him¡­¡±¡¿


    Just saying it made her feel a lump of disgust in her throat.


    At the time, she had fired the best spell she could achieve. Even though that was what Harold himself wanted, Erica still felt endless remorse. Even if it was selfish of her to ask this when she was the one who had injured him in the first place, she still could not help asking if he was alright.


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t quite recall what happened afterwards. I do remember a flash of light¡­¡±¡¿


    Using a combination of two spells of the highest grade at the same time had taken an absurd amount of Erica¡¯s mana. That being the case, she had lost consciousness before she could see the results of it, but she did feel like she had seen some type of light right before that.


    ¡¾¡±You might have a hard time believing it, but that light was the result of Harold tearing through your spell.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±But that spell was¡­ Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be restrained by your spell?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±My spell certainly did stop him for a short while, but he freed himself from it midway and he countered your spell at the same moment.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±But how on earth¡­¡±¡¿


    Erica¡¯s composite spell was the most powerful spell she could possibly use. She¡¯d understand if Harold had defended himself against it or just endured the damage, but that was not the same as countering it.


    In other words, this meant he had a spell equally powerful as or more powerful than her composite spell.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m guessing he used a combination of his magic and a sword skill.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Is that even possible?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t use multiple incantation-less spells, nor did he have the time to recite multiple incantations. But he was definitely using magic. And when he countered your spell, I saw him swing down his sword like he was cutting something.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re saying he wouldn¡¯t have had to do that if he was just using magic.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Well, more or less, yes. Then again, like him, I was also busy protecting myself from the after-effects of the spell so I didn¡¯t see all that well. I can only make a wild guess.¡±¡¿


    It certainly was a wild guess. Granted, Erica had used a simultaneous combination of two spells, but while the attributes were different, those were merely two utilisations of magic, which only involved separating one¡¯s thoughts and magic casting. That was still very much within the realm of the possible.


    But when it came to magic and sword skills, even in cases where their attributes were the exact same, those two types of techniques took the user¡¯s mana through completely different channels. From Erica¡¯s perspective, using them at the same time would be like trying to do two opposite actions, like stepping forward and backward at the same time.


    To her, this didn¡¯t seem possible at all, realistically speaking. But then again, this was Harold.


    Not only his intelligence and strength were unfathomable, he was also a living contradiction to the concept of common sense. Erica felt like maybe he would able to do this. That was probably the same thought process that had led Lifa to come up with that wild guess.


    ¡¾¡±So¡­ how was he after that?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­Obviously, he was hurt. He was bleeding a lot and was having a hard time breathing.¡±¡¿


    Even though Erica was already aware of that, hearing those words said out loud was like taking an arrow to the heart.


    ¡¾¡±But still, he didn¡¯t fall. He should have taken an awful lot of damage, but he was still able to move so well that it looked like he simply vanished when he left.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Did he go to a hospital or¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Least I can tell is that he didn¡¯t go to this hospital. As for where he went or where he is, I have no idea.¡±¡¿


    Lifa shrugged her shoulders like she had given up on finding Harold¡¯s whereabouts.


    Erica didn¡¯t know if she was supposed to be relieved that he was alive or worried that he was seriously injured. Harold was the type to do very rash things very calmly, so at this point, he could still be just applying pressure to his wounds while taking care of other things he deemed more important.


    Erica¡¯s mind was overflowing with such thoughts.


    (I was supposed to strengthen my magic to heal him, not hurt him¡­)


    Even if this was what Harold wanted, so what? She was the one who had vowed to become closer to Harold on that day, eight years ago. If the her from back then saw her current self, she would surely be disappointed.


    ¡¾¡±Well, let¡¯s focus on what I do know. I¡¯ll explain the current situation.¡±¡¿


    Lifa clapped her hands together to lighten the heavy atmosphere and change the subject.


    ¡¾¡±First of all, you¡¯ve been sleeping for two days. You passed out because you ran out of mana, but also because you lost too much of it in too short a time.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±i was aware that this was a double-edged sword, but you¡¯re saying I was unconscious two full days?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You think that¡¯s a lot? I feel like if I had used as much magic as you did, passing out would have been the least of my worries. Anyway, everyone else woke up within the day of the fight, and they¡¯re staying at an inn nearby right now.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±It seems I have kept all of you waiting for a long time. Are any of them injured?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Everyone¡¯s doing great. If I had to say, Hugo was complaining about his chin hurting, but that¡¯s all.¡±¡¿


    It was only natural for his chin to hurt after he was dealt such a splendid blow. But thankfully, he was not injured.


    However, the fact they were injured proved showed something else: Harold had clearly been going easy on them.


    Erica did not want to be overconfident, but she felt like neither she nor any of her companions were weak. Moreover, their cooperation was a great point of pride. They each knew each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses.


    And yet, even now, Harold¡¯s strength was still far beyond their reach. Despite the overwhelming advantage of fighting 6 to 1, he had neutralized the four fighting at the vanguard in no time at all, and it had taken every single one of Lifa¡¯s and Erica¡¯s trump cards to finally land a blow on him.


    If Harold had been fighting seriously, then far from being uninjured, everyone would be dead.


    He was too strong. This was her first impression after confronting Harold.


    ¡¾¡±And so, we¡¯ve reached the main thing I wanted to tell you about¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Besides you, there are two other people who have been hospitalized here.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­You mean, the two from back then?¡±¡¿


    When she heard ¡°two other people¡±, Erica immediately thought of the fallen bodies of the man and woman that the group had fought on Harrison¡¯s rooftop. She recalled that they had both lost consciousness after Harold did something to them.


    Though she had complicated feelings towards them since she had fought against them, she still believed it was only natural to bring them along to the hospital.


    ¡¾¡±Well, yes, but that¡¯s not I wanted to tell you about¡­¡±¡¿


    However, from Lifa¡¯s tone, it didn¡¯t feel like she thought the problem was only the fact that they were in the same hospital. It seemed like there was another issue at hand.


    ¡¾¡±Is there something going on with those two people?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­Back when you fought them, didn¡¯t you notice there was something wrong about them?¡±¡¿


    Erica did not understand the point of the question, but she did not think Lifa would ask her about it pointlessly.


    The fight against Harold had been so intense that Erica¡¯s recollection of it was faint, but when she thought back upon that day, she instantly found an answer for Lifa¡¯s question, to her own surprise.


    Those two people were supposed to be there to kill the group, but she hadn¡¯t felt any hint of killing intent or animosity from them.


    ¡¾¡±They were like sophisticated pup-¡­ No, like humans with no emotions.¡±¡¿


    Erica hesitated to call them puppets, but her point was that she had been unable to feel any sort of intent from them.


    In her eyes, when they fought, their attacks looked mechanical.


    ¡¾¡±To be honest, I couldn¡¯t quite pick up on those subtle signs during the fight, but since you fought them personally and noticed the same thing, maybe it¡¯s actually true. Well then, I know you just woke up, but please take a look at this.¡±¡¿


    As she said so, Lifa took out several parchments. Erica took the first sheet and started skimming through it.


    This parchment was a sort of written transcript of an interview of those two people. Though Erica was wondering how Lifa had obtained this, she kept those thoughts for herself for the moment and read the sheet as she was told.


    According to the record, the two were called Ventos and Lilium. They seemed to be members of the Stellar tribe who used to live in the Bertis forest. When she read up to there, Erica had a bad feeling about what it implied. That feeling was confirmed by what she read next.


    According to the two people, several years ago, the village that they lived in had suddenly been attacked. In the middle of that chaos, they had both been kidnapped and confined in a research laboratory. A lot of other people from the same tribe had been taken there as well, and their bodies were subjected day and night to different experiments.


    Ventos and Lilium were no exception. With the help of medication and some strange machines, they were gradually remodeled, both in body and mind. Through this process, their consciousness became faint and they became unable to do or say what they wanted to on the surface. In the end, they became unable to do anything other than follow orders.


    If this was true, then how terrifying would it have been to feel the process of having one¡¯s body and mind remodeled while still conscious?


    There was also no doubt that what had led to this was Harold¡¯s intervention. Based on what she had seen in her maid¡¯s, Yuno¡¯s, report in the past, Erica knew that this would surely have left Harold with a painful wound.


    Although Harold had been young at the time of the Bertis forest¡¯s happenings, that did not diminish how strong he was even back then, and yet he had still come out of that massive battle with very heavy injuries. Even if many had died or been kidnapped, it would have surely been impossible to search for them if it was believed that they had been lost in such a dangerous battle.


    In the first place, Harold had said that that criminal ¨D¨D Justus Freund, had made arrangements with both the military and the justice department, and that it was impossible for him to be caught no matter what. So even if something had been discovered about the kidnappings, it would have been useless.


    (What a despicable man.)


    Holding back her anger, Erica finished reading the rest of the transcript.


    ¡¾¡±So that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t feel any killing intent from them.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I talked to them separately and they gave me the same answers. Now that I have your take on it, I¡¯m almost sure it¡¯s the truth.¡±¡¿


    In the past, Harold said that he had taken away two people who had been used as test subjects, and that they were both from the Stellar tribe.


    He had most likely been referring to Ventos and Lilium. Given his personality, he must have intended to save them, and somehow, he had now succeeded in making them regain their consciousness.


    Even if his method implied facing Erica and the others, he still did it.


    ¡¾¡±Anyway, they said they want to apologize to Liner.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±About injuring his parents?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Yes, apparently, they had no intention of doing it, but they still sort of remember it.¡±¡¿


    One could only imagine how painful it was for them to acknowledge a memory of hurting someone else against their own will.


    Even so, they were still taking responsibility and wanted to apologize.


    ¡¾¡±The problem is whether Liner can stay calm in front of them¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±That might be difficult. Kind as he is, Liner deeply loves his family, I doubt he¡¯ll easily forgive those who hurt his parents.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You think so, too? Well, like I thought, maybe it¡¯s better to give it some time.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±No, we¡¯ll create an opportunity for them to bury the hatchet.¡±¡¿


    Erica wished to respect their will. After, Harold would likely have done the same.


    But more importantly, Lilium and Ventos seemed dazzling to her. They had the strength that she herself never had. They were nothing like her, who had run away from the reality that she could not truly support Harold.


    (Even though I¡¯m useless, people who have true strength like Lifa and these two might be able to help sir Harold one day. )


    She knew that she was thinking the wrong way about it. She was also aware that she was selfishly trying to push her own beliefs onto others.


    However, even if she couldn¡¯t do anything, she still wanted to help Harold and pull him away from his lonely ways.


    This was the one desire left in Erica¡¯s hollow self.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    When they heard that Erica had woken up, Liner and the group felt relieved.


    They were finally able to smile again.


    Harold¡¯s open hostility and his victory over them all had been a heavy blow for the group.


    Not only were they feeling hurt by Harold¡¯s betrayal, they were also anxious about their own power.


    After experiencing his overwhelming strength for themselves, they wondered: if he fought them again, would they be able to win?


    But even the joy of knowing that Erica had woken up did not last.


    This was due to Lifa¡¯s expression; though she was supposed to be sharing good news, her face was grim.


    It was so apparent that even Liner, who was quite dense when it came to the subtleties of people, had noticed.


    When Liner asked if something happened, Lifa looked liked she was thinking about something for a moment before she replied to him.


    ¨D¨D ¡°Erica wants to talk to you so come to the hospital tomorrow.¡±


    She was implicitly asking them not to go see her for the day.


    Normally, Liner would have asked why she did not want him to go there, arguing that he wanted to see her immediately as soon as she woke up, to confirm that she was safe with his own eyes.


    The reason he had not done so this time around was that he could guess from Lifa¡¯s mood that this matter would bring nothing positive.


    Moreover, Liner was having a hard time sorting his own feelings since the other day.


    In short, in his current state of mind, he was reluctant to hear any other bad news.


    Liner was not the only one feeling that way.


    All the other members of the party were feeling more or less disheartened; none of them really tried to look deeper into Lifa¡¯s words.


    The next day, Liner and the others went to visit the hospital, feeling almost gloomy at the idea of what was to come.


    For some reason, when they arrived, Lifa did not guide them to the room where Erica had been hospitalized.


    Instead, she took them to a meeting room inside the hospital.


    Knock knock knock


    Each of Lifa¡¯s knocks on the wooden door sounded heavier than the last.


    Though he could only see her back, Lifa had never looked so small in Liner¡¯s eyes. The others were likely feeling the same.


    ¡¾¡±Please come in.¡±¡¿


    Erica¡¯s voice came from inside.


    Her tone was the same as usual but that only made Liner and the others feel even more uneasy.


    ¡¾¡±Hope we¡¯re not disturbing.¡±¡¿


    As she said so, Lifa was about to open the door, but her hand stopped on the doorknob.


    Then, she addressed the group without turning around.


    ¡¾¡±Everyone¡­ I¡¯d like you to stay as calm as you can once you¡¯re inside. Especially you, Liner.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­What do you mean by that?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯ll understand once you¡¯re in.¡±¡¿


    Without answering Liner¡¯s doubts, Lifa opened the door.


    Erica was sitting on a chair in the meeting room, wearing a kimono, as usual.


    When Liner heard Erica had run out of magic, he did not expect to see her looking so healthy.


    He was a bit relieved.


    But that feeling only lasted for a moment.


    When he saw the girl and the man standing behind Erica, the relief in Liner¡¯s heart made way for a thunderous fury.


    ¡¾¡±Y-you¡­!¡±¡¿


    These were the two people who had hurt his parents and stolen his sword.


    Liner immediately tried to ready his weapon, before recalling he hadn¡¯t brought it with him.


    The next instant, after confirming with a single look around the room that there were no objects he could use as weapons here, he readied himself to dash forward and attack with his bare hands.


    ¡¾¡±Please wait.¡±¡¿


    Erica stood up silently and stepped forward like she was protecting the two people.


    Of course, this did not dissuade Liner.


    ¡¾¡±Why would I?! They¡¯re the thieves who hurt my parents!¡±¡¿


    Liner¡¯s words made the girl standing behind Erica tremble from her shoulders.


    She seemed to have been scared or startled by something, but this was not Liner¡¯s problem.


    More importantly, Liner did not understand why Erica was protecting those thieves.


    He even started being suspicious of her.


    Maybe she was on their side, too.


    ¡¾¡±Liner.¡±¡¿


    There was no hint of threat in her voice, and yet, when Erica called out Liner¡¯s name, he could not help himself from flinching.


    Next, she looked at him dead in the eyes and asked him a question.


    ¡¾¡±What do you intend to do them?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Well, that¡¯s¡­!¡±¡¿


    Liner tried to answer back but he was at a loss for words. There was one thing he knew for certain: he could not forgive them.


    But if he had to say what he specifically wanted to do to them, he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    That naturally didn¡¯t mean he was going to forgive anything, but Erica had made him aware of that he himself did not even know what he wanted to do.


    ¡¾¡±Do you simply want to vent your anger? Or will you only be satisfied if they receive a proper punishment?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I-I¡¯m¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­If you do not have a clear answer, then please hear them out. It will not be too late to make your decision afterwards.¡±¡¿


    In accordance with Erica¡¯s words, the two people who had been standing behind her came forward.


    ¡®What does she mean, hear them out?¡¯ Liner was filled with doubts as he looked at the girl and the man.


    They were slowly approaching him, but the second they arrived in front of him, they stopped and bowed as deeply as they could.


    ¡¾¡±We are terribly sorry!¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯re really, really sorry!¡±¡¿


    This unexpected apology left everyone in the room, starting from Liner, completely confused.


    The only people who did not react were Lifa and Erica.


    For a moment, the meeting room was shrouded in silence.


    Everyone present was looking at Liner, save for the two people who were still bowing down.


    ¡¾¡±¡­ What do you mean, you¡¯re sorry?! You injured my dad and mom! You might even have been planning to kill them! You can apologize all you want, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±¡¿


    What kind of person was Liner?


    Anyone who knew him would answer that he was a straightforward and honest young man.


    He had a strong sense of justice, he never told a lie, and he hated injustices.


    His parents had done nothing wrong. How could he forgive these two people for hurting them?


    ¡¾¡±If you were going to apologize after the fact, then you should not have done it in the first place!¡±¡¿


    The anger in Liner¡¯s tone made the air tremble.


    The thin body of the girl cowered from Liner¡¯s angry voice.


    She was still young.


    On the other hand, the man who was with her seemed to already be an adult.


    His bow remained flawless, unaffected.


    But this did prompt him to talk.


    His words came out slowly, like he was thinking about them as he spoke.


    ¡¾¡±It is as you say. What we did is unforgivable, and we are not going to come up with any convenient excuses to make you forgive us.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­What are you trying to say now?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I assume full responsibility¡­ for the crimes we¡¯ve committed. Therefore, would you agree to let Lilium, the girl, off?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Mister Ventos?¡±¡¿


    The girl, who was apparently called Lilium, jumped in surprise like she hadn¡¯t been told about this beforehand. Her confusion was written all over her face.


    However, Ventos continued to talk like her reaction was of no concern to him.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ll confess to everything we did, and why we did it, be it the burglary or anything else. If after that, you decide to leave some more room for discussion, then please leave Lilium out of¨D¨D¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±N-no! You did nothing wrong mister Ventos!¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­That kind of explanation will not be satisfying for him nor his parents. No matter our reasons, I need to take responsibility for our actions.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Then I¡¯ll take responsibility with you!¡±¡¿


    The two people started arguing with each other.


    For some reason, Liner found himself unable to do anything other than watch from the side.


    The one who ended up putting a stop to that was Hugo.


    He had been silent the whole time, but maybe he couldn¡¯t bear the mood anymore.


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, look, can we get a summary of whats happening here or something?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­It will take a little time. If you do not mind that, then for the time being, everyone please take a seat. There is no use standing around.¡±¡¿


    The table in the meeting room had just enough chairs for everyone.


    Erica had probably made preparations beforehand.


    Erica took the seat of honor, Liner and the rest of the party sat to her left, while Lifa, Ventos and Lilium sat to her right.


    Once everyone was seated, Erica courteously prepared black tea for them.


    By the time everyone was served, the mood had slightly lightened up.


    ¡¾¡±Now then, could you share your story again, mister Ventos?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­Yes. First of all, Lilium and I are both from the Stellar tribe. We were born and raised in the Bertis forest.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Huh? But that¡¯s¡­¡±¡¿


    Colette was greatly startled at the mention of the Bertis forest.


    Unlike her, Liner kept silent, but he also had a bad feeling about this.


    ¡¾¡±We used to live in a very small community. Our village was surrounded by nothing but nature, for better or worse, but we led quite peaceful lives in the woods.¡±¡¿


    ¡°However, five years ago, that peace was suddenly destroyed.¡± Ventos started explaining what had transpired back then.


    Liner had already heard about all this from Harold himself. The battle of Bertis brought upon by Justus¡¯ hidden schemes. At the time, he had kidnapped many people of the stellar tribe for the sake of conducting human experiments.


    ¡¾¡±Lilium and I were part of those people. There were many of our companions there, too, but¡­¡±¡¿


    Though he was being evasive, everyone understood what Ventos implied without him having to say it.


    It was safe to assume that none of his companions had made it.


    If not for Harold, perhaps these two would have met the same fate as those other people.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve already heard a bit about Dr.Freun¡¯s deeds. If you don¡¯t mind, could you go into more specifics?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±He would administrate us with strange liquids, and put machines on our heads that made us feel sick and in pain, all the while giving us electric shocks until we¡¯d faint¡­ I can¡¯t quite remember what he¡¯d do after that, but I think he was doing surgical operations on our brains.¡±¡¿


    All Ventos was doing was answer Francis¡¯ question in full, but every bit of description he gave was inhumane.


    Colette¡¯s face turned blue just from imagining it.


    ¡¾¡±As the experiments kept going, I became unable to feel anything. Neither pain, nor despair, not even fear.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You mean to say your brain became numb to escape the pain?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±No¡­ The very point of the experiments was to suppress our emotions, and rid us of all thoughts.¡±¡¿


    Ventos¡¯ answer was difficult to believe on the spot.


    How could anyone possibly deprive a living human of his emotions and even his ability to think?


    However, Liner recalled something.


    That night, when he first traded blows with Ventos and Lilium, he had seen the cold, robotic look in their eyes, and the lifeless expressions hidden by their hoods.


    To him, they indeed seemed nothing like humans back then.


    ¡¾¡±Once Llilium and I lost our wills, we became easy-to-use chess pieces for Justus.¡±¡¿


    They had become puppets that could only answer to Justus¡¯ orders.


    By the time they reached that state, they were no longer able to think about anything, let alone feel any guilt or revulsion.


    In contrast to Ventos, who was speaking of the matter so indifferently, Lilium was looking downward with tears in her eyes.


    If all of this was true, then it had to have been a particularly harsh experience for a teenage girl like Lilium.


    Liner could empathize with this, even for an unforgivable enemy.


    ¡¾¡±I have one question. Based on what you said, is it safe to assume you kept the memories of the days when you couldn¡¯t feel or think anything?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Rather than keeping the memories, it would be more correct to say I got them back. It¡¯s only now that I remember them.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±How did you come to remember them, then?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I have sir Harold to thank for that.¡±¡¿


    The second Harold¡¯s name came up, Liner¡¯s body became frozen stiff.


    His mind was overcome by a mix of anger, chagrin and sorrow.


    However, he endured it and listened to the rest of Ventos¡¯ story.


    ¡¾¡±I think you saw it happen. Remember the fight in Harrison¡¯s mansion? Back then, Harold hit both me and Lilium with the handle of his sword. The moment he did that, I had a flashback of everything that happened up to that point, and remembered it all.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±In short, you¡¯re saying Harold saved you.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s right. Even though we couldn¡¯t communicate at all, he treated us as human beings from the very beginning and tried to help us. More importantly, it¡¯s thanks to him that Lilium and I never crossed the last line.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, by last line, you mean¡­¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­You probably guessed it. Justus gave us many orders, with no regard for the survival of our targets.¡±¡¿


    In other words, they could have murdered people in cold blood to fulfill their orders.


    ¡¾¡±Liner, your parents were really strong. Even though our bodies have been tempered with to improve our efficiency in combat, they still fought with us on equal grounds. If we had obeyed Justus¡¯ orders, I don¡¯t think either of us would have gotten out of this unscathed.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­Hold on. Harold was with you at the time?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Ah, yes, he was. That night, the three of us were working together.¡±¡¿


    Something felt wrong about this in Liner¡¯s mind.


    If Harold really had been there, would he have patiently looked on without intervening at all?


    For Liner, the answer to that was a definite ¡°No.¡±, Harold was not that kind of man.


    If Harold had fought Liner¡¯s parents, he would have been perfectly in control of the situation. He wouldn¡¯t have gotten so much as a scratch.


    Harold hated wastes of times and useless endeavors. Why would he have watched over a fight he could easily finish himself?


    ¡¾¡±Then, what was Harold doing at the time?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­I don¡¯t know. He left your parents to us, but he instructed us not to go anywhere beyond wounding them.¡±¡¿


    These types of instructions were probably what Ventos was referring to when he said Harold had saved him from crossing the line.


    However, this only brought yet another worrying point to the table.


    Ventos and Lilium had been acting under Harold¡¯s instructions.


    Giving it some thought, anyone would think Harold was busy stealing the sword while the other two had been fighting.


    However, Liner knew for a fact that that wasn¡¯t it. Because he had personally seen Ventos holding the box of the sword.


    ¡¾¡±Why even fight in the first place? Couldn¡¯t you and Harold just stealthily steal the sword?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±He didn¡¯t tell us the reason, but he did say he was accidentally found out.¡±¡¿


    This sounded like a bad joke to Liner. Was he supposed to believe that someone of Harold¡¯s caliber had been found out by two retired adventurers?


    But what if making Ventos and Lilium fight Liner¡¯s parents had been Harold¡¯s actual goal? What if he had let himself be found out for that purpose?


    If so, then Liner had to ponder on the consequences of that fight, and how those had led to him ultimately meeting with Harold again.


    Liner could hear his own heartbeat from inside his ear. He was starting to sweat.


    Even so, he had to ask the question he had on his mind.


    ¡¾¡±After you stole the sword, how was I able to catch up with you?¡±¡¿


    If Liner remembered right, after running without rest, he had arrived at the fog valley around midnight.


    The view there was quite bad, making it even harder for the already tired Liner to progress forward.


    Having assumed the people he was pursuing would get tired just like him, Liner had tried getting a bit of rest, only to end up oversleeping until dawn.


    Until this instant, he had assumed that he had gotten lucky and managed to catch up because the other two had gotten as much rest as him.


    But based on what he had heard today, Lilium and Ventos had basically been puppets at the time. Would they have taken time to rest in the middle of their escape? No, they would not have stopped unless someone had told them to do so.


    ¡¾¡±That was because Harold told us to stay on standby at the fog valley until he¡¯d join us.¡±¡¿


    This one sentence was all Liner needed to connect all the dots.


    Because Harold didn¡¯t participate in the fight, Liner¡¯s parents¡¯ ended up getting injured, which pushed Liner to pursue the robbers.


    Moreover, the only reason Liner caught up to the robbers was that Harold instructed them to stay where they were. Otherwise, they could have escaped without having to rest at all.


    Then, Colette came running from her village to help, but that was apparently because Harold had pushed her to do it.


    Afterwards, Harold himself also came to help, but his timing was too perfect.


    Right before he came, Liner and Colette happened to be facing an overwhelmingly strong opponent. They were able to hold their own against Ventos and Lilium, but against this other party, they had no hope of winning.


    Even though the man had been concealing himself with the same type of robe as Ventos and Lilium, at the time, Liner had definitely thought about it for an instant¡­ About how that person¡¯s strength and speed were similar to what he had experienced when fighting Harold back at the competition.


    What if that was not a misunderstanding? What if that person really was Harold?


    With how bad the view was in the fog valley, wouldn¡¯t it have been easy for him to instantly change from his robe and appear again under his real identity?


    It wasn¡¯t clear why there had been a need to do this or what was Harold¡¯s end goal.


    However, by emphasizing on Harold¡¯s actions and how they had led to Liner¡¯s own actions, Liner couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had been manipulated by Harold.


    It was as if Harold had been pulling the strings from the start to push Liner into his current circumstances.


    If that was true, then¡­


    (¨D¨D Then I really am the only one who thought of us as friends and companions.)


    Liner swallowed back that bitter thought.


    Somewhere in his heart, he still believed in Harold. He wanted to believe in him.


    He still held the hope that this was all a misunderstanding, and that the next time they met they would be able to stand together as companions again.


    Was he currently feeling sadness or regrets? Even he could not tell.


    All he was able to do was to quietly whisper to himself.


    ¡¾¡±Damn it all¡­¡±¡¿

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    (Elu¡¯s POV)


    As he walked through the deserted corridor, Elu made a conscious effort to stop himself from running ahead to arrive even a second faster.


    He was not embarrassed of being seen running like a madman, this timidity was merely a manifestation of his efforts to stay calm.


    The situation was critical, which made it all the more necessary to see the bigger picture and calmly work towards a solution.


    (But I can¡¯t seem to come up with anything good right now.)


    Elu did not hit upon any good ideas on the way, from beginning to end.


    When he arrived in front of the room he was looking for, he simply stayed on the spot and took a deep breath to calm his perturbed and impatient mind.


    He tried to project the image of his usual self, to not let his emotions show. But before he could knock on the door behind him¨D¨D


    ¡¾¡±What do you think you¡¯re doing standing in front of someone else¡¯s room?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Woah!¡±¡¿


    Elu shouted out in uncharacteristic yet genuine surprise, turning around in a jumping motion to look behind.


    This was the person Elu wanted to talk to.


    Harold just stood there, looking at Elu with a questioning gaze.


    ¡¾¡±Y-you seem lively.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve been sleeping for five days and you say I¡¯m lively? What¡¯s that? Sarcasm?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±No way, I¡¯m not suicidal enough to think of provoking you.¡±¡¿


    Elu wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say Harold was dangerous, but he well understood how powerful he was.


    Harold was a more reasonable person than his manner of speaking could suggest, but if Elu were to accidentally awaken the wrath behind that moderacy by mistake, and to end up as a target of that overwhelming power, he could probably bid his life farewell.


    While Elu did have the resolve to give his life for the sake of his ultimate wish, he had no intention to meet such a meaningless end.


    ¡¾¡±Humph, whatever. I¡¯m assuming you came because you have something to say?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I hope you won¡¯t mind, there is a pile of things I absolutely have to report.¡±¡¿


    (So many things it will make you sick.) Added Elu to himself.


    The room had one bed, a table, a carpet, some chairs, and nothing more. It was almost too simple, but it was fitting for the discussion that was to come.


    This talk was not going to be of the cheerful kind.


    Then again, expecting cheerfulness or a smile from the man sitting across the table was not very realistic.


    All Elu had ever seen from him was scorn and sneers.


    ¡¾¡±Well then, I have to ask. I have bad news, terribly bad news, and slightly bad but not very interesting news. Which would you like to hear first?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t have a single good news? Looks like you¡¯ve lost your touch.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You don¡¯t judge an information broker¡¯s job by how pleasing his words are to your ears. What matters is the accuracy of the information.¡±¡¿


    Harold let out a long sigh.


    It was clear to see that Harold actually wanted to complain, and that was understandable. He had been seriously injured, had been unconscious for 5 days, and now that he could finally move again, this conversation came to deal yet another blow to him.


    Even so, these were all direct consequences of Harold¡¯s own actions. He had no right to complain to Elu.


    ¡¾¡±Before we start, I¡¯d like to let you know that Liner and the others have not been arrested for the attack on Harrison¡¯s mansion.¡±¡¿


    Although the team had gone on quite the rampage, they had a just cause, they wanted to get back their stolen property. Even if that wasn¡¯t the case, if something went wrong, then the family names of Erica Sumeragi and Francis Arkwright, who was royalty, would be two big cards to play.


    Well, given that the victims of the attack were from the military and not the knight order, and given that Liner and the group hadn¡¯t really been questioned or investigated by anyone since then, then according to Harold, it was safe to assume Harrison had been discarded the second something went wrong on his end.


    ¡¾¡±Not that I think you were worried about it, but I had to say it.¡±¡¿


    Harold knew the possibility that the group would break into Harrison¡¯s mansion. Even so, he had never addressed the aftermath of it. Maybe thanks to his conjectures or to his ability to read the future, he seemed to somehow know there was nothing to worry about on that end.


    The only instructions Elu had received was to stop the attack in case it happened, and to seize the weapons that Harrison had gathered.


    For that purpose, Elu had been collecting as much information as he could to gain trump cards that could help everyone on site, starting from Harrison himself, during negotiations. This was a difficult task, but it had gone swimmingly.


    (I wonder how much he predicted. Did he know it would turn out this way or¡­)


    At first, Harold was not supposed to personally interfere with the fight at all. However, the group had ended up taking action faster than expected, leaving him with no other choice than to get involved.


    Elu had no way of knowing how many of the events that had transpired had been part of Harold¡¯s expectations, and how many had come as a real surprise.


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ve successfully taken away the remaining weapons from the mansion. All that¡¯s left to do is for you to hand them to them in due time¡­ That was your plan right? How are you gonna do that now?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±The plan is still on. I never said there is any need for me to personally hand them the weapons.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±What a nice way to phrase it.¡±¡¿


    If he had built a mutual trust with the group, it would have been much easier to have Harold hand the weapons himself. But his battle with the group had destroyed that possibility.


    Given that Lifa was somewhat familiar with Harold¡¯s circumstances, the group was probably not fully hostile to him, but the leader of the party, Liner, would likely not let go of his distrust, which may give rise to some discord.


    That was probably not a desirable outcome for Harold.


    ¡¾¡±Whether I do it or you do it, the result will be the same. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I hope you¡¯re right¡­ Anyway, I guess it¡¯s time to move on to the to main subject. I¡¯ll start with the slightly bad news. It has to do with Liner and the group.¡±¡¿


    Harold¡¯s gaze was prompting Elu to speak faster.


    ¡¾¡±You said there is a risk of a large group of monsters marching to Travis. You also said that Liner¡¯s party and the knight order will deal with them but¡­ there might not be enough time for that.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±What ¡®s that supposed to mean?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±The monsters have been extremely active. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they made their move right now.¡±¡¿


    Harold¡¯s information had allowed Elu to roughly know which direction the monsters would come from.


    Based on that tidbit of intel, Elu had mobilized Frieri and made use of the Griffert information network in order to find the monsters in advance, before the day of their attack.


    This strategy met success about ten days before this.


    The situation seemed to be the same as what happened in the Sumeragi territory in the past, but this time around, the monsters stayed hidden.


    There was a massive ruin where the access was restrained by the kingdom itself due to the many high-leveled monsters running rampant there. A member of Frieri had slipped through the surveillance of the ever so bright royal army, and had managed to see the monsters with his own eyes. He said it was quite shocking to see the maybe ten thousand monsters gathered there.


    ¡¾¡±This is no set back, Liner and the rest of the group should arrive in Travis in time. How are things on the knight order¡¯s side?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re very serious about the situation. They even went as far as to prepare some men to evacuate the people in empty boats in case something happens.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­So they managed to confirm their suspicions in regard to Justus?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know that for a fact, but it¡¯s very likely to be the case given that they apparently stepped into the doctor¡¯s laboratory and found it basically empty. It¡¯s like they found the skin shed by the snake but not the snake itself.¡±¡¿


    The horde of monsters started becoming active just when Justus disappeared. Though the knight order could not do much more than rely on guesswork to understand the link between the two, they were bound to become more vigilant.


    ¡¾¡±Even if they found the lab, I doubt that man is the type to leave evidence behind.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Maybe he did something about his written documents, but there¡¯s no way he could have erased the facility itself.¡±¡¿


    A special type of equipment was necessary to experiment on humans. Unless Justus had blown up the laboratory to smithereens, there would be some evidence remaining.


    Moreover, the fact that Justus had allowed the knight order¡¯s intervention to happen at all meant that his plans had advanced far enough that the their pursuit was a trivial matter to him.


    ¡¾¡±¡­In any case, this is still within the range of my expectations. It¡¯s not at the level of being considered as bad news.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Hmm, I¡¯ll move on to the next one then. Another large horde of monsters has appeared somewhere else.¡±¡¿


    Even Harold could not stay indifferent upon hearing that information. His movements stiffened up like he was taken aback.


    Elu had not expected him to react that bad. Apparently, Harold¡¯s ability to predict the future was not perfect.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Is this the ¡®terribly bad news¡¯ you mentioned?¡±¡¿


    Asked Harold, after staying silent for quite a while.


    Elu¡¯s answer came clearer and faster.


    ¡¾¡±Unfortunately, this is just the regular bad news.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Tsk.¡±¡¿


    Harold openly clicked his tongue and started pondering. That was the kind of man he was. No matter how desperate the situation, he never stopped thinking.


    Then, like he had instantly switched the gears in his mind, he began asking for the information he needed.


    ¡¾¡±How many monsters does that horde amount to?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±About 5000 judging from sight alone. That¡¯s less than the horde that¡¯s supposed to head towards Travis.¡±¡¿


    Even though these numbers were lower, they could not be disregarded either. It was going to be difficult to deal with them directly.


    But difficult or not, if nothing was done about them, the consequences would likely be disastrous.


    After all, there were two large hordes of monsters in two different places at the same time. There was no way these were unrelated to each other. Something was going on.


    ¡¾¡±Although I¡¯ve shared that information with the knight order in your name, that put them a delicate spot. They¡¯d have to take personnel away from Travis to deal with that.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Still better than doing nothing.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re probably right. But that brings us to the terribly bad news.¡±¡¿


    As he said so, Elu pulled out two maps out of his bag. The first was a map of the whole kingdom, while the other was a map of a single town.


    Elu first opened the map of the kingdom over the table.


    ¡¾¡±The second horde was found hidden in a town called Barston, in the northwest of the kingdom.¡±¡¿


    Elu started explaining while tracing the map with his finger.


    Barston was a town even more deeply cemented in nature than the town where Lifa and Harold had met, Athis.


    According to the latest record, there were about 3000 people living in Barston, but that data was from many years ago. The numbers were probably even lower now.


    ¡¾¡±As you can see on the map, the town is in the middle of the mountains. Preparing empty boats in case something happens is not an option there.¡±¡¿


    In other words, whether it was to defend the town or evacuate the residents, it would be difficult to transport people and material in and out. It was not a realistic solution.


    The only way to keep the people safe would be to use a certain plain south of Athis, but that was 43 miles (70km) away from Barston in a straight line. Thouhg it wasn¡¯t a very realistic solution either, it was the clear choice for an evacuation. 1


    ¡¾¡±Is that why you said it¡¯s terribly bad news?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±That¡¯s one of the reasons, but not the main one. Look at this.¡±¡¿


    Elu opened the second map. This was a map of Barston.


    ¡¾¡±Barston is by no means a big city, there is nowhere for a large horde of monsters to hide there.¡±¡¿


    If so, then where and how were the monsters hiding?


    The answer was clear to see on the map.


    ¡¾¡±The thing is that Barston was once a mining town that flourished through the mining of rare metals like platinum. Barston¡¯s people used to dig and dig endlessly, to the point where there have tunnels not only in their mines, but even under the town itself. But that was before a certain accident that caused a bedrock collapse.¡±¡¿


    After the accident, Barston started running out of resources, leading to an economic decline that went on for several years and was still taking place even now.


    But of course, the tunnels they dug in the past still existed.


    ¡¾¡±Long story short, the monsters are gathering deep in the tunnels?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Precisely. Still, you must be thinking ¡®But wait, Elu, if these were mining tunnels, how could such a large horde of monsters circulate through there?¡¯¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Cut the crap. Get to the point.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±There is evidence that, after the mines were closed, someone tampered with them. To be more specific, there are large holes deep under the town that do not seem like they could have been used for mining.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Are those the monsters¡¯ lairs?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Something like that. Moreover, by comparing the current layout of the tunnels with old records, we discovered multiple tunnels that shouldn¡¯t have been there. These tunnels were bigger than the rest, so much so that it might be more accurate to call them pathways. Most monsters should be able to circulate through those and easily come out of hiding.¡±¡¿


    Monsters were creatures that would not naturally gather in passageways that were made artificially. They gathered in natural places, like the pit back in the Sumeragi territory.


    Their presence in Barston was obvious proof that these hordes were being controlled by human hands for some specific goal.


    ¡¾¡±¡­There are still some points to be addressed.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll answer what I can answer.¡±¡¿


    Normally, Harold would answer back with ¡°Yeah, you better.¡± or some kind of sarcastic line, but not this time around.


    Instead, he immediately started asking questions.


    This probably went to show how pressing the situation was in his eyes.


    ¡¾¡±You said there was evidence that someone tempered with the tunnels. When did that happen?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±We didn¡¯t look that deep into it yet, so we don¡¯t really know the details, but judging from the level of deterioration, it was probably about 10 years ago.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Was there miasma inside? Like back in the Sumeragi territory.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±There was, actually. Most of it was in those big holes, but it did travel pretty far in the tunnels before drifting away.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±When the monsters do come out from underground, how will they attack? What kind of scale should we expect?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re being controlled for sure but there is no telling how far that control goes¡­ Oh, I should mention that we¡¯ve found three passages so far that the monsters could come in and out of, so their strategy might be to go for a three-sided attack.¡±¡¿


    Elu¡¯s words carried the implicit meaning that such a turn of event would be impossible to deal with.


    That was a natural conclusion given the facts.


    If, for example, 500 or 1000 of the monsters were to come from the first passage, perhaps Harold would be able to deal with them by himself, but he would not be able to take care of the ones coming from the two other passageways.


    The issue was that it would take at least 300 normal people, each being at a knight¡¯s level of training, to face off against those same numbers.


    And given the crisis that was soon to come in Travis, it would not be possible for the knight order to gather 600 skilled fighters, knight or otherwise, for a second mission.


    ¡¾¡±¡­How long would it take to completely evacuate the town?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±The current estimate is two days. It might take a little longer since a lot of them are elderly people.¡±¡¿


    This meant that if the monsters were to make a move in the meantime, then it would be too late to start the evacuation.


    ¡¾¡±Since it used to to be mining town, they must have had some way to transport their resources to the base of the mountain at some point.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re right, there was a road that they once used to transport their goods more efficiently, but it was buried in a landslide a few years ago.¡±¡¿


    Barston was not positioned in a very convenient location, and yet, even after they hit an economic crisis, many people refused to leave. That was because they could easily go to nearby towns using carriages back then.


    However, now that the road was gone, many people, especially among the youth, had left Barston.


    On the other hand, few of the elderly people who had been living there for years were willing to go. Perhaps their attachement to the land outweighed the inconvenience of it.


    ¡¾¡±¡­Harold? Is something wrong?¡±¡¿


    Before Elu realized it, Harold had stopped pondering and grabbed the map of the kingdom. He was gazing at it like he was about to eat it up.


    Elu figured Harold had found some sort of hint in there, but he had no idea what it was.


    ¡¾¡±Elu, how many days would it take to go from here to Barton on horseback and on carriage?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±It would take 3 to 4 days by horse. By carriage, it could take around seven days, depending on the load being transported. But that¡¯s only the time it would take to get as close as possible to Barston. It would take a whole day more to go up the mountain from there on foot.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Then, prepare as many horses as you can. Take the guys from Frieri with you.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Right now?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Gather everything you might need while you still have time. But get going as soon as you¡¯ve gathered enough people.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Got it.¡±¡¿


    Being able to take action quickly like Harold was something worth of praise, however, it could take some effort for others to go along with that.


    Then again, Elu had willingly decided to wager his fate on Harold, so he just had to deal with it.


    (Besides, that¡¯s much better than someone who just wracks his brains for hours when a problem comes up.)


    Having arrived at that conclusion, Elu started running about to make the necessary arrangements.


    Despite the emergency of the situation, there was a bit of newfound relief in his expression.

 Chapter 114.1

    Chapter 114


    Elu¡¯s report regarding the second horde of monsters came like a bolt out of the blue for Harold.


    Of course, that was mostly because there was no depiction or mention of an attack other than the one on Travis in the original story.


    However, this particular irregularity could not simply be pinned on Harold¡¯s own actions, mainly because of the mention that there were signs of tempering in the tunnels dating back to a decade ago.


    That would have been two years before Kazuki Hirasaw had awakened as Harold. Moreover, for Harold to have something to do with it, Justus would have had to take notice of Harold five years before he even joined the knight order.


    In other words, it was possible that this wasn¡¯t due to a change in the original story, but rather that it was simply an element that had taken place without being depicted in the game.


    If so, there had to be a reason outside of Harold himself as to why Justus had done these preparations secretly in Barston.


    (Well, that¡¯s only if Justus is actually the one responsible for all that, but maybe¡­)


    ¡°No, Justus definitely has something to do with it¡± Harold reassured himself in his mind.


    Even if he had no definite proof, the information he had from the original story was sufficient for him to make that conjecture.


    Harold recalled a sky fortress that made its appearance at the end of the game¡¯s story along with a portal that supplied it with the energy it needed to rise in the sky.


    Much like the ruins, the portal and fortress were relics from ancient times. Justus had repaired them and made them operational again.


    If that portal was laying deep under Barston, it would be no wonder why Justus would have been secretly set things up in this town for ten years.


    (Problem is that I don¡¯t know anything about the portal.)


    In the game, the words ¡°Energy portal¡± had only come up a few times, but there was no information as to where it was, what it looked like, or how it worked.


    Well, even if the principle behind it was explained, Harold figured he probably would not understand it.


    Appart from that, there were other points worth worrying about, but at this point, the best Harold could do was assume the worst and get moving.


    ¡¾¡±Something bothering you, boss?¡±¡¿


    A week had passed since Elu¡¯s report.


    By now, the whole group had arrived at the base of the mountain. They were currently traveling the rest of the ascending path by foot.


    The man who struck a conversation with Harold in the middle of the way was Keith.


    He was the leading figure of Frieri, losing in authority only to their boss, Harold, and their supervisor, Elu.


    In fact, every member of Frieri who was present here would probably have no objection to calling Keith their ¡°leader¡± or ¡°commander¡±.


    For a self-proclaimed mercenary, he was quite talented. And while his manner of speaking was not polite, he was surprisingly well-educated.


    Elu¡¯s opinion of him was that ¡°We¡¯re lucky to have gotten our hands on him.¡±, which went to show he was an excellent subordinate despite being a crude individual.


    ¡¾¡±You mean, apart from your idiotic assumptions? I am merely thinking of a way to drive away that bunch of fools.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±We¡¯ve been calling it an evacuation, but we¡¯re basically just expelling them, right? I bet they¡¯ll be real pissed.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±If so, that just means they¡¯re clueless idiots who don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them.¡±¡¿


    Harold was well aware that the situation was chaotic, but he felt he could at the very least rely on Elu¡¯s information.


    If the monsters took action, Baston would likely suffer catastrophic damage.


    Even if some survived, it would be difficult for them to get back to their lives in Barston afterwards.


    ¡¾¡±Between leaving their hometown and losing their life, the choice should be clear. I am sick and tired of facing fools who can¡¯t make the right judgement for themselves.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Haha, tell me about it! ¡­Well, it¡¯s an easy call to make for folks with no roots like us, but I¡¯m guessing the danger just doesn¡¯t compute with those peace-loving morons. It¡¯s not that odd.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Humph.¡±¡¿


    Keith¡¯s words made a lot of sense. Even if the people were told about what was coming, if they could not feel the danger for themselves, there were probably no words that would convince them to leave their town. Especially if those words came from Harold and Frieri, who were not officially an authority on anything, be it as people or as an organization.


    From the townsfolk¡¯s perspective, it would only seem like some suspicious people came to drive them out of their homes with an confusing justification that went all over the place.


    There was no way they would obediently abide.


    ¡¾¡±No matter. Before anything else, I want to assess the situation for myself.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Makes sense. Oh, we can already see the town.¡±¡¿


    Following Keith¡¯s line of sight in the distance, Harold was beginning to see a stone wall and some structures through the trees. Barston was very close.


    Elu¡¯s claim that the monsters could attack at anytime was probably made out of caution as it seemed like they had yet to make any move.


    Feeling relieved for now, Harold proceeded towards the town¡¯s entrance.


    As one would expect from a town founded upon a mountain, the people were able to build a splendid surrounding stone wall to protect them from the outside.


    No monster would be able to break through easily, save for some large specimens.


    Looking up, there were some watchtowers here and there built on top of the stone wall.


    (Maybe we could use the wall to keep the monsters inside and attack them from above.)


    In case of a siege, this wall would undoubtedly put the town¡¯s people in a better position than any outside threats.


    However, this time around, the biggest problem was the risk of being attacked from the inside.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±¡¿


    As soon as Harold and Keith entered the town, a man around his forties or fifties called out to him. Harold had never met him, but he immediately knew who he was.


    ¡¾¡±You¡¯re Elu¡¯s subordinate.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Yes. It seems you¡¯ve brought fewer people than expected.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±A large group of people coming to a deserted town would be suspicious.¡±¡¿


    Harold did not want to catch the townsfolk¡¯s eyes from the very start, so he had taken precautions and chosen to infiltrate the town without standing out.


    He had split his forces in two: the vanguard and the reserve troops.


    There were around 20 people at the vanguard. Each of them had entered the town on their own at different intervals.


    Of course, it did cross Harold¡¯s mind that there was no time to waste on such things.


    Had he been met with the worst case scenario, the vanguard and him alike would have had to enter the battle immediately in order to make some time not only for the people to escape, but also for the reserve troops to arrive.


    However, while things has been progressing fast as of late, Harold did not really believe that the story would go forward only two weeks after the attack on Harrison¡¯s mansion.


    Moreover, the reserve troops also had the duty of gathering some items that were going to be necessary.


    As for the vanguard, Harold had brought as many people as he could, but he had been in such a hurry that it only included the people who had been available on the spot.


    ¡¾¡±Hurry and take me to the mine. As for you, join the others and stay on standby.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Understood.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Got it. Be careful, boss.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Humph, who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±¡¿


    Naturally, ¡°Thank you¡± is what Harold actually meant to say.


    But Keith was used to this. He did not make a face or grunt, he simply left and headed towards a certain place that was under the influence of the Giffelt clan. This was where the vanguard team was supposed to meet.


    ¡¾¡±It¡¯s this way.¡±¡¿


    Meanwhile, Harold followed the man¡¯s lead towards the mine.


    There were very few people around. After making sure that no one was paying attention to him, Harold started asking questions.


    ¡¾¡±What¡¯s the situation like on the the monsters¡¯ side?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±They¡¯re still active. When we first found them, they had been barely moving and groaning once in a while. But now, they openly scream and threaten one another.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Hopefully they¡¯ll keep at it and crush each other.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Their behavior is only natural, after all they¡¯re different monsters from different circles and races.¡±¡¿


    Well, the monsters killing each other was probably not a possibility, hence the assessment that they were being controlled.


    More importantly, from all his experiences so far, Harold knew such troublesome maters would never be solved so easily anyway.


    His sole salvation was that he always knew to expect things to take a troublesome turn, so the psychological impact was minimal when trouble did come his way.


    ¡¾¡±No matter. What happened to that guy¡¯s idea of blocking the entrances before the monsters can take action?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Without even mentioning the cost, we have far too little time and manpower to do so. Even if we don¡¯t bother getting the town¡¯s permission, it would likely be difficult.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±What about magic?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I have heard of your prowess, I do believe you might be able to collapse the entrances. However, if you alter the entrance without following the proper excavation plans, there is an undeniable possibility of the tunnels under the town collapsing through a chain reaction.¡±¡¿


    What the man was implying was that the whole town could end up being buried underground in the worst case scenario.


    This plan was far too risky to attempt without first evacuating the town.


    On the other hand, standing around arms crossed waiting for the monsters to start appearing all over the place was not a solution either.


    ¡¾¡±We have arrived. This is one of the entrances to the mine.¡±¡¿


    This entrance was located towards the outskirts of the town, where there were very few houses. It was a rectangular hole with a wooden frame built within the stone wall that was constructed along the mountains.


    There was a fence to prevent entry, but it seemed hardly effective.


    There was nothing to prevent the monsters from surging out of the tunnels if they so wanted.


    ¡¾¡±Excuse me! What do you think you¡¯re doing here?!¡±¡¿


    Before Harold could step in the tunnel, someone interfered.

 Chapter 114.2

    Chapter 114 (part 2)


    Looking behind him, Harold found a woman who appeared to be a few years older than him. She was wearing glasses, had light purple hair, and had taken a quite imposing stance.


    Harold did not recall seeing this character in the original story.


    The woman stepped up with a determined stride, raising her even more determined eyes.


    ¡¾¡±You were about to enter the mine just now, weren¡¯t you? Entry in the mines is prohibited. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Ah, yes, we are aware. But we¡¯re visiting precisely to investigate any danger that might be inside.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Investigating the mine¡­? I wasn¡¯t told about this.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Well, it¡¯s not anything grand after all. Of course, we have the town¡¯s permission.¡±¡¿


    Saying so, the man took out a sheet of paper from his bosom and handed it to the woman. It was likely some sort of certificate.


    As a member of the same clan as Elu, he was quick and well-prepared. He was not going to expose himself due to a mere oversight.


    ¡¾¡±This certainly is the right paper¡­ But why now?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Now is as good a time as any. In my humble opinion, this should have been done even sooner. Well, the closing of the mine probably caused some delays.¡±¡¿


    Harold watched the two people talk to each other with his arms crossed and his back against the stone wall.


    He figured the situation would progress much more smoothly if he let the man do the talking instead of his untactful mouth, however¡­


    ¡¾¡±Well then, if you¡¯ll excuse us, we¡¯re going in.¡±¡¿


    When the man turned around and started heading towards the tunnel, he was stopped once again.


    ¡¾¡±Please wait.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±What now?¡±¡¿


    At this point, Harold let his mouth roam free.


    He still believed that staying silent was the right choice, but he was in a hurry to see what was inside the tunnels.


    That feeling of irritation was translated into a freezing tone of voice.


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯ll go along with you.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I refuse. That would be pointless.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±No, it would not. I might not look like it, but I am a member of the town¡¯s council.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­What?¡±¡¿


    The woman was likely in her early twenties.


    Though the town was not very populated and had a different system from a country like Japan, it was still hard to believe a woman this young had been chosen as a member of the town council.


    She was either particularly talented or popular, or she had connections with the upper-management of this town.


    Either way, if Harold and the man could win her over, perhaps she could put a good word for them.


    ¡¾¡±Besides, I¡¯d think it would be hard for two people alone to explore Barston¡¯s enormous mine on their own.¡±¡¿


    ¡°You¡¯re suspicious.¡± was the implicit meaning behind the woman¡¯s words.


    The man was looking at Harold as if asking what to do.


    He probably had a good grasp on the risks and returns of taking someone along, hence why he did not hesitate to let Harold decide.


    ¡¾¡±You may come. But if you slow us down, I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡±¡¿


    ¡ó


    Fiona Gwyn was careful to keep a close eye on the every move of the two men in front of her.


    That was all it took for her to realize they were suspicious.


    Their claim that they were here to investigate the mine was somewhat odd but not incomprehensible.


    The problem was that there weren¡¯t that many people in the council, and yet she somehow hadn¡¯t been informed.


    Moreover, this ¡®investigation team¡¯ had far too few members and far too little equipment.


    The middle-aged man had declared that this was a preliminary investigation, but that did not explain why he was carrying nothing but a map and a lamp.


    As for the young man who seemed even younger than Fiona herself, he wasn¡¯t even carrying anything and was wearing a black cloak that Fiona could tell from a glance was valuable and not fitting to explore a mine.


    (Were these two men really sent by the mayor and vice-mayor? Even if that¡¯s true, I don¡¯t see the need of investigating the tunnels so secretly¡­ If they¡¯re really just looking for potential danger to make sure the mine is safe, that should have come up at the council.)


    Fiona was aware that she could be a bit troublesome due to her straight-laced personality, but that trait of hers also meant she was not the type to want to oppose a valid opinion.


    If this really was just an investigation to look for dangers inside the tunnels, she would not have been against it. The mayor and vice-mayor would have known that.


    (Either my expectations are true and there are some other secrets that they¡¯re hiding from me, or this was so urgent that the others did have the time to tell me about it¡­At worst, it could be both.)


    The first thing that came to Fiona¡¯s mind when thinking about a danger in the tunnels was the sudden collapse from about a decade in the past.


    Back then, Fiona, like many others, had lost someone. In her case, it was her father, a miner.


    However, Barston¡¯s mine had been closed for a long time.


    Given the circumstances, if there was to be a collapse worth anyone¡¯s fear nowadays, it would have to be on the same scale as the one from a decade in the past.


    Foina kept worrying about such things for a while as she walked forward with the two men.


    They walked deeper and deeper for their exploration, without ever getting distracted.


    ¡¾¡±Lady Gwyn, may I ask something?¡±¡¿


    The man who was holding the lamp suddenly started talking to Fiona, while still looking straight ahead.


    ¡¾¡±What is it?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Forgive my rudeness, lady Gwyn, but might I be so bold as to inquire your age? You seem considerably young for a member of the town council.¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±I¡¯m 21. My uncle was the former mayor, that¡¯s probably why they picked me.¡±¡¿


    Fiona had ran for a position in the town council 2 years ago, after her uncle had retired.


    It was more accurate to say that she had been recommended rather than this being her own initiative, but she liked the town and she understood the people¡¯s feelings of not wanting to see young people like her leave.


    That being said, her acceptation in the council had come as a surprise to her.


    But since that was how things had turned out, she had every intention to give it her all. That was her nature.


    ¡¾¡±How far do you intend to walk?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±¡­Are you so dense that you failed to notice there was something odd here?¡±¡¿


    The young man answered Fiona¡¯s question with another question. Unlike the polite middle-aged man, this young man was very rude, right down to his manner of speaking.


    However, Fiona put up with it and asked in return.


    ¡¾¡±What are you talking about?¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±The size of the tunnels.¡±¡¿


    Only when the young man mentioned this did Fiona notice that, indeed, the tunnels were considerably high and wide compared to the entrance.


    Even assuming that it was meant to make the environnement more spacious for miners, it was still overkill.


    ¡¾¡±Moreover¡­¡±¡¿


    As he said so, the young man opened his cloak and pulled something out.


    Following his movements with her eyes, Fiona was able to tell, thanks to the reflection of the lamp on it, that the object the young man had pulled out was, in fact, an actual sword.


    ¡¾¡±W-what are you d-¡­.!¡±¡¿


    ¡¾¡±Silence, you¡¯re being noisy.¡±¡¿


    Could it be that he lured me here to kill me? Tough such a scene crossed Fiona¡¯s mind, the young man did not pay any attention to her and instead slashed his sword at the tunnel¡¯s wall.


    Once it seemed unlikely that she would get harmed, Fiona regained some peace of mind and shifted her attention to the wall that had just been cut, while standing behind the two men.


    The sight she was met with stuck her with a feeling of astonishment.


    ¡¾¡±What in the world¡­.¡±¡¿


    Though the young man¡¯s ability to cut through a rock wall so easily was surprising, what surprised Fiona the most was what was revealed from behind that wall.


    As far as Fiona was aware, the walls and ceilings of the tunnels were basically just natural bedrock, with a bit of reinforcement added on some of the parts that were the most likely to collapse.


    However, what was revealed behind that bedrock was an extremely artificial brick wall that did not belong in this tunnel.