episode_0170

In the late morning, even the drinkers fell asleep and became quiet.

The black-haired girl lying on the bed quietly opened her eyes and looked at the woman holding her.

“…….”

Affection, joy, trust, longing, obsession.

And small questions and pity.

Golden eyes were filled with complex and subtle emotions that could not be expressed in just one or two words.

Friede stared at her sleeping knight, silently reaching out and gently stroking his cheek.

A careful and delicate touch, as if smoothing a cracked glass artifact.

A small, pure white thumb gently swept under Hilde’s eyes. As if retracing the traces of tears that had not even left a trace.

‘… ‘I didn’t expect you to cry like that.’

The sobs that he had overheard dozens of days ago flickered in Friede’s mind like an auditory hallucination.

◆◆

What happened at the mansion in Veloren.

One early morning, Friede suddenly woke up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he realized that Hilde was not next to him, and with a half-asleep mind, he walked out into the hallway in search of her.

And, after walking along the faint light like a sleepwalking child, I found Hilde and Veloren embracing each other on the sofa in Lord Veloren’s bedroom.

The reason he didn’t roll his eyes and run into the room as soon as he saw that was because he had a firm belief that Hilde would never betray him.

Or maybe it was because the sight she faced was so shocking that even the steps she was about to take froze.

Brünnhilde was crying.

In a voice trembling with fear and grief, she lamented the situation she was in and all the malice and absurdity she had experienced so far.

The Brünnhilde that Friede knew was not there.

Only the woman who was crying for favor and fearing malice, covering her weakness with the armor of a ‘female knight merciless to her enemies’, was crying.

The wounds in the heart revealed by the drunken Brünnhilde stopped Friede in his tracks.

I wanted to rush in right away and hug Hilde and wipe her tears, but to my chagrin, that role belonged to someone else, not her.

Hilde had never once revealed such weak feelings in front of her.

Although he sometimes looked very distraught or depressed, he never cried like that and lamented that life was too difficult and scary.

What is the reason?

‘Because you don’t trust me… ?’

No, that can’t be true. Friede immediately denied the first pessimistic speculation that came to mind.

Although he and Hilde had many twists and turns, they met again and did everything together, a community of destiny.

There is no way that trust cannot be achieved by just one woman whom we have only met for a short time. Friede believed so. No, I wanted to believe that.

Therefore, Friede looked back on his past days with Hilde and tried to find a more certain and reliable reason in those memories.

‘If you think about it… Hilde often treated me like a child.’

From Friede’s memory, Hilde’s words and actions toward her were often… No, most of them were not of the same age, but had the tone and attitude of an older person.

When I talk to you, I sometimes feel like I have a sister who never existed.

I don’t know if Hilde herself is aware of this, but… Anyway, Friede didn’t feel unpleasant, so she implicitly agreed with Hilde’s words and actions.

Even in situations where it is not necessary, he stutters a little awkwardly, imitates the words and actions of children he has seen in the past, or smiles brightly every time his head is stroked.

‘… Is it because of that? ‘Because you think I’m a child you need to support, not someone you can lean on and depend on?’

Friede had enjoyed the situation of Hilde loving her by acting like a half-acting, half-sincere child, but now that she thought about it, it seemed like a mistake.

Unless you are a perverted sexual fanatic, what kind of adult would depend on a younger child for maternal love like that of a mother?

In Friede’s opinion, at least Hilde was not such a shabby degenerate.

Rather, she was a woman who would endure no matter how difficult it was and only show a confident appearance in front of a child so that the other person would not feel anxious.

‘So, if you were holding back because you couldn’t show your weakness in front of me… And now, if you’ve finally met someone you can rely on… .’

We must not interfere. Friede thought so and took a step back.

It was unfortunate, disturbing, and even a little infuriating, but it was very clear that it was not her place to step forward.

Friede thought, what would happen if he entered the room in this situation?

Hilde will lose the opportunity to vent out her accumulated resentment and pain and will force herself to put on a brave mask. I once again locked up the anger that brought tears to my heart.

‘that… I don’t like it. Yeah, I hate it a lot.’

The resentment that builds up and cannot be resolved will eventually become an indelible wound and be engraved in your heart forever.

Friede did not want to see Hilde’s heart rot and crumble. Just imagining such an ending made her bite her lip and make her heart ache.

The sight in front of him – that is, the fact that he had to watch Hilde hugging a woman other than himself seemed like nothing.

In the end, Friede quietly returned to her bedroom, leaving Hilde and Veloren alone. Without hearing Hilde’s confession after she left.

It was a fortunate thing for Friede.

If Hilde had heard that her feelings for her were not love but deception and resulting guilt, she would have cried, too.

◆◆

Friede made a promise that day.

For Hilde, who is crying internally because she is afraid of malice and the future, I need to become strong enough to cut down all that malice.

‘You have to be strong. Much more than now… More than anyone else in the world.’

I will fight as her sword and shield so that I can protect her no matter who in the world becomes her enemy.

‘Enough that Hilde can trust and rely on me.’

As only one hero.

======[Hilde]======

The next morning.

As I woke up from a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while and was eating breakfast on the first floor of the inn, I heard rumors here and there that were dozens of times more vicious than yesterday.

“Did you hear the news? Baron Braum is in a coma!”

“Baron? No, how come?”

“What, didn’t you know? That pig blocked the road to catch the monster in Pinwood Forest, and ended up almost getting eaten himself. I’m in a lot of trouble now because of that.”

“Hey, hey. Please say that politely….”

“No, honestly, it’s funny. I heard from the priests that they couldn’t even see that monster, and that he retreated while fighting monsters summoned from hell. What kind of shame is that?”

… What on earth happened last night?

Seeing you talk about Pinwood Forest, I think it’s just me… .

“You called it from hell…? Is that monster using some kind of necromancy?”

“Did you hear what the monster looks like? What is it?”

“I don’t know, guys. I tried to ask, but they just said that it was a monster so ugly and blasphemous that I was even afraid to speak of it.”

“…It’s terrible. It’s a monster so vicious that even the priests are afraid of it. Why did such a monster appear in a mountainous area like this?”

“Surely you won’t come down to this village…?”

“That’s right. Are you going to live because you’re scared?”

… I couldn’t understand the conversation because it was full of things I didn’t know.

I swear to God, I’ve never met Baron Braum or anything, and I don’t even have the ability to summon anything in the first place.

There are degrees to which rumors can gain weight. Even though I knew the identity of the ‘monster’ by then, I wondered if there was a real monster other than me.

“Hehe, hehe. Anyway, I heard the Baron is recruiting adventurers for that matter. How about we take advantage of this opportunity?”

That guy must have been an adventurer.

The middle-aged man who first brought up the rumor lightly tapped my chest and got to the point.

The story is that Baron Braum or something is preparing for the second battle and hiring adventurers, so they should join in and take care of it.

In my opinion, it was a plan that was either wasted or killed.

“It’s okay. It’s okay to grab a share, but it’s lucky if you don’t get cut off.”

“I heard that several knights were killed by his subordinates, not even that monster. Now, are you asking us to get involved in that situation? If you want to die, die alone, man.”

Most of the other adventurers seemed to have the same thoughts as me, and instead of responding to the middle-aged man’s words, they only spat out jeers and sarcasm.

“I’m saying this because there’s a real possibility! We’re not the only ones taking action, so what are the chances of getting hit? If we take advantage of the opportunity….

“What kind of opportunity, a chance to make a hole in your head? From the way you’re talking, it seems like the hole has already been made.”

“… Let’s see, this young guy is real!”

“Well, what should I do? If you’re confident, give it a try.’

After a heated argument, the adventurers shake their fists at each other.

It seemed like they were trying to decide whether or not to participate in the subjugation operation with force rather than words. As befits people who work hard, it is right for them to win.

Well, it didn’t matter to me who won.

Anyway, my only intention was to leave the village as soon as I finished breakfast and go straight home.

Baron Braum and the adventurers will take care of whether it’s a monster or not. If such a monster really existed.