Ch.46Because We’re Friends

The atmosphere grew heavy.

I waited for Millia’s verdict with bated breath, like a defendant standing trial.

Millia stared down at me for a long time, her lips moving slightly as if choosing her words carefully.

She must be angry, I suppose.

After all, I forced her to keep quiet and left, only to return in this state.

At first, I never thought I’d end up this badly injured.

Who would have guessed that Knut would be a paladin and crusader of the war god?

Given my strategy of overwhelming opponents with superior specs, paladins were my worst matchup.

Against mages, I could read their magical preparations with mana resistance and counter accordingly.

Against simple warriors, I could dominate with swordsmanship and physical abilities.

And mindless monsters? Even simpler—just crush them with raw power.

But paladins are different.

They enhance their specs through blessings, fight without regard for injuries, and their miracles aren’t affected by mana resistance.

Meanwhile, I still couldn’t perfectly control my power.

Though swordsmanship came naturally to me, and I’d grown accustomed to utilizing my strength and instincts…

I hadn’t even begun to grasp how to handle Karma.

At best, I could unconsciously manifest the power of Hersella’s Karma of Murder when my emotions ran high.

Frosting had forcibly drawn out that power, but… that weapon was far too dangerous to use.

—-

“So, will you explain what happened now?”

Millia finally spoke.

Despite the campfire spreading warmth throughout the cave, her voice was chillingly cold.

Explain, huh.

“I fought someone who wanted to kill me… they were stronger than I expected, and I barely made it back alive.”

“Details.”

Her resolute attitude made it clear she wouldn’t accept my attempt to gloss over things.

Without realizing it, I confessed what I had done.

“It was Knut. Being a Dane, he couldn’t forgive me, a Ka’har. He’d been waiting for a chance to kill me.”

“So, did you kill him?”

A quiet interrogation.

“Probably… I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but he couldn’t have survived those wounds.”

The war god’s blessing didn’t include wound-healing powers.

Without encountering a holy maiden from another church, recovery would be impossible.

“…Did you have to kill him?”

Millia leaned closer.

Her green hair cascaded down, tickling my cheeks.

As shadows flickered, her somber face came into view.

There was no longer any fear in her unwavering gaze.

Only some unidentifiable emotion rippled in her eyes, now hard as minerals.

Well, given my current state, she has no reason to fear me anymore.

“I don’t know…”

Did I have to kill him…?

I really don’t know.

“Probably… since dialogue had failed.”

“…Is that so?”

Millia gently closed her eyes.

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking about me now.

Millia is weak, but righteous.

No, she’s someone who strives to live righteously. Like her friend. Like Demian.

At least for now.

Would she despise me?

Or would she understand that I truly had no choice?

Of course, I didn’t dare expect her understanding.

After all, I hadn’t exactly shown her my best side.

At the very least, I hoped she wasn’t contemplating the disturbing idea of eliminating a future villain preemptively.

“I see.”

Millia opened her eyes and murmured softly.

Her expression remained difficult to read.

“Then. Yes, alright. That’s fine.”

Millia rose from her seat.

That’s fine…? That’s it?

What does that mean?

Explain.

“Aren’t you going to say anything to me?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

Aren’t you going to condemn me? Criticize me?

You’re a righteous person.

“No. I won’t. You said you had no choice, Haschal.

Millia stroked my forehead.

Like comforting a child in pain.

“If that’s what you’re saying after fighting and ending up like this… then it must be true. At least, for you.”

The warmth on my forehead felt comforting.

It felt like being forgiven, and my chest tightened so much I couldn’t respond.

“I suppose that’s just how you live… so, it’s fine this time. I’ll believe you.”

Millia smiled gently.

That smile seemed to be looking at something so far beyond me.

It was so bright.

I might have cried a little.

—-

“That’s an absurd idea.”

Hans, who returned shortly after, dismissed my suggestion with a single sentence.

“But it’s the only option we have.”

And so our plan for the remaining three days was decided.

Millia would take the frontline alone, Hans would carry me instead of the luggage bag in the middle, and Lena would stay close beside him.

We would use my senses to avoid dangerous opponents and only target groups of six or fewer Kobolts.

Before sleeping, I received another healing session from Lena.

Despite her young age, her brilliant holy light rivaled that of the priestess I’d met at the marquis’s castle.

Unlike that priestess, Lena only had me to heal, so she could cast this level of healing magic three times a day.

By the last day, I would likely be able to move without difficulty.

“Well, as long as you’re carried carefully, your wounds shouldn’t reopen!”

“That’s good news, isn’t it, Haschal?”

“Indeed.”

And so the second night arrived.

All four team members sought sleep in the warm interior of the cave.

Hans had chopped wood with his axe and set up barriers and traps at the cave entrance.

He said it would be too difficult for two people to keep watch all night.

He was truly born to be a guide.

—-

Morning came.

After breakfast, Hans offered his back to me.

Being carried made breathing a bit uncomfortable, but it was tolerable.

Hans cleared his throat as he stood up.

I’d removed my armor, so I couldn’t be that heavy, right?

He’s really going through a lot of trouble.

We spent the entire morning exploring the forest.

We visited water sources to replenish our supplies and searched for small groups of Kobolts.

Fortunately, the creatures that had occupied the water source on the first day were nowhere to be seen.

Given my condition, encountering them again would have been problematic.

Millia handled all the Kobolts we encountered.

Unlike the first day, she seemed to have grown accustomed to fighting them, dispatching them with a single decisive blow while moving as gracefully as if dancing.

I watched from Hans’s back, resting my fatigued, injured body.

I should probably apologize to him too.

When we first entered this forest, I never thought I’d cause him this much trouble.

Yet he helped me without complaint.

“…Sorry about blowing off your finger back then.”

“I gained far more than I lost, so it’s fine. My finger grew back perfectly. Consider it just a difficult request.”

Hans wiggled the finger that had been severed to show me it was intact.

Now that I’ve experienced working with him, he seems quite capable and has a good personality.

Becoming a knight might be difficult for him, but he could excel as a guide.

“More importantly, try not to squirm so much on my back. It’s distracting.”

“Sorry. The position is a bit uncomfortable.”

“…No need to apologize.”

Carrying a person through the forest was clearly tiring him; his breathing, complexion, and the sweat dripping down were quite different from the first day.

For three days, we continued this routine: being carried around hunting Kobolts, returning to the cave in the evening for treatment, and sleeping.

We avoided trolls even if we just caught their scent. Others would handle them.

People like Demian or Ophelia.

By the last day, I had recovered enough to walk.

Blue smoke signals rose in succession from the forest boundary, announcing the end of the field training.

We packed our belongings and finally left this wretched forest.

Our final count was 52 Kobolts.

Surprisingly, this earned us 6th place.

First place went to Demian and Edgar’s team, who hunted 3 trolls and 30 Kobolts.

Ophelia’s team had killed one troll but only 5 Kobolts, putting them in third place.

Knowing Ophelia’s personality, she probably killed one troll at the beginning and then just holed up somewhere to rest.

Her teammates wouldn’t have dared to oppose a mage who could single-handedly kill a troll.

The team that achieved second place had hunted 90 Kobolts.

They were all unfamiliar faces with similar abilities.

Since they couldn’t defeat trolls anyway, they persistently raided caves where Kobolts gathered.

It was a strategy worthy of praise.

With this, our eventful first field training—long in some ways, short in others—came to an end.

140 participants. 126 returnees.

14 dead or missing.

1 knight supervisor missing.

…They didn’t reveal the names of those who died or went missing.

Soon after, we finally returned to the academy.

—-

Nigel, who had been waiting for me in the special wing dormitory, was shocked at the state of my body and armor.

“Did you fight seven Knuts or something?”

No, I got this beaten up by just one.

“That guy was a crusader of Volberg.”

“Ah… I see. That explains your condition.”

Nigel nodded and sighed.

“I’ll have the armor repaired… there goes our funds again…”

We can earn money once I recover.

Honestly, monsters are nothing compared to this.

I was planning to start earning money soon anyway.

Ordinary steel equipment clearly wouldn’t be enough for future battles.

I should diligently save money and ask Asha to make equipment for me.

She’d probably give me a discount, right? Since we’re friends.

“Anyway, for now, rest until your wounds heal completely. And no mana herbs.”

As if right on cue, Nigel gathered all the cases containing mana herbs and tucked them away in a corner of the desk.

Well, even I wouldn’t think of smoking those in this condition.

Does he hate mana herbs that much?

========[???]========

In a dark room with a single bed.

A man who had been lying as if dead, coughing up blood in excruciating pain, finally awoke.

“Kuhak..! Kheuk, keuuk!… Where…?”

He had no feeling in his limbs.

Every breath felt like his abdomen was being torn apart.

As he writhed in pain and confusion, he finally noticed the female knight looking down at him.

“You’re awake? Despite being told not to, you wouldn’t listen, and now look at the state you’re in.”

Despite her cold tone, the woman was looking at the man’s miserable condition with pity.

“Not… the heavenly palace then…”

“Did you hit your head too? Do you have any idea how hard I worked to save you?”

The woman approached and sat on the edge of the bed.

The bed sank deeply on one side.

“I barely kept you alive by using potions like water, then fled to find an academy holy maiden candidate for treatment. A year’s worth of operational funds gone, and now I’ll have to abandon this cover identity too. Even after all that, this is the best I could do.”

The woman extended her hand, pointing to various parts of the man’s body.

“I managed to restore your arms somehow, but your legs and internal organs were tainted with a terrible curse. On top of that, you burned your life force using your powers, so it’s a miracle you’re not dead. Thanks to the holy maiden candidate, your organs were crudely repaired, but… your eyes and legs were beyond saving. You’ll never fight as a warrior again.”

“I see… I’m in your debt.”

So that was why he could no longer feel the war god’s blessing.

Because he was no longer a warrior.

Feeling like a lost child, the man groaned softly.

“…Rest here for now. I’ve reported this incident to our homeland, so we should receive a response soon.”

The female knight rose and headed toward the door.

The man watched her with his one remaining eye.

With her hand on the doorknob, the woman turned to look at him and sighed.

“Still… I’m truly glad you survived.”

Knut.

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