episode_0087

“Hey, why did Mr. Gilbert suddenly join? Same with Fermo.”

“Do you understand that it is me? No, you joined the search party because of some kind of wind… I’m dying of anxiety.”

Wild-haired Johnson and messy-haired Roel whispered as they looked at Gilbert and Fermo, who were looking around in the middle of the line.

These two weren’t the only ones whispering like this. Most of the rangers who participated in the search party were dying to be joined by high-ranking people.

They were puzzled by the start of the search party, which was about 30 minutes later than scheduled, but became very nervous when the commander-in-chief and his deputy suddenly appeared.

Even though it is a special Ranger unit, isn’t it just an ordinary soldier in the end?

I couldn’t help but feel nervous as the highest-ranking commanding officers suddenly volunteered to join the search party. It was no joke that if even a book was caught, he would be dishonorably discharged that day.

Fortunately, I was just quietly watching the search to see if they were out to audit the unit, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something, considering the number of searchers had doubled.

“When these bastards are talking, look around at least once more! No matter who comes to the search party, we just have to do our job.”

Leila, who was the commander of the Ranger unit and the leader of this search party, struck Johnson and Roel on the back of the head one by one.

The two of them got hit on the back of the head for no reason and could barely suppress the cries that were about to burst out.

This crazy captain even has spicy hands, damn it! Damn.

The two of them babbled even quieter so that Layla couldn’t hear them, but it was an act of misreading the other person for a long time.

“I’ll go back and show you what a crazy captain is.”

“Such nonsense… I’m so tired! This.”

When Johnson, who had a loud mouth, swore, Raila’s eyes became even colder. Realizing that this was an ultimatum, Roel elbowed Johnson’s side and covered his mouth.

“Sorry. Captain!”

“Shut up and search.”

“Yep!”

Leila sighed as she watched the two of them going inside through the forest grass. The two’s skills were among the best among the Rangers, but that guy’s personality was the problem.

Of course, he knew that his personality wasn’t that good, but those two were a famous duo in the unit.

There were more than one occasion where we had to worry about accidents as we ran around to see if we were a good fit.

The good news is that it doesn’t cross a certain line?

Leila shook her head as if to shake the indifferent duo out of her mind, then cast her gaze towards Gilbert, who had been appointed as the commander-in-chief this time.

I had heard rumors that Gilbert, who was famous in the public for being a badass, had changed, but seeing him in person gave me a strange feeling.

The residents of Wiesbark were still on guard, fearing that the damn thing might explode at any moment. Considering that they had suffered from Gilbert for quite some time, it was not impossible to understand their reaction.

It was a common occurrence for women to be harassed for being unsightly, or for pretty-looking women to be harassed. That period was a time when the rivers and mountains could change, so it was like a kind of conditioned reflex.

But there were always exceptions.

There were people who benefited from what could be said to be Gilbert’s whims, and Leila fell into that category.

Born into an ordinary commoner family, Leila was the child of a well-known hunter in Wiesbark. As usual, with a blunt father and a nagging mother, she lived a normal life with her younger brother in a place a little away from Wiesbark.

A very ordinary life, complaining to my mother for waking up early in the morning, and being rude to my father after he went hunting.

There was a time when I felt that such an ordinary life was boring, but I was satisfied with my stable daily life.

At that time, Leila’s goal was to follow her hunter father and become the best hunter in Lithuania.

Of course, that wasn’t the end.

As a child, her dream was to become a hunter who would be famous even outside of Lithuania.

Fortunately, her talent was exceptional, perhaps because she inherited the blood of her father, a hunter who was famous in the Lithuanian territory, which was quite large in the empire.

Not only his bow skills but also his ability to track down prey were incomparable to children of his age. If time had passed, it would not have been unreasonable for her to become the best hunter in the Infractus Empire as she had dreamed.

But has anyone done that?

Misfortune had a way of coming quietly.

On the day of misfortune, Leila secretly left home to practice the hunting skills her father had taught her.

Leila’s mother had always disapproved of her honing her hunting skills.

This was because she knew well how dangerous the job of a hunter was, but it was something that did not resonate with Leila as a child.

She just wanted to hone her hunting skills and become the best hunter in the empire as soon as possible.

She was so absorbed in hunting to avoid her mother’s nagging that she lost track of time and returned home around sunset.

As she neared the house, Leila suddenly felt something strange.

Her mother, who would normally have been waiting on the hill in front of the house to nag Leila for not returning until the end of the day, was nowhere to be seen.

Could it be that he was so angry at her for constantly sneaking out that he didn’t come out to meet her?

No, that can’t be true.

The moment Leila came to that conclusion, she felt an ominous feeling.

Her body shot straight into the house.

Leila ran home as if she were flying, using the trotting pace she learned from her father.

I was out of breath, almost up to my chin, but I was somehow able to swallow it down.

Is it because of that?

Leila was able to stand at the door in less than a minute.

But for some reason, my anxiety grew as I stood in front of the door.

Maybe it was because of the blood leaking out the door.

But since she couldn’t stay in front of the house forever, Leila opened the door with trembling hands.

blood.

And family.

Leila collapsed after seeing the situation in the house.

In front of Leyla’s eyes, there were traces of scratches with sharp claws all over the house, and the bodies of her family members who looked as if half their bodies had been eaten.

She was devastated by that sight and was able to recall the story her father had told her not long ago about a huge beast. The saying that they are chasing a monster that has been transformed under the influence of mana.

The image of my father burning his fighting spirit, saying that if he caught that monster, he would be treated better than now, flashed before my eyes.

She was able to intuitively realize right then and there that it was the monster her father had mentioned that had caused this tragedy.

After that, things literally went smoothly. Although she was still young, she went to the security guard without shedding a single tear and explained the progress of the incident.

The investigation team immediately assembled concluded that it was the work of a wild beast that had evolved into a monster.

However, it was very difficult to find the hidden beast. This was because it was not the security’s decision to deal with an incident that occurred some distance away, not even in the center of the territory.

It was difficult for the guards to deal with the monster right away because they were already overwhelmed with what was happening in the territory.

It was devastating news for Leila, who was burning with revenge.

But at that moment, there was a spiral, and that was Gilbert.

Gilbert, who was famous as a madman instead of a wealthy knight like he is now, gave an order to catch the monster that attacked Leila’s family as a top priority.

Even though it was a mess, the work was done quickly, probably because the heir of the Earl of Hart gave instructions directly. I didn’t even know if it was because it was a reasonable order and not a stupid thing to do for the first time in a long time.

Whatever the reason, the knight dispatched from the Hart family led the territory’s guards and set out to subdue the monster that attacked Leila’s family.

How much time has passed since they left?

The monster suppression team that went outside the territory eventually returned after subduing the monster.

She was psychologically driven by the thought that she might not be able to avenge her family, but at that moment, her tension melted away and she cried, begging the world to go away.

I poured out all my heart on the spot, thinking that my father, mother, and younger brother could rest in peace.

She cried for a long time until her tear ducts dried up, and at some point she stopped crying.

After burying my family in my heart, I had something to do.

Leyla, who wiped away her tears with swollen eyes, immediately submitted an application for admission to the Ranger Academy. Although tuition was quite expensive, I was able to somehow pay for it with my parents’ inheritance.

After completing several years of arduous training, she graduated from the Ranger Academy at the top of her class and immediately committed herself to the Hart family.

He did this because he thought that was the only way to repay Gilbert, who took revenge on his behalf.

It may have been a madman’s whim, but if he hadn’t given the order to kill the monster-level beast, Leila might not have been able to avenge her family.

Leila still couldn’t forget the sight of a monster as big as a house being carried on a cart and passing through the front gate.

Yes, it was like that back then.

Leila, who was tracing memories from the distant past, smiled so faintly that even the surrounding crew could not see it. Unlike his usual expression, he looked relaxed.

Leila pretended to look around and glanced at Gilbert and Fermo.

No, more accurately, he was looking at Gilbert.

From being the count’s greatest scoundrel to being called the rising divinity of the empire, Leila has been watching over Gilbert all along.

At first, it was simply to repay the favor for avenging his family’s enemies.

After losing her family and being left alone in the world, she needed a goal to continue her life, and that was to repay the favor.

Also, I survived the difficult Ranger Academy.

He also committed himself to the Hart family at a young age.

It was all for that reason. I may have created a reason to live by force, but at that time, I needed a reason.

As time passed and precious people began to appear one by one, she gradually found stability. In order to hide my anxious feelings, I started to feel relaxed in my daily life where I was looking for something to do as if I was being chased by someone.

But still, she was looking at Gilbert.

Because it was he who helped her live again.

It didn’t matter if others called her a fool or if he didn’t remember her.

All of this was her self-satisfaction.

I once had a conversation with my unit members. The captain asked why she didn’t even meet men.

At the time, I dismissed it as having no intention of meeting a man, but when I was left alone, I began to seriously reflect on myself.

As I told my unit members, I had no intention of meeting the man.

Until now, she had been living with the obsessive thought of repaying Gilbert’s favor, so she did not have the heart to turn her eyes to a man now.

So, am I going to live alone like this for the rest of my life?

She thought so while laughing.

But something suddenly dawned on me. There was only one man I had looked at for almost half my life.

Of course, as soon as it occurred to me, I shook my head and shook the thought away. I did not look at it as a reason, but to find a goal in life.

But is it because we are aware of that fact?

It became an opportunity to look into my own mind more.

As time passed, Layla finally admitted.

It was as if I had caught up with Gilbert in my heart.

Of course, no matter how much of a fool he was, considering the difference in status, it was unexpected.

He was the heir to the Great Count of Hart, and Leila was merely a captain in command of the Count of Hart’s ranger unit.

She was deeply aware of the difference in birth status.

Is that all?

Nowadays, he was an imperial divinity who was awarded a knighthood as an academy cadet.

The difference not only in the status at which they were born but also in the reputation they have built up throughout their lives has become so wide that it is impossible to keep up.

But I guess that was good. She had vowed not to reveal her feelings anyway.

Just watching from afar like this was enough for Leila.

I truly thought so.

Until he called.

“Commander Leila.”

“Yep!”

Leila was pulled out of her thoughts by Gilbert’s sudden call and hurriedly ran to him. It seemed like he discovered something while talking to Fermo.

“Did you call me?”

“If I remember correctly, Commander Leila had a father who was a famous hunter, right?”

“Well, how do you do that…?”

Raila’s voice trembled slightly at Gilbert’s unexpected words.

“I just remember the incident a long time ago when a wild beast grew to the level of a monster.”

“Ah…!”

Do you remember that?

Leila’s heart began to beat faster little by little.

It felt like the sound of my pounding heart was ringing in my ears.

“So, there is something I would like to ask Unit Commander Leila. If you’re the unit leader, Leila, you must have inherited some hunting skills from your father, right?”

“That’s right!”

Layla answered in a louder voice than usual, trying not to hear her violently pounding heart. Although it was contrary to her previous appearance telling Johnson and Roel to be quiet, she did not notice.

I was just happy that he remembered me.

“I understand. In that case, I would like you to look at the traces over here.”

“I will do my best!”

“Um…”

Leila turned this overwhelming, indescribable feeling into a sense of mission and looked at the place that Gilbert had pointed out.

Perhaps today would be remembered as one of the most unforgettable days in her life.