episode_0124

These days, Camilla’s behavioral patterns are so regular and healthy that anyone who knows her will be surprised.

Unlike her, who was always wandering around looking for interesting things to do, she continued to go back and forth between the classroom, the training room, and the dormitory assigned to her.

On days when she didn’t go to the training room, she wandered around where Gilbert was, blocking Brynhild’s hand-to-hand attack with all her might and devoting all her energy to protecting her precious friend.

The reason Camilla changed like this was because of the helplessness she felt when she followed Gilbert to Wiesbark. She, who had only been looking for fun rather than training, was very upset that her close friend went to the battlefield alone.

In particular, how surprised was Gilbert when he was hit by a barrage of artillery fire just when he thought the war was over?

If Lily and Dorothy hadn’t stopped her, she might have rushed to the battlefield right now. That’s how much of a shock the first battlefield was to Camilla.

A place where you can lose something precious with just a moment of inattention.

That was the battlefield.

The problem was that there was nothing Camilla could do in such a cruel battlefield.

If she had helped even just one hand that day, wouldn’t such a dangerous situation have occurred?

No, that couldn’t have been the case.

Although she had decent skills, she was only at the level of a cadet.

It was so cruel that it could not be compared to knights like Gilbert who jumped into battle far beyond the level of cadets.

The helplessness and self-loathing she felt at that time completely shattered Camilla’s way of thinking about the world, which had been focused solely on interest.

After returning to the academy after the break, she made a firm resolution.

I decided to keep this daily life that I find interesting and enjoyable.

Camilla’s current life was a repetition of the same days after that. If it were like before, I would have tried to avoid boring and boring training, but this time my mindset was different.

The body was clearly drooping due to laziness. I kept getting the urge to throw everything away deep inside my heart.

However, Camilla, who brushed it all off, spent her days repeatedly training.

It wasn’t that I didn’t feel skeptical.

She was called a genius as a child, but years of laziness allowed her talent to rust.

I tried my best to oil it and remove the rust, but it wasn’t easy at all.

Every time that happens, Camilla thinks of Gilbert, one of her dear friends.

Even though he had such overwhelming strength, Gilbert never stopped training. Even though others saw him doing things in a way that was close to torture, he never once showed any displeasure.

Camilla thought he was dazzling and used him as a role model.

If I become stronger, I want to be like him.

A week passed, then two weeks, then a month.

Camilla, who has become a habit of training, was heading to the gym again today.

If there wasn’t anything special going on, all she had planned was to train as much as she could for today and then head to her dorm with her exhausted body.

Nothing special happened today, so it was going to be that way.

If Gilbert hadn’t called her.

“Camilla. Gilbert is looking for you.”

“Gilbert?”

Camilla’s eyes widened when she heard that Gilbert was looking for her.

Until now, he had never once looked for Camilla first.

Mostly she just went there to hang out with Gilbert.

With a happy heart, she flew to the place the maid told her about. If the servants of the Tristitia family saw it, they might have shouted at him to protect his body.

The place Camilla arrived was an empty classroom. It was full of people she knew well.

She first spotted her best friend, Lily, and raised one hand.

“Job! Lily is here!”

“The last one was Camilla.”

Camilla stood next to Lily and looked at the people in the classroom.

First of all, Brynhild and Angelina, the muscle girls she named, and Hans and Illen sat down first.

Camilla, who saw the so-called Gilbert Division gathered in one place, whispered to Lily.

“Did you all receive a call from Gilbert?”

“That’s right. I was waiting because they said they would tell me what was going on until the last person came.”

“Okay?”

Camilla’s ears perked up. For the first time in a long time, her sense of interest began to kick in.

My sense of interest, which had been dormant due to training after the break, was sending out signals that this was not unusual.

“There you are.”

Gilbert, who saw Camilla sitting next to Lily, stood in front of them.

“Why did you call us all? I know it’s something unusual, but.”

Brynhild joked as if he was scared. The corners of his mouth were smiling, so he didn’t seem nervous at all.

“I have something important to convey. This is something that should never be leaked to anyone except us here.”

Gilbert began his story with a more stern expression than usual.

In short, it was a story about forming a separate unit to surround and exterminate the Slaves, a group of slave traders engaged in human trafficking.

After hearing all that, Camilla became curious and raised her hand.

“Gilbert, I have a question!”

“Say it.”

“I understand that a separate unit is being formed. So, can we take the reason we were called here to mean that we were selected for that special unit?”

In order to succeed in a risky operation called siege annihilation, a reserve unit was always formed to support the main unit.

Gilbert said that the key to this operation was secrecy, so there was bound to be a limit to how the Empire’s knights could move.

Then, the natural conclusion was that the troops who could move as quietly as possible were academy cadets.

Gilbert nodded at Camilla’s words.

“That’s right. The people gathered here are all selected as members of the special unit.”

“Is there a right to veto? I am not from the empire.”

“You’re saying things you don’t mean.”

“As expected, couples are on the same page even in places like this.”

Hey, it’s tailing Gilbert again!

Camilla glanced at Brynhild, who nodded.

However, given the situation, Camilla suppressed what she wanted to shout. No matter how much Camilla lived without paying attention to what others thought, she knew how to be self-respectful in a situation like this.

“As it was an order from Her Highness the Princess, there was no right of veto. Make sure everyone fulfills their duties as academy cadets.”

Although it was a separate team selection without the right to veto, there were not many complaints.

It was natural for Demeia Academy cadets whose goal was to acquire military skills.

After giving the final message that the operation would begin in three days, Gilbert looked at the faces of the members of the special unit looking at him one by one.

“This operation will not be at the forefront, but it is not a low-risk operation. Since there is a strong tendency for reserve forces to be supplementary personnel to the main unit, there is a possibility that they will be deployed to more dangerous places. However, we must not allow the human traffickers who are eating away at the empire. Because this threatens the safety of the empire’s subjects.”

Gilbert usually preferred a firm tone of speech, but now the weight was different. A great responsibility was placed on them to protect the subjects of the empire.

Camilla was suffocated by the sense of responsibility.

The resentment and helplessness that had come from just watching during the break began to seep into Camilla’s body.

She shook her head from side to side and remembered a passage from the Tristitia family.

You who know honor. Fulfill your obligations for what you enjoy.

Camilla repeated the phrase and made a promise.

This time will be different from the break.

He said he would never do such a terrible thing as he did then, sending only his friends into battle.

She took a deep breath, shaking off her sense of responsibility, and soon realized that only she and Gilbert were left in the empty classroom. As she was quick to guess, it seemed like Gilbert had probably sent all the remaining people away.

“Camilla Alacer Tristitia.”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly calling me by my full name?”

Camilla found it difficult to look into Gilbert’s eyes, unlike usual. I couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but it was because an indescribable heavy energy was flowing from him.

“You are the last to be selected for this special unit.”

“… . Is it because your skills aren’t enough?”

Only after listening to Gilbert tell the story without hesitation did Camilla understand the identity of that heavy energy.

That was anxiety.

She was a person who could objectively judge her own skills.

And when he looked at himself from that objective perspective, his skills were below that of a member of a separate unit.

Most of the people gathered in this empty classroom, complete with anti-eavesdropping magic, were aiming for the top ranks at Demeia Academy, where talented people gather.

Gilbert, who will be the commander of the separate unit, received a fifth-grade knighthood as a cadet.

Not to mention Brynhild, her close friends Lily, Angelina Hans, and Illen were all talented people who stood out in competitive matches.

On the other hand, she was an orphan who had neglected her training until recently. The reason she was selected for the special unit was purely because of Gilbert’s choice.

“That’s right. There was some talk about whether the Ian Tigris line barrel would be better for the last spot.”

“That can’t be helped. Isn’t it true that Ian is better than me?”

Although my stomach sank, Camilla smiled. There was nothing more unsightly than denying the facts.

As always, she tried to diffuse the situation with laughter.

Because I felt uncomfortable in this position, I wanted to get away as soon as possible.

“But still, I chose you. Can you guess the reason?”

“Why did you choose me?”

Camilla tilted her head. If you think about it, it was right that Ian was in this position, not her.

He was an excellent cadet, and he was a better fit for the special unit than she was.

However, Gilbert continued his story resolutely, as if Ian was not a consideration.

“Okay. I chose you as the last operator.”

“Why? Until now, I’ve only done the things I wanted to do and neglected training. It won’t be of much help in this operation either.”

“For that matter, he has been following my training method recently.”

“Did you know?”

Camilla was startled by Gilbert’s words.

It was Gilbert who always thought he was annoying.

I never expected that he would know that he was training seriously.

“I remember it was after the break.”

“Umhuhu! So Gilbert has finally fallen for my charm too?”

I felt embarrassed for some reason, so I forced a laugh.

She thought to herself that if she did this, her feelings wouldn’t be discovered by Gilbert.

However, Gilbert only responded with an unchanging expression and tone.

“Don’t put yourself down. Because you can become a better person than anyone else.”

“… . Why do you think that? Everyone thinks I’m annoying.”

The smile disappeared from Camilla’s face.

She also knew how people around her evaluated her.

dizzy. It’s too arbitrary. Etc., no good story ever came out.

This was a fact that Camilla fully acknowledged. She was a person who only followed her interests.

This training began as a result of his anger at the fact that he could not help Gilbert, who had caught his interest, and as a result of his rebellious spirit. It was humiliating for her not to be able to help a friend who interested her.

“Camilla. You said that no matter what people around me say, you judge me based on what you see.”

“Did I do that?”

Although she pretended not to remember, Camilla clearly remembered.

There was one time when I thought Gilbert was having a hard time and so I blurted out something without even thinking about it.

But why bring up that story now?

Camilla was curious about that.

“Okay. You said that. I don’t know how complicated it is, but it’s just the way you see it.”

“Well, I see.”

Camilla’s face felt hot.

The person who said it actually said it without any meaning, but I felt embarrassed that the person who heard it remembered it like this.

“Never mind! Because I really said it without thinking.”

“It doesn’t matter. There is no doubt that your words helped me. So, I will also say something to you.”

Camilla held her breath for a moment.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was hearing something incredible.

“No need to worry. The Camilla Alaquer Tristitia I have seen is a person who can become stronger than anyone else. So, don’t be swayed and just follow the path you have decided on. I will lead that path.”

“Uh…?”

Well, what are you saying now?

Camilla’s face hardened at Gilbert’s words.

The fact that she was hearing incredible stories was not just her opinion, it became fact.

Does he know what he is talking about now?

“If you feel anxious, follow me. I will open the way. So all you have to do is believe in yourself. That’s what I had to say.”

Gilbert gave a faint smile to the frozen Camilla and left the classroom, saying he would go first.

Now the only person left was Camilla.

Camilla, who was blankly looking at the entrance to the classroom where Gilbert had left, suddenly burst into laughter.

Camilla of the world took a hit!

Camilla started giggling and laughing.

Everything I had been worrying about until now disappeared in an instant along with that smile.

Camilla, who was laughing so hard that tears formed in her eyes, finally stopped laughing and returned to her usual face.

The words Gilbert said rippled through her heart, but she felt like her future was brightening.

Maybe it was thanks to Gilbert who said he would open the road.

Camilla, feeling much lighter, headed to the training room to train for today.

As expected, the person named Gilbert was the object of greatest interest to her.