episode_0132

When we came down from the mountain and returned to the village, the Village Elder and the people welcomed us. Only Amy was quiet.

“Knight-nim. You’ve returned! What happened? Did you find Jimmy?”

“Please calm down. There’s something you need to see.”

Cedric soothed the Village Elder and carefully took a leather watch from his pocket.

“Is this, by any chance, Jimmy’s item?”

“Ah, no! Where did you find this? This originally belonged to Amy’s father.”

“I see. Actually, we encountered a monster while tracking. Following its traces, we found this here. This was discarded along with the watch.”

With the explanation, he carefully spread open the sack and showed the bone fragments inside. Sighs naturally escaped from the people’s mouths.

“I-Is this true? Is this… Jimmy’s bone?”

“…We can’t be certain. But the watch was buried within it.”

“Oh dear! How could such a thing happen… Leaving this young child behind, what will she do if he’s already gone!”

The Village Elder seemed at a loss, feeling sorry for Amy who was left alone.

It was at that moment.

“Ha… Ahahaha!” Amy, clinging to the Village Elder’s feet and staring intently at the watch and bone fragments, burst into laughter. Her eyes remained unchanged, but the smile formed by only lifting the corners of her mouth was chilling. Should I say it seemed like her emotions were broken?

Amy’s laughter grew louder.

“Ahaha! Ahahahaha!”

“A-Amy. What’s wrong? Snap out of it!”

“Kyahahahahaha!”

Like someone driven mad by unbearable shock, Amy laughed incessantly.

As the Village Elder was earnestly trying to console her out of concern, Regina, who had been watching the scene with satisfaction, approached and stroked her head.

“That’s really good. Right?”

“Ah, ahaha… Ah… Wooooh…”

At Regina’s gentle comfort, the corners of Amy’s mouth, which had formed an arc of laughter, drooped downwards. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“No one will bother you anymore. Don’t worry.”

“Waaah!” The moment Regina’s final words fell, Amy burst into loud sobs and embraced her.

Regina held Amy with a gentle expression I couldn’t have imagined.

“It’s okay now. Everything will work out.”

At the words whispered repeatedly as Regina patted her back, Amy, who had been sobbing even while gasping for breath, gradually calmed down.

Soon after, perhaps due to all her energy being depleted, she fell into a deep sleep, breathing softly.

Regina picked up Amy.

“Village Elder-nim? Where’s the bed?”

“Ah, yes! Please follow me! Amy’s house is—”

“Not there. Lead the way to the Village Elder-nim’s house.”

“Yes? Why….”

“Lead the way.”

“…Understood.”

The Village Elder, who had been expressing his doubts, quietly folded his curiosity at her unwavering attitude and led the way to his own house.

Cedric followed behind and cautiously asked.

“Princess-nim, do you know why Amy was like that?”

“Well? If you’re curious, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Her reply was incredibly rude, as if she had no manners. Thanks to that, Cedric didn’t dare to ask any further.

However, she also had someone who could keep her in check.

When I subtly tapped her arm, Isis, who smiled sweetly, stepped forward.

“Regina-nim. Could you perhaps tell us a little bit?”

“…You’re curious too?”

“Yes. That, and I’m afraid I might hurt Amy without knowing anything. It’s better to know beforehand so I can be careful.”

It wasn’t to satisfy her own curiosity, but a mindset to prioritize others. This was truly Isis’s strength. Regina, knowing this well, couldn’t ignore this question. As expected, her lips easily opened.

“I can’t say much in detail. Only… that Jimmy probably wasn’t such a kind person. That’s why Amy was happy about his death. And when we first came to the village, she was scared. Not because Jimmy might die, but because he might come back alive. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Do you mean Jimmy inflicted violence on Amy??” No sooner had Regina finished her explanation than the Village Elder, who had been guiding them, threw a question at her.

Regina stepped back a pace and said with a sneer.

“How would I know? Whether he only used violence, or if he did something more. Shouldn’t you, rather than me, know better?”

“Groan…”

Amy’s suffering is due to your neglect. With that clearly conveyed intent, the Village Elder could offer no rebuttal and merely groaned.

The Village Elder glanced at Amy, then nodded heavily.

“You are right. We should have known. Thank you for telling us.”

The Village Elder turned his back and resumed guiding, perhaps intending to hear the rest of the story directly from Amy.

A little later, upon arriving at the Village Elder’s house, we laid Amy on the bed and came outside.

“This is the end of it. Squad Leader-nim. Are we going back now?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. To be precise, we’ll split the squad in two, and only one half will return. We need to urgently report the appearance of a monster. The remaining half will stay here and deal with any potential attacks. Isis-nim, please take charge as interim squad leader. Then, I’ll be off.”

Originally, it’s common to assign such tasks to one person with good mobility, but since we were students dispatched from the academy, it was impossible to separate us. If a problem were to arise after sending only one student, it would become quite serious.

In the end, Cedric, despite being the squad leader, hurriedly left the village with three additional members for the report.

Afterwards, two hours later, Cedric returned with a detachment of soldiers, and we were finally able to return to the fortress late in the afternoon. It was natural that Amy woke up in the middle and shared a tearful farewell with Regina. I learned for the first time today that Regina could be so gentle.

*

“Ehehehe! You truly worked hard! To show such activity on your first day of action. Truly befitting of Academy students! Especially you, you said you were the student council president, didn’t you? The future of the Empire is bright!”

Thump! Thump! Thump! Commander Bruno Curtis patted Isis’s shoulder with a hearty laugh. However, his strength stat must have been incredibly high, as the mere pats created a rupturing sound, making Isis’s body sway. For her, who had considerable durability after mastering the Friuli-style mana cultivation technique, to stagger like this, anyone else would have had their shoulder bones shattered. Bruno, belatedly realizing this, rapidly withdrew the strength from his hand.

“If you’ve achieved merit, you should naturally receive a reward, but what to do about this? Hmm… Is there anything you wish for?”

If they were soldiers, a special promotion would suffice, but since we were academy students, such a thing held no meaning. To the question, Isis gave an exemplary answer.

“I merely did what had to be done. My contributions will, in any case, be reflected in my evaluation.”

“Is that so? But I’m not satisfied just letting it go like this. Alright! Then, as a reward, I’ll grant you the right to request a sparring match with me. Come see me anytime!”

Bruno used the reward as a pretext to satisfy his personal desires. Who would dare challenge a Level 400 Transcendent? Even I, thirsting for growth, was reluctant to spar with Bruno. Because if I were to be struck by his brute axe, I’d be sliced in half without a trace.

Immediately, his adjutant’s tackle came flying.

“Commander-nim. Abusing power is not a good action. Please restrain yourself.”

“No, abusing power? What’s abusive? How many people want to receive my teachings!”

“That’s true. And no one who has received your teachings once has ever requested another spar.”

“Th-that… Hmmph…!”

Bruno couldn’t utter a single word. In the game, it was said that not a single person who had finished sparring with Bruno could walk out on their own, earning him the nickname “Crippling Machine.” Though, no one actually became crippled after receiving treatment from priests.

In the end, Bruno gave up satisfying his personal desires.

“It can’t be helped. All of you, take tomorrow off. Let that be your substitute reward. Of course, Cedric. Not you. You’ve been specially promoted, so suffer more!”

“Yes! It’s an honor! Commander-nim!”

“Then you may leave now. It’s getting late.”

At the dismissal, everyone saluted and turned their backs.

…Except for me.

“Hmm? What is it? Do you have something to say?”

“…I’ll spar.”

“What did you say?”

“I wish to spar with Commander-nim.”

Bruno Curtis. He was a man who never hesitated once he made up his mind, acting purely on impulse according to his desires. In the game, he even passed on his unique skill to Abel, who later distinguished himself. So, if I frequently sparred with him and built a rapport, I might be able to gain even the slightest thing from him. If that were the case, the injuries sustained during sparring would be of no concern. As long as my brain wasn’t shattered, I could somehow survive with my Incarnation.

Bruno’s face instantly brightened.

“Really? You’ll spar? But I can’t make time just anytime, you know? Can you pique my interest?”

“It will probably be interesting for you.”

“Hahaha! You’re full of confidence. Then let’s have a spar. Follow me!”

Bruno led the way with light steps. I quickly stopped his movement before I missed the opportunity.

“Instead, there’s a condition.”

“A condition? What is it?”

“I’d like everything that happens in the spar to be kept secret. And of course, no observers.”

My Incarnation must never be exposed. Bruno would keep it a secret if he wanted to continue sparring with me, but the other squad members wouldn’t. Especially if Isis and Regina found out, there was no telling what variables might arise.

The moment Bruno, having heard my request, was about to nod his head.

“Ruan! You can’t do that!” Isis hastily interjected. Her face was tinged with worry for me and a hint of anger.

“Noona.”

“What will you do if you get seriously hurt? Didn’t you hear what the adjutant just said? He said no one walks out standing! I absolutely cannot stand to see you get hurt without me knowing!”

It seemed that what happened during the infiltration with the Saintess had left a trauma on her. I calmed Isis.

“It’s okay. I’m not doing this without thinking. Don’t you trust me?”

“Even so, this is…”

“If you see me later and there’s even one scratch? Then I’ll grant all your wishes, Noona.”

“…Wishes?”

“Yes. You can ask for anything and everything.”

“……”

Perhaps gaining confidence from my assurance, Isis finally felt a little less worried. Instead, that enthusiasm spread to someone else.

“Kyahahaha! This is truly interesting. It seems I’ll have to get serious too!”

“You should go easy.”

“You can’t back out now! Hurry and follow me! I’m looking forward to it!”

I showed Isis one last smile, then moved to the private training ground with Bruno. As it was a facility he frequently used, its durability was strong enough for me to go all out. We faced each other in the center.

“Then, shall we have a go?”

“Bring it on.”

“I won’t use mana. Just try to last for even a minute.”

“You’ll regret underestimating me.”

“I hope I at least get a scratch!”

Bruno finished his words and simultaneously stomped forward, charging at me.