episode_0066

Friede, who was sitting on a chair, opened her mouth calmly.

“I heard the story. I heard they turned nearly 300 animals into pieces of meat. He even defeated Daejeonsa.”

“Three hundred? Did I cut that much…?”

Honestly, I didn’t know how many people I killed.

In the beginning, I was in a state of lost consciousness, and later on, I fought almost in a trance.

I alone am 300 people. Although most of them were recessive hybrids, it was still an unrealistic record.

Milia said that I killed about 30% of the beasts.

So that means there were almost a thousand people who started the riot.

Friede brushed her hair back.

“Yes. What an amazing major. A female knight who single-handedly killed three hundred beasts and saved the island. Even if the legend is too much, wouldn’t it be something to sing about?”

“……Please, I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

My song.

It was a word that made me dizzy just thinking about it.

“…Anyway, what did you come here for?”

I’m sure he didn’t really come to visit. We’re not that close of friends, are we?

I’m sure he came here with a purpose.

So…did he come because of an invitation from the imperial family or a letter from his father? That’s all that comes to mind.

“Oh, that’s it…”

Surprisingly, Friede suddenly became speechless.

He moves his head here and there, licking his lips as if hesitating.

“Uh…what is it, I mean…”

What on earth are you trying to say that you’re hesitating so much…?

It doesn’t suit me.

“What is it?”

“He…he said he had a hard time. It was great. It’s all thanks to you that it ended like this.”

Friede smiled awkwardly. With the corners of his mouth trembling.

…Is it that difficult to say a word of praise?

It’s thanks to me.

“…I see.”

“Hmm? The facial expression is not very good. I praised him at best.”

“In the end, 20,000 people died. I feel like everyone died because of me.”

I decided to put the blame on the prisoner.

Still, since the human mind is not something that can be changed that easily, I still felt guilty.

Every time someone complimented me, it pierced my heart like a thorn.

“What did you say? It’s not like you. Did you have brain damage? Well, I got hit on the head by a prisoner.”

Friede shrugged her shoulders with an expression of bewilderment.

As if he never guessed that those words would come out of my mouth.

That doesn’t sound like me. That certainly might be the case.

“That’s right. They called me their top target. Boris said that it was because Ka’har joined the empire that it happened. So it’s my fault. Because that was my decision.”

If it weren’t for me, it would have ended with at most fifty to a hundred or ten people, as in the original.

The result was 20,000 people.

“Aha, it seemed strange that they had fought so fiercely. Did they really feel responsible? you? That’s funny.”

“That’s right…! okay. It’s funny that I, who have killed so many Danes, say this. Still-”

I didn’t kill him, but the owner of this body did.

It must seem quite strange to other people that such a murderer is now depressed that people have died because of him.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Of course, that is also true. Anyway, what I’m saying is, it’s ridiculous that the person who contributed the most to this incident is on the verge of suffocating with guilt.”

“…He must be the culprit, not a contributor.”

Friede shook her head and sighed. As if she was frustrated.

She put her hand on my shoulder.

“Haaaa…Why do I have to say this? Anyway, listen carefully.”

My shoulder hurt from the force in my grip.

“20,000 people died? Thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, I would have died at least ten more times. Almost all of the students would have died.”

“That’s-”

“Keep listening. What if you didn’t prepare silver through Asha? There must have been more deaths. Maybe Sir Nigel, you or even me. We barely won because the enemies were dispersed while chasing Asha. If we died like that, the knights who came out to take care of it would have had to deal with six purebloods and two more great warriors.”

At least that part wasn’t wrong.

The riot was brought under control quickly thanks to the fact that most of the warriors and even Boris and Natalia were defeated.

If they had all continued their guerrilla warfare in the islands, enormous damage would have been added.

“And well, if it weren’t for you, would they have been quietly sleeping in the system? Gathering a thousand troops? Even if you weren’t around, it was going to happen anyway.”

“…But at least, I don’t know if we could have prevented it if we had investigated the underground waterway three days earlier. It was too easy.”

I believed in the original work and thought there would be time left.

I never would have guessed that they would use inferior slaves with their ears cut off to cause a large-scale riot.

The number of warriors was also slightly higher than I expected.

Still, if they had at least caught the evidence in advance and prepared for it, they wouldn’t have wasted the knight’s power in such confusion.

Perhaps they could have suppressed the riot as soon as it broke out and minimized the damage.

“Stupid sound. If that were the case, we would all have died there. Could it be possible that those who prepared like that would leave suspicious people wandering around the waterway? A warrior over twenty and three great warriors must have appeared at the same time. Even if there were three Nigels, we would have lost. Rather, I guess I was lucky.”

Friede categorically denied it.

“…That’s right.”

She was right.

Clearly, their power was at a level that we could not fight against on our own.

Originally, I had planned to use my senses to avoid contact as much as possible and only collect evidence.

The best outcome would have been to find one that was isolated and take its body.

Then, as soon as there were more scents or signs coming towards us, I planned to run away.

But I never thought they would have had a way to block the detection ability itself.

It wouldn’t be something that beastmen could make.

“So, forget about any inexplicable guilt. For someone who cares about such things, I’ve never seen anyone live long.”

Is that so? I don’t know.

Considering the injuries I sustained so far, I almost didn’t live long.

Once you realize your karma, once your body recovers, you won’t be seriously injured for a while.

Think again.

This alone was good enough. We need to protect more people in the future.

Is it okay to move on like that? It was a proposition that had no answer.

no. I just want to think that there is no answer.

The conclusion was there. The conclusion is that there is no point in worrying about it, so we should let it go.

It’s already happened, and I have to keep fighting anyway.

Dead people won’t come back just because I’m gone.

I don’t think the story that has already changed will return to the original without me.

In the end, what needs to be done is decided.

So let’s bury it.

Regret or guilt only slows down the sword.

…still. very little. I seemed to feel better.

Although her words were harsh, her own comfort still seeped into my exhausted heart. Like rain that moistens the dry land.

Because it was so sweet that it was hard to resist.

—-

In the end, I nodded, agreeing with what she said. Friede saw that and smiled slightly.

“Yes. At best, I got a useful master. If you pick it and die, the loss will be severe.”

“Get it…?”

“I heard it from my father. I heard you won’t return to your home country after graduation, but will come to the north. Didn’t you receive the letter?”

Oh, was that what the letter from Palun was about? I was just about to read it.

When I applied for admission, I agreed to a negotiation that required me to serve on the northern front for five years.

Actually, if that time came, I was planning to ask Marquis Ludwig and go to Berengeria.

I don’t know what to do now. Of the two, I’ll have to go to the more urgent one.

“If it was a letter, I was just about to read it because my body is like this.”

“Really? Well, there won’t be much content. My father is not the type of person who writes long letters.”

I thought it was the right time, so I took out a letter with Palun’s seal.

On pure white letter paper, only three sentences were written in bold, powerful handwriting.

‘Your performance in the system was truly impressive. Palun welcomes noble women. ‘I look forward to seeing you in the North in three years.’

…I feel like if I fall to the east, they will come to catch me.

“There really isn’t much to say.”

“Right?”

After putting down Palun’s letter, I picked up the first suit from the imperial family.

“Ah, that invitation. As expected, it went to you too. Of course, of course.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“It’s an award ceremony, right? I want to award titles or medals to those who contributed to this incident. Since something big like this has happened, we need to spread heroic stories to calm the chaotic atmosphere. You’re going to be pretty busy, I guess.”

Same thing as Lacey.

I’m going to be busy.

“You’re so busy, isn’t something like an award ceremony going to be over in a day or two?”

“It’s an award ceremony, right? The problem is you. A female knight who sacrificed herself to prevent an institutional disaster, the youngest master, a princess from a foreign country… perhaps even a title from the empire.”

“A fictitious act?”

“Yes. The existing notoriety may be a bit…no, quite a bit of a problem, but the imperial family will probably have some sort of solution, so they’re inviting you, right? I don’t know what the solution will be. As a result, many nobles will be interested in you.”

Is it the nobles’ interest? First of all, it’s not a bad story.

I have to establish my position within the empire, and I also have to resolve the Ophelia issue and issues related to the royal family.

Such issues are difficult for a single international student to interfere with.

“She is also a woman of the right age and quite beautiful in appearance.”

“……What?”

I think I heard something difficult to hear right now.

“Usually he just has a fierce face due to his strength and eyes, but now that his eyes have lost strength due to injury… he feels a little different. Perhaps, later, you will be invited to a prom, so apply for engagement. Wouldn’t things like marriage applications be blown up in huge numbers? They are targeting your skills, status, and even your appearance. You really are a special bride, right?”

It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard.

Friede saw my disgusted expression and laughed.

…I wanted to smoke a cigarette.