“Fighting bandits isn’t a bodyguard’s job. Oh, and even if I die in this mission, it’s not your responsibility. I’ve already instructed Jenna to pay you in full.”
“That’s not what I──”
“More importantly,”
Diz pointed at Ur. Her smile was gone, and her voice was cold and clear.
“I don’t think you’ll be of any use.”
“────”
“So, stay out of the way and wait quietly, okay?”
[Don’t worry, Niitan, I’ll go with her.]
Before Ur could respond, Akane gave him a thumbs-up. Her carefree attitude, as if deliberately ignoring the tension, made Ur relax a little.
“If you’re going to help Diz, I won’t stop you. It’s your decision, Akane.”
[Yeah. I made a promise with Diz.]
“A promise?”
[That as long as I can be useful as myself, she won’t tear me apart.]
“You made that kind of promise?”
[Because, Niitan, if I didn’t, I’d probably fall apart.]
Akane playfully slapped Ur’s forehead. Sadly, he had no retort. Seeing this, Diz laughed merrily.
“Well, I’ll do my best to return your sister. If I die, I’ve told her she can return to you. So don’t worry.”
“That’s not what I──”
“If you’re bored, you can help clean up the Mobile Fortress.”
With that, Diz and Akane, along with the knights, boarded a carriage from the Island Devouring Turtle’s tail and headed for the knight order headquarters in Alto.
“……”
Left behind without having said what he wanted, Ur glared at the quickly disappearing carriage and sighed in frustration.
But he knew it was a waste of time to just stand there dumbfounded. He turned and started walking back to the hall when he encountered,
“…Shizuku?”
“Sir Ur.”
Shizuku was helping other knights carry out stretchers. He thought they might be moving the injured, but that wasn’t the case.
“…Casualties?”
“Residents of Alto. We must return them to their homeland.”
What they were carrying out were the bodies of those who had already passed. Among them was an elderly man, likely the family member of the woman who had clung to Diz earlier. The sight was painful to behold, but Shizuku and the knights carried on silently.
“Sorry. I’ll help.”
“Thank you.”
There was no time to sulk. Ur reflected on his behavior and joined Shizuku in transporting the casualties back to their homeland in the satellite city-state of Alto.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The forcibly moved Island Devouring Turtle had already returned to the port of Alto. The port was just a stone’s throw away from the satellite city-state, so the journey wasn’t difficult. But as soon as they passed through the city gates, Alto was in an uproar, as if set ablaze.
It was to be expected.
For them, and indeed for all the inhabitants of this world, the Mobile Fortress was crucial. Its infrastructure had been targeted, attacked, and even set on fire by bandits. Such a heinous act occurring right outside the city-state inevitably caused chaos.
Screams and shouts of anger swirled around, and the knights struggled to keep the citizens from rioting. But some still hurled unjust accusations at the knights, shouting, “What were you doing!?”
Amidst this, the silver-haired girl, Shizuku, drew attention as she helped them.
With a beauty that made everyone turn their heads as she passed, she carried the bodies of the dead, her eyes filled with sorrow and compassion. Her presence soothed the hearts of the enraged citizens.
The voices of criticism toward the knights had also quietly faded away. All the deceased were brought to the temple, and as the silver-haired girl clasped her hands in prayer, the citizens of the city followed her lead, offering their own prayers to mourn the dead.
Centered around Shizuku, the thoughts of the citizens had become one.
Peace for the deceased, and an iron hammer for the wicked scoundrels.
“──Sir Ur. You’ve worked hard.”
“You too.”
Unaware of how much she had stirred the hearts of the citizens, Shizuku offered words of comfort to Ur as she finished her prayers. As he responded, Ur let go of the tension in his body. Though he was accustomed to violent incidents where lives were lost, it seemed he had still been on edge.
But it was better than overthinking things. As he thought this, Shizuku smiled at him.
“So, did something happen?”
It seemed she had noticed his demeanor before she stepped in to help. Ur shrugged.
“Nothing much. It’s just that things have turned out very conveniently for us.”
With that, he explained to Shizuku the details of his conversation with Diz. How Diz and Akane were heading out to rescue a girl named Rose who had been kidnapped. How he had been refused from accompanying them due to his lack of strength. And how the escort fees had been compensated for during that time.
Yes, this was a very convenient situation. If he only thought about the benefits, there was nothing to complain about.
“But it seems you’re not entirely satisfied, Sir Ur.”
“……”
However, Ur could only remain silent in response to Shizuku’s question. She had hit the mark. Ur couldn’t bring himself to feel like he had “gained” anything from this situation.
“Are you worried about Akane?”
“Akane will be fine. If things get bad, she’ll manage to escape somehow.”
Ur considered himself Akane’s protector, but he had no intention of forcing her to do anything. Or rather, there was no need to. Despite her childish appearance, Akane was quite mature and tough.
As Diz herself had said, even if the necromancer extermination failed, Akane could escape back to Ur on her own. She had that kind of resilience.
So he wasn’t worried about Akane.
“Then, are you concerned about Lady Diz?”
Shizuku pressed further. At that question, Ur fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head as if to brush it off.
“The debt collector who took my sister?”
“Is that not it?”
“Nah.”
No, he wasn’t worried about Diz at all. After all, she was the debt collector who had tried to dismantle his sister, Akane. If the necromancer killed her, it would only be a gain from Ur’s perspective. Maybe even Akane’s debt would be wiped clean.
So no, he wasn’t worried about her at all. It’s just that…
──I don’t think you’ll be of any use.
──Stay out of the way and wait quietly, okay?
──Sorry.
As he recalled Diz’s words, Ur made a bitter expression.
“It’s just that being told I’m not needed as a fighter is really annoying.”
“I see.”
“And the fact that the debt collector who kidnapped my sister is now playing the hero makes me even angrier. What the hell is that?”
“I see.”
Shizuku nodded repeatedly, as if impressed.
“…What’s with you?”
“You can say the word ‘worry’ so guttural. It’s quite something.”
“Shut up.”
“Fine.”
Ur pinched Shizuku’s cheek. He kept it a secret that he was embarrassed and trying to cover it up.
“What about you? What do you think about this whole situation?”
“I am Sir Ur’s possession.”
As if to say her own opinion didn’t exist, she stated it firmly. Ur frowned at her words.
“I take care of my possessions. I don’t want to disregard you just to do as I please.”
Whether or not there was a contract stating she was his possession, it was undeniable that she and Ur were now comrades in the same party. He had no intention of ignoring her opinion.
At that, Shizuku tilted her head with a slightly troubled expression. Then, once again, she clasped her hands together, as if directing her thoughts toward the deceased who had been brought to the temple.
“I want to stop… any more sorrow from growing. If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to do it.”
“Even if it means we might have to kill the bandits?”
She valued others more than herself. From her twisted sense of values, even the bandits who had committed crimes were more important than herself. Yet, she remained unwavering, looking straight at Ur.
“If they’ve made a mistake, they must atone for it. Absolutely.”
Her words were filled with a chilling intensity. Whether it came from the teachings of the evil spirits she worshipped or from her own twisted sense of values, it was unclear. But for now, her resolve was clear.
“So we’re in agreement, then……”
Then, we’ll go and take care of the bandits──but it wasn’t that simple. Just because they had a motive didn’t mean the risk of going up against a necromancer who had attacked a mobile fortress disappeared. Even if they challenged them, they didn’t know how far they could go.
And most importantly, there was no benefit in going out of their way to exterminate the bandits.
“An adventurer’s body is their capital. They can’t expose themselves to danger without any profit.”
“Master Glenn always said that, didn’t he?”
At Greed’s training grounds, Glenn had literally drilled into them the principles of being an adventurer. If you were going to risk your life, you had to gain at least enough profit to satisfy yourself. Don’t sell yourself short, he said.
“So, that means……”
Ur and Shizuku naturally turned their eyes toward the building across from the temple. There, the sign of the adventurer’s guild they belonged to hung, bearing the emblem of a sword piercing through a dragon.
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