21
The gate was closed.
The demon’s forces could no longer be replenished, and they were slaughtered by the enraged kingdom army who had taken over the elite party and the fortresses led by the two warriors.
Once again, an army without support and supplies was bound to quickly collapse.
“Allen, are you in your right mind?”
Although I had achieved significant accomplishments, I was hearing that voice as soon as I returned. It was none other than General Granal, who had entrusted me with command.
Actually, it was a natural reaction. Since I trusted and left the command to Orlandu, his party practically abandoned me.
It wasn’t just for no reason, but my actions from a general’s position were clearly an inappropriate behavior that couldn’t be smoothly overlooked.
“What will happen if the commander gives up on commanding and leaves?”
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“…I judged that this was the fastest and most certain way. And I didn’t give up on commanding.”
“You didn’t give up?”
I glanced at Orlandu with a smirk.
“Orlandu, the warrior, is more familiar with Paladin’s operation than me, so I entrusted him based on the judgment of the on-site commander. Conquering the colonel was our party’s task, and as for Orlandu’s party, we had decided to simply create a diversion and exit.”
Well, actually… Yeah, it’s just a makeshift excuse. It would sound like that to anyone, and I know that fact very well. But why am I saying this?
Because there was a high possibility that General Grenilde wouldn’t really reprimand me. He had responsibilities as a general, so he needed to show, even superficially, that he was blaming me for leaving without any responsibilities after entrusting the command to someone else.
From the start, since the crucial task in this operation, the closure of the canal was successful … General Grinaldo has no reason to hold me accountable anymore.
“…Is that true?”
As I expected, General Grinaldo asked Orlanda for confirmation. And Orlanda…
“…Yes, it is. It was an agreed-upon matter.”
He understood my intention and responded.
Fortunately, he had a conscience. Otherwise, things could have gotten noisy. Perhaps he didn’t want that.
If I were to say that there was no agreement here, I would have had to explain why I gave up commanding the Orlanda party… and then Orlanda’s mistake would have been exposed.
“Whatever it was, it was a good decision for both Oran and me. The General listened to my words and looked at me once before he stopped admonishing me. And he immediately spoke.
“Erin, warrior, could you lend him to me for a moment?”
“Sure thing. You can borrow him all you want~♡”
As if that would ever happen, you woman.
“Follow me, Allen.”
I followed General Grinald into the barracks. It wasn’t as empty as one might have expected. There was a staff officer already there, named Rose.
“Don’t worry, there’s no need to tense up. Rose already knows everything about the situation.”
“…So you’re just putting on a show of punishing me?”
“I had no choice. The one in charge must take responsibility. As the commander-in-chief, all I could do was to reprimand your actions.”
General Grinaldo smiled as if to apologize and said coolly.
“Please understand generously.”
“I knew, it’s okay.”
“You’re very considerate. Thank you. And I will definitely tell the story.”
General Grinaldo bowed slightly and Rose-Herald also bowed to me.
“All thanks to your operation. Perhaps the Melody Plateau will be cleared in as little as a week, and the contaminated land will be ready for cultivation within a month.”
I lightly thanked them and said with a smile.
“We were really lucky. But I only gave the command, they did all the work.”
“Of course, we know. It’s just that the ability to plan such an operation, rely on the strength of the party members, and carry it out is worthy of recognition.”
On that day, the general raised his head and spoke.
“You’ve done an excellent job.”
“…hahahaha.”
No matter when he heard such praise, it made him feel good.
“I will apologize on behalf of Orlan for not following your words.”
“Please lift your head. That is not a matter for the general, but for yourself.”
I said.
“If you don’t want to…there’s nothing you can do. At least the general doesn’t have to apologize on your behalf.”
“…If the party involved feels that way, then I have nothing more to say. But I hope you’ll understand one thing.”
On that day, the general spoke as if making a request.
“Orlando’s knight lacks experience, that’s all. It’s not that his character is flawed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
You’ll know when you see it. As I was about to leave after finishing the conversation, I suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, that’s right.”
I asked the general on that day,
“Do you know a name called Astorius?”
When I asked that, the expressions of the general and Rose as a staff officer froze slightly, as if surprised.
“Why did you have that name…?”
“Do you also know him, Allen?”
“Yes? No. I don’t know who it is…”
I recounted the whole story. The undead creature I encountered in front of the kernel this time was named Astorius, and I destroyed it and brought back the remaining armor.
“Because it looks exactly like the armor worn by the Estere Kingdom’s Paladins. It’s in the luggage I brought. Should I go get it now?”
“…I will go with you.”
“Do you really want to?”
Was that person important from the perspective of the kingdom?
General Grinaldo and Chief of Staff Rose both had displeased expressions, and their determination to personally verify the armor conveyed that feeling.
I walked out of the barracks with them and approached the horse we rode on. It was fortunate that Frey made the right choice because if he hadn’t said anything, it would have taken us a long time to return.
If you had just thrown away the warhorse like a disposable tool like ordinary people…
‘Indeed, taking a life is a sin.’
I approached the horse with the realization in mind and pointed to the armor securely tied with rope next to the large backpack.
“That there.”
“…!”
“T-that is… the armor of our kingdom’s paladin.”
“Then you are from our kingdom after all. Good thing you brought it.”
General Grinaldo walked towards the armor, then casually brushed the rusty armor with his bare hands.
“…And the undead’s name was Astorius, you said?”
“Yes.”
“He was a figure in charge of the defense of this northeastern region. In his lifetime, he became everyone’s trusted companion with outstanding skills and excellent character, Paladin.”
Somehow, he seemed strong. It seems he was indeed an exceptional knight even in his lifetime.
“Guarding the northeastern region while monsters emerged after the appearance of the colonel… I thought he had fallen.”
On that day, the general spoke with a trembling voice, as if imagining him transformed into an undead by the touch of monsters.
“They are relentless creatures. You mean they didn’t let the souls of the fallen warriors depart honorably and kept them bound to this land like that?”
“…But now, he must have found proper rest.”
It was none other than the saint herself who purified him.
After glancing at me for a moment, the general bowed his head toward our party members.
“I am truly grateful. It seems we owe you another debt.”
Perhaps overhearing the conversation that General Grinaldo and I were having, the paladins who were resting nearby suddenly stood up and approached.
“General, did you say it is General Astorius’s armor?”
“No way, is he alive and returned?”
“…No, he isn’t.”
General Grinaldo even shook his head.
“I understand your hope, but even if it’s General Astorius’s armor, he couldn’t have survived from that battle.”
“Is that so?”
“Instead, to prevent him from suffering even in death, they allowed him to find rest. We should be grateful for that.”
The Paladins, after hearing the General’s words, looked at us. They clenched their fists, hitting their chest armor with a thud, and bowed their heads.
“Thank you so much…!”
…They seemed to be the Paladins who followed him in his lifetime.
Just by sparing their subordinates against the monsters suddenly appearing from the cursed canal, it was evident that he was an exceptional knight during his life.
In response to their expressions of gratitude, our party members responded with a faint smile.
“It’s thanks to Allen for bringing them.”
Freya said so.
I had brought them just in case, and it seemed like it wasn’t a bad choice. To peacefully mourn for the deceased by bringing their remains… It was the only solace we could offer to the remaining ones.
“If it’s comforting, I’m glad.”
It’s not a bad feeling that a small choice helped others.
Over the course of a few days, we stayed in the northeast and helped the Esthirer Kingdom army. It seemed that with so many demons left, there could be a delay in the army’s work.
Erin had nothing special to say about the Empire, and agreed to help them by saying that if they could owe a debt to the kingdom it would be good.
Today was another day spent fighting monsters until we were covered in their blood.
“I’m useless, so why do you keep taking me out…?”
“…… Allen.”
“Yeah?”
She came to find him while he was washing his tired head.
She seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to say something.
“Why?”
So when I asked her first, Dodger opened her eyes round and said,
“…Um, ah, my, your name…”
“Ah…”
What should I do? I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ve been busy for a while, so I didn’t have the leisure to think about it…
But if I say it as it is, they might misunderstand and cry. I wonder how I should talk about it so that they won’t get hurt.
“…Did I mention it before? I said you need a special name.”
“…Yeah.”
“But I don’t know much, so even if I think about it, nothing appropriate comes to mind. It seems like I should probably do some research on words or names and find a name that suits you.”
“…Research?”
“After this is over, we’ll probably visit the royal palace, right?”
Naturally, there will be a gathering to praise the efforts of the heroes. It’s only natural since they not only helped, but also saved the kingdom from its crisis.
“You know that any royal family has a library, right?”
“…Yeah.”
In the royal library, there are areas that are only open to a few royals, and others cannot enter, but in addition to such places, there is now a section that gathers books from all over the country.
“Let’s investigate the name there, and then decide on your name.”
I added a plausible reason.
“Since you didn’t have a name for you, I think you need a more special name than a roughly made-up one. So I think that will be more helpful than roughly deciding things on my own.”
When I smiled, Donggeo widened his eyes and said,
“……Oh, I’m surprised.”
“Yeah?”
Donggeo said, seeming slightly sorry.
“….I thought Alan didn’t even think about things, he just talked…”
I felt embarrassed. It was not deliberate, but it was true that I didn’t think about things at all.
“….Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“No, it’s okay. From your perspective, you could definitely think that way.”
I’ll have to go to the library and look up names this time, and it’s better to make them up. Seeing them ask like this makes me want a name of my own… I can’t delay it like this every time.
“What kind of people are parents to not even give a name and abandon a child.”
Were they abandoned as soon as they were born? Thinking like that feels very bitter. If you can’t take the responsibility, you shouldn’t give birth in the first place.
“….Oh, sorry for interrupting you while you’re washing.”
“No, it’s okay. Oh, more importantly, I’m glad you came.”
“….Huh?”
“Can you sprinkle some water on my back here? It’s stained with blood, but it’s not coming off easily.”
These muscles trained through farming are getting in the way for no reason. It’s not like they have high strength stats either. Is there any way to get rid of these bulging muscles?
As I handed over the basin of water, the nodding head met mine.
While waiting for him to bend down and rinse off the water from the basin, a voice suddenly spoke to us. More precisely, it was addressing him rather than me.
“Thief, if you need a name, shall I give you one?”
“…?”
Thinking it might be someone else, I lifted my head only to have water poured onto my face unexpectedly.
Splash!!
“Oops…!”
“…”
“…Sorry! I made another stupid mistake…!”
“It’s okay….”
Of all times, why did it have to happen now?
Ignoring the guy who was trying to pick a fight, I splashed water to help with what I was asked to do, but the timing was off when I stood up, causing a strange overlap and disruption.
“But it was what I was asked to do….”
Saying that, I looked ahead again. It was the assassin Kae, from the Orlandau party, whose voice I’d heard somewhere before.
Looking at him, I made a slightly puzzled expression. Why did he suddenly start talking… Because of that, Dodge acted late and we got into trouble.
“What’s your name?”
“I was just talking about how you gave a name to the thief.”
“Well, I did say that, but what do you mean by saying you’re giving it?”
“When I met the thief before, he said he didn’t have a name, so I was thinking of giving him one next time.”
Kael said.
“I also didn’t have a name originally, just like my master gave me.”
This guy must have been an orphan too. Somehow, he seemed like he didn’t receive proper education… Oh, shouldn’t have said that. The person next to him was in the same situation.
I asked the person next to him,
“… Thief, is he your master?”
“……Huh?”
“No, that can’t be possible. Can’t you see that we look about the same age?”
Well, it’s unlikely. A mentor is supposed to surpass in all aspects rather than fall behind.
“Then why did you introduce him to me?”
“……What?”
“Did the thief ask you for a favor?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“Then why did you introduce him? You and your mentor have a priestly relationship, so it’s possible, but you and the thief have no connection at all.”
I was purely curious, wanting to ask. If I could find out the reason, maybe I would understand why this guy keeps staring at me.
Seems like Ka-el had nothing else to say, as he caught onto my tone and continued speaking.
“Since a while ago, your tone has been strange. Are you behaving like this because you want to be helpful to thieves in all sincerity?”
It’s inevitable for the tone to be unpleasant. I wonder how they see me every time.
“Then did you ask a thief for their opinion?”
“What?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“I help thieves by assisting them in choosing names through a promise. Have you made such a promise too?”
“…A promise?”
Kael looked at Doggo with a slightly puzzled look, and Doggo hunched his shoulders a little and said from behind, hiding himself.
“…I, I prefer Allen naming me.”
Oh… That was a touching answer. At least it’s better than being a pitiful shut-in like me. It filled me with a sense of self-esteem.
And on the contrary, when Kael heard the intention of rejection, his expression twisted. He glared at me fiercely and passed by without saying a word.
“… His reaction is quite strong.”
The fact that he had already thought of a name… Could it be that he likes being interrupted? If that’s the case, I unintentionally became an obstacle. It’s not like I have to apologize to that guy, but still, I felt somewhat uneasy.
“… I’ll do it again.”
“Ah.”
Yeah, there was something I asked for.
I bowed again, and this time Dodgeo properly sprayed water on my uncomfortable back. Thanks to that, I felt noticeably better, so I lifted my head.
“Oh, thanks. I feel refreshed thanks to you.”
As I thanked him, Dodgeo’s expression suddenly seemed strange. It was as if he had seen something and was taken aback…
“…Ah, uh…”
“A thief?”
“…Well… um, sorry!”
Dodgeo suddenly tossed aside his hat and ran away. I stared blankly after him and then lowered my head.
“Ah.”
Due to throwing water on my bloodstained clothes in an attempt to rinse them, the wet material clung to my body, outlining my figure.
It wasn’t like I had taken off my clothes or anything that would be a problem, but it seemed that even doing something like this was shocking to Dodgeo, who was afraid of men.
“I’ve done something unnecessary… my apologies.”
I should have just done it alone.
It is not that unnecessarily scarier, worrying about the future, I sprinkled water.
“Thief?”
Leticia called out to the passing thief. She had seen him running hard to escape something. The thief also heard Leticia’s call and stopped walking.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Oh, um….. no, it’s nothing….”
Leticia slightly tilted her head and grinned. The thief’s face was flushed. And as she looked along the path she had escaped, she saw Allen rinsing blood off in a well.
“Ah…”
“…Hm.”
Leticia nodded as if understanding and reached out her hand, lightly stroking the thief’s head.
“Now you know Allen doesn’t do anything strange. Don’t be too scared.”
“…Yeah.”
“If you’re too scared, Allen being human might get hurt.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
Leticia gazed at Allen. Having washed off the blood thoroughly, he squeezed the end of his clothes to wring out the water and roughly brushed off the dust before turning back.
“Now that Allen is gone…”
“I wasn’t scared.”
“Excuse me?”
The thief hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I just wanted to run away…”
“You mean… embarrassed?”
In response to Letitia’s question, the thief nodded. Letitia looked slightly pleased and said.
“So you weren’t scared? Seems like you’re improving a lot, thief!”
“Ah…”
The thief nodded upon hearing Leticia’s words.
“Thanks to Allen.”
“Yeah. Allen sure is a big help right now.”
Leticia said with a slightly bitter smile.
“I wish things could stay like this.”
“That’s… too cruel to Erin.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think enough.”
Leticia grabbed the thief’s arm and spoke.
“For now, let’s go back to the barracks without running away. Are you going towards the battlefield?”
“Uh-huh.”