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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The relationship between Yuyoung and Bayard.
In some ways, it might seem like something not worth paying attention to.
To Yuyoung, Bayard was just a knight.
Of course, being a member of the Royal Knights was certainly not a low position.
Compared to Yuyoung’s position as ruler of the 12 tribes, Bayard’s position was inevitably somewhat inferior.But I kept feeling that their relationship was important.
So, I had to make a decision.
Let’s have Yuyoung and Bayard meet each other.
Let them meet and talk to each other.
This seemed right for now.
Because Yuyoung thought of Bayard as a friend, and Bayard also thought of Yuyoung as a friend.
But I had no intention of forcing it.
I opened my mouth.
“Bayard, if you want, I can arrange for you to meet and talk with Yuyoung.”
“T-Talk with Yuyoung…?”
“Yes, only if you want to. I have no intention of forcing you.”
“…”
Bayard had a complicated expression.
She seemed to be pondering.
Probably an answer wouldn’t come right away.
They had been in an awkward relationship for a long time.
I stood up from my seat.
“If you’ve made up your mind, tell me directly. Or you can relay it through other members if you prefer.”
“W-Why are you paying so much attention to me?”
“Hm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing really. I’ve been curious for a while. Why do you care so much about me, a complete stranger?”
When I tilted my head, Bayard averted her gaze slightly and spoke.
Her voice was mixed with guilt and fear.
I listened to her words.
“At first, I was just glad to have someone to rely on, but as time passed, my thoughts changed a little.”
“About what?”
“Whether I’m causing trouble for you, Commander. Whether I’m tarnishing the name of the Royal Knights.”
“Why did you think that?”
“…Because the annihilation of the Royal Knights was essentially because of me.”
“Is it because you failed to properly carry out your duty as the vanguard?”
Bayard quietly nodded.
People accepted failure differently.
Some avoided it, some faced it and moved forward, while others simply accepted it.
Accepting wasn’t a bad thing.
The problem was when one collapsed under the weight of it.
That was how Bayard was now.
Somehow, she had seemed to be avoiding me recently.
So that was what she had been thinking.
It seems the pride she had as the vanguard was greater than expected.
I quickly racked my brain.
What words would be good to say?
I couldn’t carelessly offer words of comfort.
Soulless words could rather cause harm.
There seemed to be something I could say in this situation.
After pondering, I opened my mouth.
“Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is what comes after.”
“Do you mean, even you, Commander…?”
“Overcoming fear. It’s not as easy as it sounds. But in the end, you chose to overcome your fear and return. I simply decided to believe in you.”
“…”
“Did you think I persuaded you? No. Your actions persuaded me.”
Well, in my memory, all I remembered was that my shoulder hurt terribly and Ruby just watched from behind.
But it would be more advantageous to say it this way.
“Then let’s talk again later…”
“I’ll meet her.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll meet with Yuyoung again this time.”
“…Oh…”
Suddenly, as if she had gained courage from somewhere, Bayard’s gaze no longer wavered.
Her firm gaze was looking at me.
I scratched my head and replied.
“You don’t need to force yourself. If you’re really okay with it…”
“It’s alright. I… want to try to be brave too.”
“I-Is that so.”
“Yes, because you believed in me, Commander.”
“W-Well then, I’ll arrange a meeting.”
Though it was decided too suddenly, it wasn’t a bad thing in the end.
Resolving it as quickly as possible would be good for both of them.
I left the room with Bayard.
“Teacher, I’m here to escort you.”
“Just when did you get there?”
“I’ve been with you from the beginning, Teacher.”
“Uh…”
She’d been with me from the beginning?
I thought she had gone somewhere else after I asked for tea because I couldn’t see her.
Did that mean she had been following behind me since then?
What’s that about?
“He-Helia!!”
“Bayard, don’t bother Teacher too much.”
“I got it! I’m sorry!”
“…”
Seemingly happy to see Helia, Bayard immediately hugged her.
Of course, Helia pushed Bayard away with her palm in disgust.
I let out a sigh.
Anyway, it shouldn’t be bad.
Even if Helia didn’t, Bayard thought of Helia as a friend.
I walked with everyone to the guest room where Yuyoung was staying.
“…You’ve come again.”
“Yes. I have some business.”
“I told you to show courtesy, and yet.”
“This isn’t a situation to worry about courtesy.”
“Hm? The person over there is…”
Yana, the knight from the Cat Clan, said while tilting her head.
Yana’s gaze was directed elsewhere.
Following her gaze, it landed on none other than Bayard.
However, Bayard’s condition was strange.
As if there was a natural enemy in front of her, Bayard was trembling in fear.
She even hid behind me.
Only then did a memory flash through my mind like lightning.
It wasn’t even that long ago.
A few days ago, when we were organizing the armory, Bayard’s condition had worsened upon seeing a whip.
And coincidentally, the weapon Yana used was a chain similar to a whip.
Was she reacting like this just from seeing the weapon?
If not that, could it be the person in front of us?
“My, I never expected to meet an acquaintance in such a place.”
“…”
“Could it be that you requested to see Lady Yuyoung?”
“…”
“Stop. Don’t speak to her as you please any further.”
“As Lady Yuyoung’s guard knight, I have a duty to check each of her guests one by one.”
Because it wasn’t wrong, I was at a loss for words.
Yana was smiling for the first time.
However, even to me, it was a very unpleasant smile.
She spoke with a smile.
“Lady Bayard, are you really requesting to see Lady Yuyoung?”
“No, well, that’s…”
“Commander, I’m asking the person directly.”
I was about to respond directly myself.
Because I had realized that this person was related to Bayard’s trauma.
However, before that, Bayard answered first.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yana’s expression became severely distorted.
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The Commander always cared about her.
On that day when they first met, instead of reproaching, he accepted her as a member by embracing her directly.
And he kept giving her chances.
To cover up past mistakes.
Too many chances.
How could she forget such kindness?
But each time, she had that thought.
Was it right for her to be here?
Wasn’t she being disrespectful to the Commander?
These thoughts gnawed at her mind.
[You’re no longer useful.]
[Don’t be ridiculous, who are you to say such things…!!]
[Lady Yuyoung said so. You know that, right?]
[…!!!]
At some point, meetings with Yuyoung decreased.
She had thought they were friends.
Could it be she was just being used?
No, no. We are friends.
So, she kept believing until the end.
But that trust was ultimately betrayed.
As a result of continuously seeking out Yuyoung who had refused meetings, she finally got a chance to meet.
But Yuyoung didn’t show up there.
Instead, the beastmen who followed her were there.
And on that day, Bayard was beaten nearly to death.
However, more than the physical pain, the fact of being betrayed by a friend hurt more.
And from that day on, she began to be severely bullied.
Though she didn’t tolerate injustice, Bayard, whose mind was still fragile, gradually became more withdrawn.
This was the result.
“My, I never expected to meet an acquaintance in such a place.”
Still, Bayard thought of Yuyoung as a friend.
There must have been some misunderstanding.
Some might think she was too kind, but at least Bayard was sincere.
But she encountered an unexpected person here.
Yana of the Cat Clan, the leader of the group that had bullied her in the past.
She met her here.
Her body froze stiff.
Memories from the past began crawling up her body like insects.
Helplessness and fear gripped her body.
She couldn’t say anything.
Until the Commander moved.
“Stop. Don’t speak to her as you please any further.”
[Overcoming fear. It’s not as easy as it sounds. But in the end, you chose to overcome your fear and return. I simply decided to believe in you.]
The first person to believe in her.
That person was beside her.
Just realizing that fact again made the fear weighing her down disappear in an instant.
Only then did Bayard speak.
“Yes, that’s right.”
In that voice, there was no longer any fear mixed in.
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