Strictly speaking, Ruby and I didn’t have a very good relationship.
Unlike Clara, who was gradually regaining her bright personality contrary to my first impression, Ruby didn’t easily open her heart to others.
It felt like she had needles sticking out like a hedgehog.
But why did I choose Ruby of all people in this situation?
Unfortunately, I had no choice but Ruby.
For now, I needed someone to manage and defend Lionheart Fortress.
After all, Cluna was taking up more than 80% of that share now.
So Cluna was excluded for the time being, and even though Helia would be called the Sword Empress in the future, she was still just a kiddo so I had to exclude her too.
Then the remaining options were Ruby and Clara, but since I had no intention of disturbing the mother and daughter reunion, I had no choice but to choose Ruby, who was left by process of elimination.
It was a bit awkward though.
It was unexpected, if anything, that Ruby, whom I had chosen, was close friends with the member of the Royal Knights who had deserted.
Thanks to that, I was able to hear many stories about her from Ruby.
Ruby and I were currently riding horses along a mountain path.
There was a rattling noise and the saddle shook heavily.
As a result, my butt started to sting as it rubbed against the saddle.
“Commander? Are you listening to my story?”
“Of course I am. You said the name of the deserter is Bayard.”
“That’s right. She was the vanguard of the Royal Knights.”
Bayard.
A beastwoman from the Bear Tribe, ranked 7th out of the 12 Beast Tribes.
She was said to have played the role of a vanguard who would charge forward with her monstrous strength and endurance and tear all the enemies apart.
“But even she got scared and deserted?”
“That’s how much of a hell we witnessed. Especially unlike us who were in the rear, Bayard witnessed countless deaths at the frontlines.”
“Certainly, she could have been more shocked.”
According to the setting, the Bear Tribe, ranked 7th out of the 12 Beast Races, was the lowest-ranked tribe.
Among the original 12 Beast Races, 5 of the tribes had defected, so they were barely recognized as tribes.
Naturally, their political standing must have been weak, and there must have been contempt and such within the beastmen race. But she suppressed all of that with her abilities alone and was recognized as a Royal Knight.
Moreover, Bayard was a vanguard who fought at the very front.
That meant despite fighting in that hell, at the very front at that, she was a top-notch talent who ultimately survived until the end.
“But do you know where Bayard is?”
“The kingdom contacted us. They said they found out where Bayard is.”
“They were unexpectedly competent.”
“They’ve been searching continuously since the Royal Knights were defeated until now, so it’s only natural.”
The king’s ability to take action was beyond imagination.
While appointing a human as the commander of the Royal Knights, he mobilized the intelligence agency to locate the members for the restoration of the Royal Knights.
On top of that, he was even thinking of gathering talents from the human kingdom to support the Royal Knights.
He could truly be called the best sponsor.
Anyway, as a result of obtaining that information…
Bayard was unexpectedly staying in a nearby location.
It was a distance that could be reached within a week by riding a horse from Lionheart Fortress.
Upon hearing that news, I immediately departed for that place.
The fact that she was nearby even after several months meant that she still had lingering attachments to the Royal Knights.
So, before that attachment disappears, I’ll somehow persuade her and bring her back.
And now, after a week had passed, I was able to learn a lot about Bayard through conversations with Ruby.
Ruby seemed to have relied on her much more than I thought.
“Were you the closest to Bayard in the Royal Knights?”
“She was the one I could communicate with the best. And when I was with Bayard, I stopped thinking about that kid.”
“That kid?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ruby hurriedly denied her own words.
It seemed that Ruby also had a dark past.
For now, I’d remember it clearly and ask about it slowly later.
Anyway, I had to focus on Bayard right now.
The mental state of a defeated soldier was usually unstable.
Especially since she was a top-notch talent who had been active as the vanguard of the Royal Knights.
If she were to rampage on her own, the damage would be unimaginably terrible.
Finally, Ruby and I managed to arrive at the place the kingdom had informed us about.
The first thing that caught my eye was a fence made by carving wood. And inside, I could see animal hides being dried.
There was also a huge cathedral-like building made by stacking logs.
“…Where is this?”
“It’s a temple where the Bear Tribe worships the King of Nature.”
“Come to think of it, you said they believed in that religion.”
Even when the Royal Knights were still active, Bayard would always come here once a week to pray and return.
Meanwhile, Ruby, who had gotten off the horse, immediately knocked on the cathedral door.
“Bayard! I know you’re in there! Open this door right now!!”
[……]
“Are you ignoring me?! Then I’ll break down this door and go in!”
[W-wait a moment! Please don’t break the cathedral…!]
“…?”
As Ruby finally couldn’t hold back her anger and took out her hammer, Bayard shouted from inside, sensing the murderous energy.
However, it was unexpected that her voice was only slightly louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
No, it’s not prejudice.
Wasn’t she from the Bear Tribe and the vanguard of the Royal Knights?
Then shouldn’t she have a belligerent personality? But judging from her voice, far from being belligerent…
Rather, it was a voice that didn’t have any confidence at all.
If I were to express it as it was, should I say it was a voice like a loser?
I shook my head.
It’s not good to have prejudices arbitrarily.
“Nice to meet you. Your name is Bayard, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
[I-is that so? It probably wasn’t anything good….]
“I heard you were an excellent vanguard of the Royal Knights.”
[T-that’s nonsense. Someone like me….]
Her voice, which was strongly denying it, was trembling faintly.
No, really, if I only heard her voice, she sounded like a country maiden. But judging by appearances was foolish.
Ruby, who was fundamentally much more skilled than me, had called Bayard an excellent vanguard.
Then, as the commander, I had no choice but to trust my subordinate.
I said to Bayard,
“Bayard, we need your help.”
[Wh-what? You need the help of someone like me?]
“Yes. If it’s alright with you, could you hear us out?”
My strategy for capturing characters like the loser Bayard is simple.
You just have to approach them so politely that it’s burdensome.
What?
Where did my dignity as a commander go?
Fuck that!
Anyway, I’ll be quitting this commander position that’s just for show after a year.
Right now, substance is much more important than such a superficial position.
About 5 minutes passed.
The tightly closed door finally began to open.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
She had terrible nightmares every day.
Even though she always knew it was a dream, she couldn’t help but run forward.
This time, she would definitely protect them.
Repeatedly, over and over again.
While making that resolution…
But each time, what unfolded before her eyes was a feast of blood and flesh.
It belonged to the comrades who had laughed and chatted with her.
In the end, she failed to protect them and woke up.
When she woke up from her sleep, the trembling of her body didn’t stop due to her rushing self-condemnation.
If the commander hadn’t given her the scroll, she too would have lost her life in that hell.
In the end, she barely survived at the sacrifice of the commander and her comrades.
Still, she thought she could be of at least a little help here. But that wasn’t the case.
“I’m still useless.”
It had always been like that.
She had always watched the backs of everyone moving forward from a step behind.
She hated that.
So she took on the role of vanguard in the Royal Knights.
She didn’t want to fall behind anymore.
She wanted to protect her comrades with her own hands. But, in the end, she was a useless fellow until the very end.
And yet, what lingering attachment made her stay here?
Maybe she was hoping, without knowing her place, that someone would come looking for her.
If someone needed her, even someone like her.
Then… However, that expectation was gradually chipped away.
“Nice to meet you. Your name is Bayard, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
But, just before that will was completely broken, as if by a miracle, someone came looking for her.
The person she saw through the crack in the door was wearing a helmet.
He seemed to be the newly appointed commander.
“Bayard, we need your help.”
[Wh-what? You need the help of someone like me?]
“Yes. If it’s alright with you, could you hear us out?”
It was the first time.
Even the previous commander hadn’t said such a thing.
For the first time, someone said they needed her help.
Could it be that this time, she could really be of help?
If she could be of help…
Could she escape from this nightmare?
With that hope in mind, she finally opened the door.
Strictly speaking, Ruby and I didn’t have a very good relationship.
Unlike Clara, who was gradually regaining her bright personality contrary to my first impression, Ruby didn’t easily open her heart to others.
It felt like she had needles sticking out like a hedgehog.
But why did I choose Ruby of all people in this situation?
Unfortunately, I had no choice but Ruby.
For now, I needed someone to manage and defend Lionheart Fortress.
After all, Cluna was taking up more than 80% of that share now.
So Cluna was excluded for the time being, and even though Helia would be called the Sword Empress in the future, she was still just a kiddo so I had to exclude her too.
Then the remaining options were Ruby and Clara, but since I had no intention of disturbing the mother and daughter reunion, I had no choice but to choose Ruby, who was left by process of elimination.
It was a bit awkward though.
It was unexpected, if anything, that Ruby, whom I had chosen, was close friends with the member of the Royal Knights who had deserted.
Thanks to that, I was able to hear many stories about her from Ruby.
Ruby and I were currently riding horses along a mountain path.
There was a rattling noise and the saddle shook heavily.
As a result, my butt started to sting as it rubbed against the saddle.
“Commander? Are you listening to my story?”
“Of course I am. You said the name of the deserter is Bayard.”
“That’s right. She was the vanguard of the Royal Knights.”
Bayard.
A beastwoman from the Bear Tribe, ranked 7th out of the 12 Beast Tribes.
She was said to have played the role of a vanguard who would charge forward with her monstrous strength and endurance and tear all the enemies apart.
“But even she got scared and deserted?”
“That’s how much of a hell we witnessed. Especially unlike us who were in the rear, Bayard witnessed countless deaths at the frontlines.”
“Certainly, she could have been more shocked.”
According to the setting, the Bear Tribe, ranked 7th out of the 12 Beast Races, was the lowest-ranked tribe.
Among the original 12 Beast Races, 5 of the tribes had defected, so they were barely recognized as tribes.
Naturally, their political standing must have been weak, and there must have been contempt and such within the beastmen race. But she suppressed all of that with her abilities alone and was recognized as a Royal Knight.
Moreover, Bayard was a vanguard who fought at the very front.
That meant despite fighting in that hell, at the very front at that, she was a top-notch talent who ultimately survived until the end.
“But do you know where Bayard is?”
“The kingdom contacted us. They said they found out where Bayard is.”
“They were unexpectedly competent.”
“They’ve been searching continuously since the Royal Knights were defeated until now, so it’s only natural.”
The king’s ability to take action was beyond imagination.
While appointing a human as the commander of the Royal Knights, he mobilized the intelligence agency to locate the members for the restoration of the Royal Knights.
On top of that, he was even thinking of gathering talents from the human kingdom to support the Royal Knights.
He could truly be called the best sponsor.
Anyway, as a result of obtaining that information…
Bayard was unexpectedly staying in a nearby location.
It was a distance that could be reached within a week by riding a horse from Lionheart Fortress.
Upon hearing that news, I immediately departed for that place.
The fact that she was nearby even after several months meant that she still had lingering attachments to the Royal Knights.
So, before that attachment disappears, I’ll somehow persuade her and bring her back.
And now, after a week had passed, I was able to learn a lot about Bayard through conversations with Ruby.
Ruby seemed to have relied on her much more than I thought.
“Were you the closest to Bayard in the Royal Knights?”
“She was the one I could communicate with the best. And when I was with Bayard, I stopped thinking about that kid.”
“That kid?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ruby hurriedly denied her own words.
It seemed that Ruby also had a dark past.
For now, I’d remember it clearly and ask about it slowly later.
Anyway, I had to focus on Bayard right now.
The mental state of a defeated soldier was usually unstable.
Especially since she was a top-notch talent who had been active as the vanguard of the Royal Knights.
If she were to rampage on her own, the damage would be unimaginably terrible.
Finally, Ruby and I managed to arrive at the place the kingdom had informed us about.
The first thing that caught my eye was a fence made by carving wood. And inside, I could see animal hides being dried.
There was also a huge cathedral-like building made by stacking logs.
“…Where is this?”
“It’s a temple where the Bear Tribe worships the King of Nature.”
“Come to think of it, you said they believed in that religion.”
Even when the Royal Knights were still active, Bayard would always come here once a week to pray and return.
Meanwhile, Ruby, who had gotten off the horse, immediately knocked on the cathedral door.
“Bayard! I know you’re in there! Open this door right now!!”
[……]
“Are you ignoring me?! Then I’ll break down this door and go in!”
[W-wait a moment! Please don’t break the cathedral…!]
“…?”
As Ruby finally couldn’t hold back her anger and took out her hammer, Bayard shouted from inside, sensing the murderous energy.
However, it was unexpected that her voice was only slightly louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
No, it’s not prejudice.
Wasn’t she from the Bear Tribe and the vanguard of the Royal Knights?
Then shouldn’t she have a belligerent personality? But judging from her voice, far from being belligerent…
Rather, it was a voice that didn’t have any confidence at all.
If I were to express it as it was, should I say it was a voice like a loser?
I shook my head.
It’s not good to have prejudices arbitrarily.
“Nice to meet you. Your name is Bayard, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
[I-is that so? It probably wasn’t anything good….]
“I heard you were an excellent vanguard of the Royal Knights.”
[T-that’s nonsense. Someone like me….]
Her voice, which was strongly denying it, was trembling faintly.
No, really, if I only heard her voice, she sounded like a country maiden. But judging by appearances was foolish.
Ruby, who was fundamentally much more skilled than me, had called Bayard an excellent vanguard.
Then, as the commander, I had no choice but to trust my subordinate.
I said to Bayard,
“Bayard, we need your help.”
[Wh-what? You need the help of someone like me?]
“Yes. If it’s alright with you, could you hear us out?”
My strategy for capturing characters like the loser Bayard is simple.
You just have to approach them so politely that it’s burdensome.
What?
Where did my dignity as a commander go?
Fuck that!
Anyway, I’ll be quitting this commander position that’s just for show after a year.
Right now, substance is much more important than such a superficial position.
About 5 minutes passed.
The tightly closed door finally began to open.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
She had terrible nightmares every day.
Even though she always knew it was a dream, she couldn’t help but run forward.
This time, she would definitely protect them.
Repeatedly, over and over again.
While making that resolution…
But each time, what unfolded before her eyes was a feast of blood and flesh.
It belonged to the comrades who had laughed and chatted with her.
In the end, she failed to protect them and woke up.
When she woke up from her sleep, the trembling of her body didn’t stop due to her rushing self-condemnation.
If the commander hadn’t given her the scroll, she too would have lost her life in that hell.
In the end, she barely survived at the sacrifice of the commander and her comrades.
Still, she thought she could be of at least a little help here. But that wasn’t the case.
“I’m still useless.”
It had always been like that.
She had always watched the backs of everyone moving forward from a step behind.
She hated that.
So she took on the role of vanguard in the Royal Knights.
She didn’t want to fall behind anymore.
She wanted to protect her comrades with her own hands. But, in the end, she was a useless fellow until the very end.
And yet, what lingering attachment made her stay here?
Maybe she was hoping, without knowing her place, that someone would come looking for her.
If someone needed her, even someone like her.
Then… However, that expectation was gradually chipped away.
“Nice to meet you. Your name is Bayard, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
But, just before that will was completely broken, as if by a miracle, someone came looking for her.
The person she saw through the crack in the door was wearing a helmet.
He seemed to be the newly appointed commander.
“Bayard, we need your help.”
[Wh-what? You need the help of someone like me?]
“Yes. If it’s alright with you, could you hear us out?”
It was the first time.
Even the previous commander hadn’t said such a thing.
For the first time, someone said they needed her help.
Could it be that this time, she could really be of help?
If she could be of help…
Could she escape from this nightmare?
With that hope in mind, she finally opened the door.
