From what I heard, it’s not a characteristic of the bear tribe, but a characteristic unique to Bayard herself.
In exchange for losing her reason, her physical abilities are enhanced to a degree beyond imagination.
But no matter how much she loses her reason, Bayard has never attacked an ally even once.
But right now, Bayard finally began attacking her own allies.
At Bayard’s rampaging roar, Ruby’s legs froze.
Because she knew Bayard’s strength to the point of being sick of it, she unconsciously froze in fear.
Well, that was understandable.
Imagine if a bear suddenly appeared in front of you.
Not just any bear, but a bear from the bear tribe that could devour any decent knight.
Anyone would hesitate.
But there was one person, only the commander, who didn’t do that.
He quickly ran forward and blocked Bayard.
Bayard, who had completely lost her reason, immediately swung her hand.
The commander’s swordsmanship wasn’t elegant even in empty words.
It had a roughness that could only be seen in ordinary security guards. But with that roughness, he was fighting Bayard toe-to-toe.
How many members could fight toe-to-toe with her?
Even Ruby, who was somewhat confident in head-on battles, could barely last about 5 minutes if she faced Bayard head-on.
But she had never felt humiliated by that fact.
Rather, it was something to brag about.
Because it meant she could last a whopping 5 minutes against Bayard.
But the commander, who was nothing more than a mere human, was fighting toe-to-toe with her.
What would happen if Ruby intervened there?
Far from being of help to the commander, she would only be a hindrance.
Ruby never overestimated herself.
Instead, Ruby held her ground.
She took in the entire fight with her own eyes.
It would be a lie if she said she wasn’t frustrated.
The rough swordsmanship that didn’t contain any essence of technique.
Just with that alone, he could fight Bayard toe-to-toe.
She envied the commander’s strength that far surpassed humans.
I want to become that strong too.
I want to become stronger than anyone and defeat that trash.
With those thoughts in mind, the dwarf took in everything with her eyes.
As if sharpening a sword on a whetstone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Save me.
Fuck, please save me.
Hey. Can’t you hear me?
It was no exaggeration to say I felt like I was going crazy.
My eyes hurt from the repeated color changes between gray and normal as time stopped and resumed.
It felt like staring at the noise on a television.
But the bigger problem was that my stamina was starting to reach its limit.
Forget about time stop, just avoiding or blocking Bayard’s fierce attacks consumed a significant amount of stamina.
At least with time stop, I was using it in short bursts, so the stamina consumption wasn’t that great.
But just fighting Bayard right now made me feel like I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
I rolled my eyes to the side.
Our dwarf girl was watching this fight from a distance.
No, if you’re going to pull aggro like this, at least do a back attack or something.
Moreover, my attacks didn’t work on Bayard at all.
If I were to use the analogy of rock-paper-scissors, it was as if I was checking in advance what the opponent would throw, and then throwing the winning hand accordingly.
The opponent would read it first with only reaction speed and change their hand.
Then I would stop time again and change it once more, and the opponent would again change their hand.
“Kuk?!”
Bayard’s kick struck my side.
Thankfully, I twisted my body right before the impact.
If I hadn’t, my insides would have burst open.
I quickly retreated.
It really felt like I was fighting a bear.
That’s how fast and agile her movements were.
Who said bears were stupid?
If anyone says that nonsense in front of me, I’ll shatter their limbs.
Exuding the overwhelming presence of a predator, Bayard charged at me like a beast.
It was not easy to react as my stamina was greatly depleted.
I was already at my limit just swinging my sword somehow.
On the other hand, Bayard showed no signs of fatigue at all.
Of course, that made sense.
Would a beast tire faster than a human?
What should I do?
I desperately racked my brain.
[It’s a strange thing. Even when she loses her reason, she doesn’t attack her comrades.]
[According to Commander Yuren, it’s not that she completely loses her reason, but closer to her intelligence dropping to the level of a beast.]
[Certainly… Even beasts don’t harm their own pack or species.]
There’s no way I can win in a head-on fight.
If the opponent were an enemy, it wouldn’t matter.
But if it was an ally I needed to somehow persuade, I needed to subdue her.
But to subdue her would be difficult, Bayard’s physical abilities were out of this world.
But I can’t use methods that would significantly reduce her combat power or leave aftereffects, like breaking her arms and legs.
Should I use joint locks?
On a bear?
I’d probably lose in strength.
I let out a sigh.
I had no choice, it was a gamble, but… I exhaled tiredly and raised my head.
I saw Bayard charging towards me.
I then lowered my sword.
“Commander?!”
I heard Ruby’s shocked voice from behind as she was spectating.
As expected, Bayard charged at me with all her might.
It felt like a truck was ramming into me.
If we collided like this, my bones and flesh would definitely be separated.
So, I used a bit of a trick.
As I snapped my middle and index fingers, the sound that flowed out painted the world gray.
I didn’t have much time or stamina left.
I quickly ran towards Bayard. And I grabbed Bayard’s charging body and shook it to break her posture.
“Alright, next…”
With my current strength, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to subdue Bayard without any damage.
Then, I had no choice but to approach it from a different angle.
Just like now.
Eventually, the world that was painted gray returned to normal.
I had already loosened my strength in advance.
Moreover, Bayard’s charge, with her posture broken, was blocked more easily than I thought.
The problem was what came next.
Even if I blocked her charge, Bayard’s monstrous strength wouldn’t disappear.
So I hugged Bayard, who had come right in front of me, with all my might.
“It’s okay. It’s alright now.”
“Kraaaaahh!”
“There are no more enemies to torment you.”
I had read it in a book somewhere.
Dogs tend to bark first when they’re scared.
Plus, I knew Bayard’s circumstances.
I also knew that she became like a beast when she went berserk.
Combining all those facts, I made one inference.
Bayard, who didn’t attack her comrades, not only didn’t recognize me but even attacked Ruby?
She must be scared.
The hellish scene she saw still hadn’t been forgotten.
In fact, Bayard deserted out of fear.
Usually, when someone deserts, they go back to their hometown and hide away.
But Bayard didn’t do that.
Rather, she was hiding, holding her breath in a cathedral set up near Lionheart Fortress.
Why?
Even though she could be caught and executed under military law?
The conclusion I reached after combining all these facts: Bayard still had lingering attachments.
Whether it was for revenge for her comrades or something else.
So I bet on that.
“Grrrrrr…!!”
Wait a minute.
Did I make the wrong judgment?
I hear beast sounds coming from my embrace.
She even bit my shoulder?!
I could feel my shoulder being torn and blood started to flow.
I thought I should back off now, but I quickly changed my mind.
If Bayard had recognized me as an enemy, I would have been torn to shreds in an instant.
But I’m still alive and well.
I even had the leisure to have a conversation.
Then, it meant that my method was working on Bayard to some extent.
“I obviously can’t know what you saw there.”
“…”
“But I can take in all those emotions. Let it all out, and cry.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Bayard’s clawed hand stabbed my back like a thorn.
Ah, wait a minute.
Wait, time out, don’t throw up.
I think I’m going to die from the pain!!
“Commander, you can stop hugging her now.”
“Huh?”
“She’s already asleep.”
“…I see.”
At some point, Bayard had stopped rampaging.
She was sleeping very comfortably in my arms. But her claws were still stuck in my back.
I clicked my tongue.
Anyway, with this, I finally solved the problem.
I didn’t damage Bayard’s combat power. And since she lost consciousness, I got a legitimate excuse to take her to Lionheart Fortress.
Before, it felt like I was almost forcibly dragging her.
I carefully moved her arm.
Naturally, the claws stuck in my back were pulled out, scratching my back as they went.
“By the way, I saw the commander in a new light this time.”
“…”
“I thought you were just all talk. I never thought you’d actually protect her even at the cost of getting injured.”
I didn’t protect her at the cost of getting injured.
It’s just that there was no other answer.
But I won’t tell her this fact.
You, just watching from behind earlier.
I saw it all.
Be prepared, I will definitely pay back this debt someday.
When Bayard enters battle, she turns violent.
From what I heard, it’s not a characteristic of the bear tribe, but a characteristic unique to Bayard herself.
In exchange for losing her reason, her physical abilities are enhanced to a degree beyond imagination.
But no matter how much she loses her reason, Bayard has never attacked an ally even once.
But right now, Bayard finally began attacking her own allies.
At Bayard’s rampaging roar, Ruby’s legs froze.
Because she knew Bayard’s strength to the point of being sick of it, she unconsciously froze in fear.
Well, that was understandable.
Imagine if a bear suddenly appeared in front of you.
Not just any bear, but a bear from the bear tribe that could devour any decent knight.
Anyone would hesitate.
But there was one person, only the commander, who didn’t do that.
He quickly ran forward and blocked Bayard.
Bayard, who had completely lost her reason, immediately swung her hand.
The commander’s swordsmanship wasn’t elegant even in empty words.
It had a roughness that could only be seen in ordinary security guards. But with that roughness, he was fighting Bayard toe-to-toe.
How many members could fight toe-to-toe with her?
Even Ruby, who was somewhat confident in head-on battles, could barely last about 5 minutes if she faced Bayard head-on.
But she had never felt humiliated by that fact.
Rather, it was something to brag about.
Because it meant she could last a whopping 5 minutes against Bayard.
But the commander, who was nothing more than a mere human, was fighting toe-to-toe with her.
What would happen if Ruby intervened there?
Far from being of help to the commander, she would only be a hindrance.
Ruby never overestimated herself.
Instead, Ruby held her ground.
She took in the entire fight with her own eyes.
It would be a lie if she said she wasn’t frustrated.
The rough swordsmanship that didn’t contain any essence of technique.
Just with that alone, he could fight Bayard toe-to-toe.
She envied the commander’s strength that far surpassed humans.
I want to become that strong too.
I want to become stronger than anyone and defeat that trash.
With those thoughts in mind, the dwarf took in everything with her eyes.
As if sharpening a sword on a whetstone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Save me.
Fuck, please save me.
Hey. Can’t you hear me?
It was no exaggeration to say I felt like I was going crazy.
My eyes hurt from the repeated color changes between gray and normal as time stopped and resumed.
It felt like staring at the noise on a television.
But the bigger problem was that my stamina was starting to reach its limit.
Forget about time stop, just avoiding or blocking Bayard’s fierce attacks consumed a significant amount of stamina.
At least with time stop, I was using it in short bursts, so the stamina consumption wasn’t that great.
But just fighting Bayard right now made me feel like I was going to collapse from exhaustion.
I rolled my eyes to the side.
Our dwarf girl was watching this fight from a distance.
No, if you’re going to pull aggro like this, at least do a back attack or something.
Moreover, my attacks didn’t work on Bayard at all.
If I were to use the analogy of rock-paper-scissors, it was as if I was checking in advance what the opponent would throw, and then throwing the winning hand accordingly.
The opponent would read it first with only reaction speed and change their hand.
Then I would stop time again and change it once more, and the opponent would again change their hand.
“Kuk?!”
Bayard’s kick struck my side.
Thankfully, I twisted my body right before the impact.
If I hadn’t, my insides would have burst open.
I quickly retreated.
It really felt like I was fighting a bear.
That’s how fast and agile her movements were.
Who said bears were stupid?
If anyone says that nonsense in front of me, I’ll shatter their limbs.
Exuding the overwhelming presence of a predator, Bayard charged at me like a beast.
It was not easy to react as my stamina was greatly depleted.
I was already at my limit just swinging my sword somehow.
On the other hand, Bayard showed no signs of fatigue at all.
Of course, that made sense.
Would a beast tire faster than a human?
What should I do?
I desperately racked my brain.
[It’s a strange thing. Even when she loses her reason, she doesn’t attack her comrades.]
[According to Commander Yuren, it’s not that she completely loses her reason, but closer to her intelligence dropping to the level of a beast.]
[Certainly… Even beasts don’t harm their own pack or species.]
There’s no way I can win in a head-on fight.
If the opponent were an enemy, it wouldn’t matter.
But if it was an ally I needed to somehow persuade, I needed to subdue her.
But to subdue her would be difficult, Bayard’s physical abilities were out of this world.
But I can’t use methods that would significantly reduce her combat power or leave aftereffects, like breaking her arms and legs.
Should I use joint locks?
On a bear?
I’d probably lose in strength.
I let out a sigh.
I had no choice, it was a gamble, but… I exhaled tiredly and raised my head.
I saw Bayard charging towards me.
I then lowered my sword.
“Commander?!”
I heard Ruby’s shocked voice from behind as she was spectating.
As expected, Bayard charged at me with all her might.
It felt like a truck was ramming into me.
If we collided like this, my bones and flesh would definitely be separated.
So, I used a bit of a trick.
As I snapped my middle and index fingers, the sound that flowed out painted the world gray.
I didn’t have much time or stamina left.
I quickly ran towards Bayard. And I grabbed Bayard’s charging body and shook it to break her posture.
“Alright, next…”
With my current strength, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to subdue Bayard without any damage.
Then, I had no choice but to approach it from a different angle.
Just like now.
Eventually, the world that was painted gray returned to normal.
I had already loosened my strength in advance.
Moreover, Bayard’s charge, with her posture broken, was blocked more easily than I thought.
The problem was what came next.
Even if I blocked her charge, Bayard’s monstrous strength wouldn’t disappear.
So I hugged Bayard, who had come right in front of me, with all my might.
“It’s okay. It’s alright now.”
“Kraaaaahh!”
“There are no more enemies to torment you.”
I had read it in a book somewhere.
Dogs tend to bark first when they’re scared.
Plus, I knew Bayard’s circumstances.
I also knew that she became like a beast when she went berserk.
Combining all those facts, I made one inference.
Bayard, who didn’t attack her comrades, not only didn’t recognize me but even attacked Ruby?
She must be scared.
The hellish scene she saw still hadn’t been forgotten.
In fact, Bayard deserted out of fear.
Usually, when someone deserts, they go back to their hometown and hide away.
But Bayard didn’t do that.
Rather, she was hiding, holding her breath in a cathedral set up near Lionheart Fortress.
Why?
Even though she could be caught and executed under military law?
The conclusion I reached after combining all these facts: Bayard still had lingering attachments.
Whether it was for revenge for her comrades or something else.
So I bet on that.
“Grrrrrr…!!”
Wait a minute.
Did I make the wrong judgment?
I hear beast sounds coming from my embrace.
She even bit my shoulder?!
I could feel my shoulder being torn and blood started to flow.
I thought I should back off now, but I quickly changed my mind.
If Bayard had recognized me as an enemy, I would have been torn to shreds in an instant.
But I’m still alive and well.
I even had the leisure to have a conversation.
Then, it meant that my method was working on Bayard to some extent.
“I obviously can’t know what you saw there.”
“…”
“But I can take in all those emotions. Let it all out, and cry.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Bayard’s clawed hand stabbed my back like a thorn.
Ah, wait a minute.
Wait, time out, don’t throw up.
I think I’m going to die from the pain!!
“Commander, you can stop hugging her now.”
“Huh?”
“She’s already asleep.”
“…I see.”
At some point, Bayard had stopped rampaging.
She was sleeping very comfortably in my arms. But her claws were still stuck in my back.
I clicked my tongue.
Anyway, with this, I finally solved the problem.
I didn’t damage Bayard’s combat power. And since she lost consciousness, I got a legitimate excuse to take her to Lionheart Fortress.
Before, it felt like I was almost forcibly dragging her.
I carefully moved her arm.
Naturally, the claws stuck in my back were pulled out, scratching my back as they went.
“By the way, I saw the commander in a new light this time.”
“…”
“I thought you were just all talk. I never thought you’d actually protect her even at the cost of getting injured.”
I didn’t protect her at the cost of getting injured.
It’s just that there was no other answer.
But I won’t tell her this fact.
You, just watching from behind earlier.
I saw it all.
Be prepared, I will definitely pay back this debt someday.
