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Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu (Light Novel) - Volume 10, Chapter 6: Regarding the Final Peace (Part 2)
Volume 10, Chapter 6: Regarding the Final Peace (Part 2)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Three days passed.
This was an intensive care hospital that only took the sickest of patients.
And in one such patient’s room…
“…Guaah… haah…!”
He groaned in anguish.
A sharp pain felt like it’d tear his body to pieces. It was so bad that he was starting to have lapses in consciousness.
And yet—
“Heh… I won’t lose to this!”
He had red hair the color of flames, and sharp red eyes to match. He was muscular in a way that one wouldn’t expect to see in a critical care patient.
He was Claugh Klom. There probably wasn’t a single person in all of Roland who didn’t know his name. He was a marshall of Roland’s army as well as right-hand man to the hero king Sion Astal.
Rather than his full name, Crimson-Fingered Klom might be a bit more famous, though. He was known as a reaper of the battlefield. Everyone feared the sight of him on the battlefield where his arms were always dyed red with blood. The sight of the red tattoos on his right arm made the people of neighboring countries scream ‘demon!’
But now…
“……”
Claugh looked down at his right arm. It wasn’t the same as before. The Alpha Stigma monster… no, Iino Doue monster, according to Sion… anyway, the monster bit it off and ate it and now it was gone.
So his arm wasn’t the real thing anymore. It was made with magic. It pretty much looked exactly like his old arm, except that it’d been done with forbidden magic which had dyed it black. It was filled with the brim with spells, to the point where it looked like it’d kill him with a misfire for even the slightest mistake.
“…Hah. The people aren’t gonna like a Crimson-Fingered Klom with an arm black with death,” he spat.
Normally the spell used here would’ve been illegal. But it’d gotten him his arm back. If he tried to move it even a little, a burning pain shot through his body. It felt like he’d go mad from trying to use it. It was the kind of arm that’d make anyone mad. And they’d attached it to him.
There were other surgeries and spells that could get him an arm, but… they chose this treatment for him. Their logic was simple and easy to follow - they wanted to give him just enough power to kill that monster if they met each other a third time. So that he wouldn’t make the same mistake as before. He couldn’t let his comrades be killed like that ever again.
“… I’ll kill that fucking monster next time.”
That’s why they gave him this cursed arm.
He moved it up, exercising its range of motion with one-handed push ups.
“…Seven hundred twelve…”
Pain shot up, even past his shoulder. It was so bad that he thought he’d pass out. His shoulder shot signals up to his brain frantically, telling him that an alien arm had attached itself to his body.
“…I’m not gonna… go mad from this level…”
He moved his arm back down despite the pain.
“Seven hundred… thirteen… Seven hundred…”
Just then, his room’s door opened.
“Hm?”
He raised his head to look up. A woman was standing in the doorway, watching him push himself up and down on the floor.
“……”
She had dark blue hair that was rarely seen in Roland, and pretty blue eyes. She was Noa Ehn, princess of the former Kingdom of Estabul. She was eight years to Claugh’s junior… but despite only being seventeen, she was wise past her y—
“Kyaahh!!”
Noa started to scream, her usually calm eyes wide.
“W-w-w-what are you doing, Lord Claugh!?”
“…Physical rehabi—”
“Nooo!!” Noa screeched. It was unusual for her to get so worked up about something. “Y-you shouldn’t be doing that, right!? You only just got an arm…”
“I’ve already made a full comeback. No need to worry.”
For some reason, Noa’s pretty face just turned to a deeper scowl. “F-full comeback!? I thought the doctor said that you must take it easy—”
“Haha. Nah, look how good I’m doing,” Claugh said, and pushed at his arm again…
“W-wait!” Noa yelled, tears making their way into her voice. She ran into the room and gripped his arm tight to try to stop him. “Uh, urgh, hrgh~!!”
Claugh grinned. “Alright, I’ll show you what I can do.” He pressed his fingers to the floor, then moved to push Noa onto his back. She was a small girl, and it hardly made a difference. He began counting repetitions anew. “One, two…”
“L, lord Claugh, please! You shouldn’t—”
“Eight, nine, ten, eleven…”
“You really shouldn’t push yourself… The curse on your arm will break you…”
“It’ll be fine,” Claugh reassured her. “There’s nothing you need to worry about anymore…”
Noa gripped him tightly. Hugged him. “P, please… Please, Claugh, just listen to what I’m saying…”
He finally stopped. He could feel something wet dripping down his neck. “You’re kiddin’, right? Noa… are you crying…?”
“I-I mean… You weren’t listening to me, and…”
Claugh grimaced. Because she wasn’t usually the type of woman who cried at the drop of a had. It wasn’t easy to smile in the situation she was in; she’d lost her country, and now lived in Roland, her enemy country, alone in order to protect her people. She didn’t cry about that… but here she was, crying about something so small.
“…So it really is my fault that you’re crying…”
“……”
She didn’t say anything. Her only answer was her arms tightening around him.
“……”
He raised his free arm up to hold his head for a moment, then reached up to his back, searching for Noa’s head to pet. “M-my bad,” he said. “Uhh, I won’t push myself again, soo… you don’t gotta cry…”
She gripped him even tighter. “I, I thought you were going to die… You came back that day absolutely covered in blood, and… y, your arm was gone… Claugh… I worry that this will happen again, that you’ll die somewhere without me…”
She sniffled and sobbed openly.
He thought of hugging her back, but…
“……”
Didn’t.
Instead, he sighed softly. “My bad. But you don’t have to cry anymore. I won’t make you worry like that again…”
He knew that it was a lie even as he said it. It was a promise he couldn’t possibly keep.
A day would inevitably come where he died on the battlefield. He was cursed by all the people he’d killed. Someday, he’d meet his end at the same place he killed. That was a soldier’s destiny.
That was why he never found a girl he liked. Because he knew he’d just make her sad someday.
He didn’t need a woman or a family. He wanted to keep the people who cried when they heard that he died as small as possible.
“…See? You don’t have to cry. I’ll take it easy for a while.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. ‘Cause I hate seeing you cry.”
“Really really?” Noa asked again, in a feeble but kind tone.
For some reason, Claugh’s chest tightened up every time he heard that kind of tone.
She touched her head to him. He could feel her shivering. He wanted to hold her… but that’s not what came out of his mouth. “Uh, sorry, Noa, but my arm’s starting to hurt with you on me. You’re kinda heavy.” That was a lie, too.
“S-s-sorry!?” Noa said, instantly flustered. “I, I’ll get off… gauh.” She started to go off, head first.
“Augh, c’mon, that’s dangerous,” Claugh said and pulled her into an embrace to help out with his pitch black arm. It was a bit too much, and sharp pain shot up his shoulder once more.
“……”
She was warm. Warm enough to make him want to hold her tightly.
“……”
But he didn’t.
Noa’s face went red. “Oh, er, I’m very sorry.”
Claugh shrugged. “Are you hurt at all?”
“N-no, I’m fine.”
“Good. So… can you stand?”
“…Yes,” Noa said, and began moving to stand up.
Just then, the door slammed open to reveal the last person Claugh wanted to see. “Claugh!”
He was Claugh’s junior and one of his close allies during the revolution - Calne Kaiwel. He stared for quite some time at Claugh and Noa’s half-embrace…
“…Ooohh? Looks like I’m interrupting something~!” Calne said. He sounded awfully pleased and wore a big smile.
“Uh, I’m pretty sure you’re gettin’ the wrong idea,” Claugh said.
Calne grinned. “No, really, I don’t think it’s possible to misunderstand something as clear as this. So, um, I’ll go do something else for now, so you two should have some fun—”
“Like I said, you’ve got the complete wrong idea!” Claugh yelled.
“Oh, I better go tell Eslina not to come in here. It’s bad for kids to see adult stuff like this.”
“Like I said—”
“Geez, you don’t have to make excuses to me. I’m a big supporter of this type of physical rehab! See, I was worrying all day after seeing that you were doing such dangerous exercises again last night. I mean, your arm could go berserk on you and you could die!”
“…Huh?” Noa said. “Umm… er, Lord Claugh, is that true?” Her words had a special kind of bite to them, stabbing right into his chest.
Claugh averted his eyes. “No, uhh, I was…”
“Sir Calne just said that… yesterday, he thought you might die from overexerting yourself during your training… Did you really do that?”
“…Aww… Weeeell, uhh…”
Claugh glared at Calne, who was still standing at the door. He glared as hard as he could. But Calne didn’t give a shit. He was still enjoying himself way too much.
Calne faked a shiver in his voice. “I’m s, sooo sorry, Sir Claugh… I can’t beliieeevee I let it slip, even though I was supposed to keep it secret from Noa~!”
“Y, youuu!”
It was too late to do anything about it now. He felt Noa shake against his arm. “Lord Cl-au-gh…”
She was most likely shaking from anger. No matter how kind and forgiving she might be, she was at the end of her patience’s rope.
“I-I’m gonna sleep now,” Claugh said flustered. “Could you guys keep it down? Uh… please?”
He glanced at Noa to get a feel for her response.
“……”
She wasn’t mad. She was crying again.
“Whoa!?”
“A-a-ah!” Calne said. “Look, you’ve gone and made a girl cry.”
“Why’s it my fault? You’re the one who told her—”
“I had to,” Calne interrupted. “If I didn’t, you just would have kept doing it quietly, Musclebrains.”
“M-muscle…”
“And those push-ups that she tried her best to stop…”
“How long have you been watchi…”
Claugh stopped himself halfway through his sentence. Because he could already see Calne’s reply.
‘I didn’t have to watch her stop you,” Calne would say. “Anyone would know what had happened just seeing you two in such a tight embrace. I mean, really.’
Calne had a special talent - he could say that kind of dumb shit with a straight face. Claugh wouldn’t give him the chance.
Claugh glared at Calne for a final moment, then lowered his gaze to Noa. “S, sorry,” he said. “It’s my bad… Can I sleep now? I need some quiet.”
“……”
“I-I promise, so… Really, I’m sorry… Also, aren’t you guys being way too mean to me?”
A small smile returned to Noa’s face. “You’re the one who is being mean to us.”
Calne nodded. “She’s right. Do you realize how much you’ve made us worry?”
“…Uuh…”
Calne walked in. “Alright, now that that’s settled, you need to get some sleep. I’ll make your bed.”
“Don’t need you to,” Claugh said and sat down on his bed.
“I brought you flowers,” Calne said.
Claugh grimaced. “Flowers? Don’t need ‘em. Couldn’t you have brought food or something?”
“My, how beautiful,” Noa said happily just as Claugh insulted the very flowers she was complimenting.
The two exchanged a glance just as Noa processed what Claugh had said.
“Are you hungry?” She asked Claugh, worried.
For some reason, Calne was the one who answered. “He’s always hungry. He wants food more than sex!”
‘Isn’t that better than being like you?’ was what Claugh wanted to say, but if he did, he knew that Calne would turn it around on him.
Calne would respond something like, ‘It’s so sad that you won’t even get it up for Noa,” and he couldn’t give him that opportunity.
So he went for a different answer instead.
“…Sorry, Noa. But I am getting pretty hungry. Think you could go ask the staff to get me some lunch?”
She nodded. “I’ll get a vase for the flowers, too.”
“Thanks.”
Noa left the room, flowers in hand.
Now that Noa was out of the way, Claugh turned to Calne. “You asshole. The hell’re you tryin’ to do!?” He yelled.
“I’m trying to help you out! You’re such a late bloomer, after all!”
“Late bloomer…? Hey, you… I’m not gonna do anything with Noa.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lyin’. She’s… y’know. I’m not into people like her.”
Calne stared for a moment, then repeated himself. “Liar.”
“I told you, I’m not.”
Calne squinted and staaaared. “Hmm… But why can’t I help you out, then.”
“Wh, what’re you talking about.”
“I mean, this has never happened before. You’ve never refused to touch a girl… Normally if you got along that well with a woman, you would’ve been doing that stuff from the beginning… You act weird when you’re with her. I guess I can nip it in the bud for you…”
“Ugh, shut up already. You’re just makin’ shit up.”
“Huh? Does that mean you’re okay with it?”
“What!? Don’t go running with some weird idea of yours!”
“Ohh, which is iitt alreadyyy!” Calne said. But he was smiling. Because poking fun at Claugh was always so fun. His smile turned a bit serious after a moment. “But… I’ve been thinking. I think it’s a good thing that Lady Noa came to visit you.” He glanced back at the door that Noa had left from.
“Ahn? Why?” Claugh asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? You’ve never valued your life. At least, you never did. But I’m sure it’ll be different from now on. She should stop you from doing stupid things. So… I’m happy that she’s with you.” He smiled. “Also, I don’t have to do as much work now.”
Claugh stared, tired. “What do you think you’re supposed to be, my mom?”
“Hehe, that’s right. Soon you’ll be able to stand on your own two feet. Mama won’t have to worry so much—”
“Dumbass.”
“Also, Mama would feel much better if you hit on Lady Noa like a real man—”
“What kind of mom are you!?”
“Ahah,” Calne laughed, then turned back to the door to make sure Noa hadn’t returned yet. “Looks like we have a little more time.”
Claugh nodded. “Knowing her, she’s cooking.”
Calne’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s making it herself?”
“Probably. ‘Cause she’s been really into cooking lately. She’s probably taking the opportunity to practice.”
“…You really believe that?” Calne asked.
“Ngh? What do you mean?”
“I sure would like my future husband Lord Claugh to eat my homemade cooking! ♡ Would you really ignore that noble sentiment!?”
“Haah? The hell’re you talking about.”
Calne sighed for some reason. “I really pity you, Lady Noa, for liking a thickheaded guy like this…”
“Ahn?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway, it’s about time we got to the point,” Calne said and walked closer, then sat on the bed beside Claugh.
“Did you have someone look into it?”
“Yes,” Calne said with a nod and pulled several papers out of his pocket to show to Claugh.
Claugh took them. “Hm. These are…?”
“I lied and said it’d be for a health exam at the hospital and had doctors and researchers look into things.”
“And the result?” Claugh asked.
“Ugh, geez. I had them make an easy report that even a musclehead like you could understand, so please just read it!” Calne said and pointed to the documents he’d already handed over.
“…You don’t even have the muscles though… I was ranked better back at the military facility.”
“The exam was way harder my year!” Calne said. “And you only scored two points higher.”
Claugh grinned. “So you admit to your loss?”
“…Uuh… w, well, it’s whatever… We all know you’re unmatched… My life as an elite ended the day I met you thanks to how stubbornly competitive you are…”
Claugh almost spit at the sound of that word - elite.
Yeah, he definitely put an end to Calne’s life as an ‘elite.’
They’d both been raised at the Emeril Military Institution. It had been famous in Roland’s underground circles. It was one of many mad orphanages, much the same as Special Institute #307.
It was well-known throughout Roland that nobles would collect genius children for the sake of their own protection. They then put those kids through abnormal training, procedures, and brainwashing. Some of the kids ended up becoming the ultimate bodyguards through those experiments.
Count Emeril had raised kids as soldiers for his own private army, and ended up becoming pretty well-known through the strength of his soldiers. After a while, they were able to advance through military ranks at high speeds just because they were one of Count Emeril’s kids.
By the way, Claugh graduated from Emeril’s eighth class. He’d have been killed if he wasn’t good enough to graduate, though…
In contrast, Calne was in Emeril’s fifteenth class. He was praised extravagantly and said to be even more of a genius than Crimson-Fingered Claugh. They’d already decided to move him from the personal guard to the military’s elite course, but…
Emeril was murdered while Calne was supposed to be protecting him. By Claugh. Definitely by Claugh.
“……”
Calne had a faraway expression like he was remembering something. “Geez… I knew you were a monster from the second I set eyes on you. Then my employer died and I was left unable to become a real elite…”
“…Haha. Did you want to be one?”
“Of course. If you’d just come a day later, I would have killed the whole Emeril family myself,” Calne said.
“…Ahn? Really?”
“Yes. Haven’t I told you all of this before?”
“…Hm? You did? I don’t remember,” Claugh said.
“Whaaat!? Okay, so here’s the story. My beloved Mrs. Maemille from the bakery, right? That bastard Emeril paid her husband off and forced her to become his lover! H, he snatched her away before I could! So I planned to murder him and his whole family.”
Claugh nodded. “So… about the documents we were supposed to be talking about…”
“You’re ignoring me!?” Calne screeched. Claugh ignored that, too.
He didn’t have the time to entertain that stupid story. There was no way that was the reason that Calne actually wanted to kill Emeril. The real reason was…
“……”
He stopped his thoughts. There was no point in thinking back to those crazy times.
Back when they first met, Calne was completely incomparable to how he was now. He had a much darker and sharper expression in those days… Claugh was like that, too. Everything back then was mad, so… every memory that rose to his mind was covered with that murky darkness. He had no reason to remember them.
More importantly…
Claugh’s eyes fell to the documents in his hands.
Alpha Stigma Bearer
Ryner Lute - Personal History & Examination Results
He had ordered Calne to examine the Alpha Stigma bearing monster Ryner Lute.
Ryner Lute was the name of a suspicious guy that Sion called his friend and allowed to loiter around the castle.
“……”
Claugh rubbed his blackened right arm with his left. “Alpha Stigma bearer, huh…”
So a friend of the monster who ate his arm was hanging around the castle. To top it off, he was supposed to be Sion’s friend even though he was a monster.
Yeah, Claugh wasn’t gonna accept that without a fight.
The monster could show his true nature and cause harm to Sion any day now.
Alpha Stigma bearers were dangerous. They went berserk when they got emotional and killed all humans in the vicinity. It was possible that some noble who wanted Sion dead had instigated this - they could be planning on this Alpha Stigma bearer going berserk in order to kill Sion. He couldn’t just let a monster like that hang around Sion when he didn’t even know where he came from.
That’s why he had Calne look into it.
He opened the document to the first page.
“…Hey, wait, this guy’s from Special Institute #307?”
Calne nodded. “He’s from an orphanage just like we were.”
“…Hmph.” Claugh turned the page. It was full of detailed information regarding Ryner Lute’s history. He had been affiliated with a special organization called the Hidden Elites and given the title of Roland’s strongest magician. “Pretty famous guy for an Alpha Stigma monster.”
“Seems so…”
“How did I not know about him?” Claugh asked.
Calne pointed to a corner in the page. “Look at the date. It’s been quite a while since his hayday.”
“Hoh. I guess he’s pretty old, then.”
Calne shook his head. “He’s a year older than I am… Six years younger than you are.”
Claugh looked up to the heading. He was indeed described as being nineteen. “He’s just a brat… alright.”
Calne nodded. “Right. He was called Roland’s strongest magician when he was twelve or thirteen years old… He’s no joke, even for an elite.”
“So he was active as a military dog while we were hiding in the anti-Roland army after killing Emeril,” Claugh spat. He scowled. If that was the case, he didn’t think this guy was someone they could trust. Because he’d been Roland’s pawn at the time when it was most rotten. There was no way he was a decent guy…
“……”
He turned to the report’s next page, which detailed Ryner’s time in the Hidden Elites. He saw that, and then… saw what followed.
He abandoned his missions. Got in the way of jobs. Leaked confidential information. Defied his superiors. Spoke thoughtlessly and assaulted the nobility.
Then he beat the strongest of the Hidden Elites, Quanto Cuoh, to the brink of death, and due to his disturbances, his title of the strongest magician…
Of course, they also tried to fix him many, many times, putting him in jail, torturing him, putting him through coercion therapy… the works. But he never showed even the slightest improvement, so they eventually gave up.
There was one and only one reason why they didn’t kill him.
He was an unusual Alpha Stigma bearer who was able to regain his sense of self after going berserk. So he was kept alive as a research subject.
In summary, he was an outcast in Roland. And then, when he was led to his unpleasant final destination, he met Sion.
“…Hahah. Sounds like a pretty interesting guy.”
Calne sighed, exasperated. “Aww, geez, I thought you’d say that… You hate the nobility, so I knew you’d trust him instantly…”
Claugh ignored Calne and continued reading. He’d finished the personal history section and was moving into what the doctors and researchers had to say.
It started with his physical ability and reflexes. He was extraordinary. Far faster than the average person.
“…Anyone from #307 could do at least that,” Claugh mumbled to himself and smiled. Plus, he was an Alpha Stigma bearer…
Alpha Stigma bearers rarely made it to Ryner Lute’s age. They usually went berserk and died when their minds were still immature. So it was impossible to know how rare Ryner was for being able to control his power.
To test it, they’d have to keep an Alpha Stigma without them going berserk for a long time, a dangerous task. The odds of them living long really weren’t too great.
Claugh’s eyes settled on the diagnoses they’d given Ryner.
“……”
He smiled.
Ryner could see how all spells worked with the power of his Alpha Stigma. The facility that raised him, Roland’s Special Institute #307, had called him Roland’s strongest magician.
His physical ability and reflexes were also far better than a regular person’s.
Claugh flipped back to Ryner’s personal history.
“…Does he look as strong as he sounds?” Claugh asked.
“Uwah… You’re reacting exactly how I expected. You can’t. You can’t fight him while you’re ill—”
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I just wanna give him one good punch—”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you not to do,” Calne said. “But… telling you to stop won’t do a thing, will it?”
Claugh grinned. “‘Course not.”
“Lady Noa, come help me~!” Calne called. But it didn’t reach Noa. She’d probably be off making food for Claugh for another half hour.
That was plenty of time. Especially knowing that his opponent was here in the same hospital. He’d go have a good look at Roland’s strongest magician and be back before Noa ever knew he was gone.
“……”
Claugh took a look at his dark right arm, artificially made with hexes. He was probably at about 40% of his ability. How would Roland’s strongest magician be able to take it?
“Alright, Calne. Let’s go visit this Ryner guy’s room.”
“…No… um,” Calne said. But he just sighed deeply in the end, knowing it was futile.
---
These were unpleasant times.
It really hadn’t been that long. But it felt like an eternity.
“……”
Silence had fallen on the examination room. Well, it was a pretty big place, actually. It might be more accurate to call it an examination hall. It was a ward for the treatment of the royalty and nobility, staffed to the brim with nurses and guards, as well as six whole doctors.
Ryner looked around before his eyes focused on the doctor before him. He had been examining Ryner, Ferris, and Sion for the past three days and was about to tell them the results. He was starting with Ferris’.
“……”
Ryner stared at the doctor, who was looking at Ferris’ paper chart with a troubled expression. He opened his mouth… but nothing came out, so he closed it again…
Ryner felt like he’d choke on the pressure.
What did Ferris have? Dozens of guesses swirled around in his mind.
Ferris had fainted suddenly and lost the memories surrounding the incident. The usual culprits for that in young women were… Nick’s disease, or maybe fystan syndrome. Both could be cured with time.
But what if… what if she had Enfiole’s hyponatremia…? That was from organ failure, so Ferris would…
He glanced to Ferris, who was standing beside him with the same emotionless expression as always. She didn’t look nervous at all. In the past three days she’d been yelling that she didn’t know why they were worried since she was so healthy, and she kept getting caught trying to sneak out of the hospital to buy dango…
And as she tried to get out of their hold when she was trying to escape, Sion made the dumbest imperial edict ever.
“Dango must not be sold to peerlessly beautiful women with blonde hair, blue eyes, and longswords for a week!”
Yeah. A lot happened. But now the examination period was over.
If it was Enfiole’s hyponatremia, then… Ferris would be dead in three months’ time.
“……”
Forget proper nutrition. He’d let her eat all the dango she wanted.
Ryner looked back to the doctor who was silently staring at Ferris’ chart. He was an older man with a difficult expression on his face, like he absolutely didn’t want to say what he needed to say. It was obviously not good news.
Sion, who was on Ferris’ other side, spoke. “So, Dr. Banball. What’s her diagnosis?” His voice came out uneasy.
The doctor’s grimace only deepened. “Hmm… It’s not very good.”
“…No, um, really, you don’t need to leave us hanging for the sake of a dramatic silence,” Ryner said. “Can’t you just tell us?”
He seriously felt like he’d choke on the thick atmosphere if this kept up, after all.
The doctor glanced at Ryner. “Right. Then I’ll tell you just that.”
“…So what is it?” Ryner and Sion asked simultaneously.
“The cause of Ferris Eris fainting…”
Ryner gulped. This was it. Oh, please don’t be Enfiole’s hyponatremia…
“The cause of her fainting… was most likely a combination of anemia related to poor iron intake and physical exertion.”
“……”
Poor diet and physical exertion.
It wasn’t Nick’s disease, it wasn’t fystan syndrome, and it definitely wasn’t Enfiole’s hyponatremia.
She wasn’t sick at all… She just ate like shit…
Sion and Ryner exchanged a silent look. Then they looked to Ferris.
“Heheh. Look, it’s as I’ve said,” she said, brimming with confidence. “I’m not sick at all.”
Ryner took a deep, deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity. “You really did eat too much dangoooo!!”
“…Uuh, no, dango is a complete diet—”
“Like hell it issss!!”
“B, but—”
“No buts! Ugh, no more dango! No more dango for a year!”
“A w-whole year… That’s ridiculous!” Ferris said, her despair reaching her voice.
“…But I’m glad you’re not ill,” Sion said. “It’s bad that you’re malnourished, but honestly I’m more concerned about the physical exhaustion part. Have you been sleeping well? What do you typically do in a day?”
“I, I’m just living life like usual,” Ferris said, flustered.
“That’s a lie!” Ryner said. “Tell the truth.”
“Ugh… i-it is the truth, though? I’m early to bed and early to rise. Everything about my lifestyle is perfect…”
Ryner looked to Sion. “Drop the bomp!”
“Okay… Ferris, if you don’t tell the truth, I’ll order dango sales to cease in all of Roland.”
“Guah!?” Ferris gasped as she received Sion’s fatal blow.
“Now do you feel like telling the truth?” Ryner asked.
Ferris did, but only in the quietest voice she could muster. “Well… lately, I’ve been… helping prepare for a dango shop to open up a second floor, so… I’ve pulled countless all-nighters in a row…”
“Dango again!!?” Ryner yelled. He was seriously at his limit.
She was anemic because all she ate was dango, physically exhausted because she was helping a dango shop out, and then collapsed in front of Wynnit Dango. It was a dango filled story from beginning to end. What could he possibly say but that it was dumb as hell?
“……”
He was about to say that, too. But the doctor spoke first.
“Your Majesty, Ryner. You two are a far bigger problem than she is.”
“Huh?” Ryner and Sion said, in sync once again.
The doctor glared with the same expression he’d been looking at his documents with earlier. “Do you two want to die!?”
“Whaaat!?”
“You two are worse than malnourished! You aren’t even eating, are you!? And you’re much further into the red on sleep deprivation, too! Your bodies are at their very limits! You’re on the verge of death! No, I’m sure you’d already be dead if you were normal. Absolutely certain of it. Ferris is the pinnacle of good health compared to you two!”
Sion and Ryner exchanged another look. Ferris, who had shrunken down between them, was once again puffing her chest out with pride.
“Hohoh~! You two made some big claims just a bit ago, but what do we have here? Care to explain, gentlemen?” Ferris asked in an odd tone.
“H, hey, I’m not in the wrong here,” Ryner said. “I want to sleep every day, but this idiot Sion pushes me around all night…”
“…Doctor, I’d actually like to ask you about something,” Sion said. “Isn’t there a way for me to recover my strength while still getting all my work done?”
The doctor shook his head. “Your Majesty… this matter concerns your very life! I’d like you to rest here for a week, and then take it easy once you’re discharged—”
“No, um, don’t you think an entire week is a bit overkill?” Sion asked. “I’ve already rested for three days. I can’t possibly continue to ‘take it easy’… First, I’d like you to trick Calne into believing that I’m healthy. Then—”
“‘He’ll try to tell you to let him out, but I need you to not listen to His Majesty’s requests’ is what Major General Kaiwel instructed me to do. I must stand my ground…”
“Damn you, Calne!” Sion cursed.
“Hey, you,” Ryner said. “Your subordinates worked real hard to get you to rest. Don’t you think you could take it easy for a week for their sake?”
The doctor nodded. “He’s right, Your Majesty. Please, take it easy and recover. Then you can go back to work—”
Sion shook his head. “No, I can’t. I have work that needs done now.” He began to count all the things he needed to attend to on his fingers, then seemed to remember something and looked back up at the doctor. “Oh, I know. How about you send me back with something that’ll keep me awake for as long as possible once I’m done here?”
“Wh-whoa!” Ryner said. “That’s way too dangerous!”
“H, he’s right, Your Majesty! Those drugs have extreme side effects, and they’d end up shortening your lifespan considerably! P, please tell me you haven’t already done those drugs…”
Sion laughed. “No, no, I haven’t done any… yet.”
“Yet!?” The doctor and Ryner both yelled.
Sion stuck his tongue out. “It’s just a joke. I’d never do that. I mean, really. I’m the one who made those illegal in the first place. Would I break my own law?”
Ryner eyed him suspiciously. Because he could definitely see Sion sacrificing his body for the sake of their country. For other people’s sake in general. He’d be totally okay with it.
Sion laughed again. “No, really, it was just a joke. There’s no point in this if I die. But… a week is a really long time… I have to get my work here in the hospital… ah, yeah. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll have them prepare the documents…”
With that, Sion turned around and left the room, completely ignoring the doctor’s realm of authority. Nurses and guards followed him out.
“…He’s sick alright,” Ryner said, exasperated. “Sick with workaholism.”
Ferris, on the other hand, was nodding with understanding. “He’s right. I should get Iris to bring some dango sets to my room here.” She left, too.
“…And she’s sick with dango disease…”
Apparently they both wanted to die young. Ryner sighed.
The hospital brought them three meals a day and turned off the lights at night to keep them from pulling all-nighters. This was paradise compared to his life outside of the hospital. And he was glad that Ferris didn’t have a serious illness.
He was finally relaxed enough to yawn nice and big. He felt really tired now.
“…Time for a nap,” Ryner said to himself.
“Geez,” the doctor said. “As far as compliance goes, you’re the best patient out of the three of you by far.”
“Right?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen a patient who sleeps from sunrise to sunset quite like you do.”
Ryner grinned at the praise. “You’ve been thinking it too, right? That I’m great at this whole patient thing. That I should make a job out of it. Picture it… Me being your patient for all eternity…”
“…I’d discharge you,” the doctor said and left.
And so Ryner ended up being the last one in the room. “Guess I’ll go nap now,” he said to himself. He turned towards the door and took a step closer, but then it suddenly slammed open.
“Is Ryner Lute in here?” Someone asked. His voice was sharp and deep.
“…Mmah?”
Apparently the guy took that weird sound as a yes, because he walked on in. He had red hair, sharp eyes, and a muscular body. Ryner was reasonably tall, but this guy had another head of height on him.
He was someone that Ryner had seen before, back in Estabul. He was there when Sion chased him down after Ryner ran away… back when Tiir was causing trouble. If he remembered correctly, this guy had been at Sion’s side then. He’d been down an arm, but still yelled for Sion to kill Tiir…
And his name was…
Ryner stared at his bright red hair, then decided. “If I recall, you’re… Peerson.”
“Who the hell is that supposed to be?”
“Oh, I was wrong?”
You didn’t get a single letter right. Also it’s not that long.”
“You’re kidding,” Ryner said.
“No, you’re literally completely wrong.”
“That sucks.” Apparently he couldn’t even get the number of letters right. Weird. He was sure that it was Peerson.
He remembered the redhead wanting to go fight Tiir in the inn, so Sion yelled, ‘No, Peerson! Don’t go near the inn!’ or something like that.
Wait, no, what if…
“Pom then, right?”
“Claugh! It’s Claugh Klom!!”
“…You’re definitely lying.”
“Why the hell would I lie about my own name!”
“Hm. Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Ryner admitted.
He took a good look at Claugh. He looked like a pretty strong guy, and he just had the atmosphere of someone who knew what to do in a fight. It looked like he got a prosthetic for his arm, too, but he couldn’t see what kind since he had a big glove over it…
“So, Mr. Claugh Klom. What do you need from me?”
Claugh grinned. “Well, I was thinkin’ I better go say hi to Sion’s good friend.”
“Say hi?”
Claugh nodded. “Yep. Say hi.” He raised his arm and smiled. “Well, sorry that it’s not the nicest way to say hi, but… I’m gonna punch you, so try and dodge!”
Ryner dodged quickly. “Wow, you’re pretty slow.” Way slower than expected. To be fair though, a regular soldier never would’ve been able to dodge that. Ryner was just an advanced fighter.
He looked down at Claugh’s foot as he dodged, moving his own body the same way.
“Oh, so you can dodge that speed,” Claugh said. “But how about this?” Claugh changed his arm’s trajectory and punched many times faster than before.
“Uwoah!” Ryner yelped, surprised. He dodged by moving his body to the side this time.
“So you can dodge that too?” Claugh said. He sounded like he was having fun with this. “Nice… It’s been a while since I met someone who could fight like this. So… how about this!”
“It gets faster!?” Ryner yelled. He couldn’t dodge this time, so he decided to grab Claugh by his elbow to immobilize his arm instead.
“Hah. You’re not strong enough for that!” Claugh said. Instead of Ryner grabbing Claugh’s arm, Claugh grabbed Ryner’s… and twisted.
“Shit!” Ryner tried to twist his arm in the opposite direction as he steadied his legs to try to kick him in the face, but… Claugh did the same thing but faster.
He couldn’t dodge… the best he could do was block.
“Uwaugh!”
But he couldn’t stop it. Claugh’s kick sent him flying despite his attempt at guarding himself.
“You’re kidding… I blocked it just like I was supposed to, too,” Ryner groaned. Claugh had broken his arm and got a good hit in on his head. “The hell. Are you some kind of monster?”
It was clear that Claugh was far out of his league as far as hand-to-hand combat went. His muscles were bigger and better, and his technique was… well, his technique was only a little bitter than Ryner’s, really.
It looked like Claugh was thinking on the same lines. “Hm. I’m stronger in hand-to-hand,” he said. But your specialty’s magic, right? You’re the strongest magician in Roland or somethin’. Use some magic, then.”
“…Um, the truth is, I don’t know how to use magic~. It’s my loss…”
“Ahn? Well, I’m gonna use magic… Feel free to fight it with your fists,” Claugh said. He began to draw a magic circle in the air. He was remarkably fast.
“Seriously? I could’ve sworn you were just some musclehead…”
Ryner instantly knew the spell that Claugh was casting. It was one of Ryner’s favorites, Lightning Flash. But it’d gone through numerous changes. It was a Lightning Flash derivative spell… and he was casting it by…
Ryner opened his eyes wide and activated his Alpha Stigma. When that scarlet pentagram rose in his eyes, he could instantly understand all magic he saw. He could understand how to cast Claugh’s spell, how long it’d take to activate…
But Claugh wasn’t drawing a magic circle now.
He’d stopped and was throwing a punch instead.
“You’re kidding me… a magic feint!?”
“Duh.” Claugh opened the palm of his right arm as he threw it towards Ryner. The white glove tore off to reveal a pitch-black palm.
“…Hah? What’s that, a cursed prosthetic?”
“Exactly. What’ll you do, Ryner Lute?”
What would he do? Well, he’d have to dodge… otherwise he was dead meat. “Ugh!” Ryner yelled as he stepped back. He had to stop holding back. This wasn’t someone who he could go easy on. “Auughhh what a pain!!”
Ryner’s fingers danced in the air to write letters made of light. He’d cast a spell he stole from Estabul’s Magical Knights. “I dedicate the words of our contract - give birth to the beast of malice sleeping within the earth!”
But just as he said it—
“Alright, you two, that’s enough!” Someone suddenly yelled from the entrance. Ryner stopped to look. Claugh did the same.
There stood Sion, cradling a massive pile of paperwork in his arms. “Playtime is over. It’s time for work instead!”
“Work? Seriously?” Ryner asked.
“Whoa, Sion… work’s supposed to be off limits for you while you’re here!”
Sion nodded, a pleasant smile on his face. “Yes, yes, and the doctor told you to take it easy, but here you are fighting with Ryner. I’m sure Princess Ehn will be veeery angry with you.”
“…Uwahgh,” Claugh groaned.
“…Heh. You’re making people mad,” Ryner said.
“The hell did you say?”
“Nothiiing!”
“Oh, come on, don’t fight,” Sion said and forced a smile. “I meant to introduce the two of you properly, but you guys had to start fighting instead before I could, didn’t you?”
“It’s his fault,” Ryner said. “I didn’t want to fight at all.”
“Dumbass. It’s my job to make sure guys who hang around Sion are cool,” Claugh said. “Why do you have to go makin’ friends with suspicious guys so much…”
“Aah? Who’re you callin’ suspicious?” Ryner asked.
“You. Who els—”
“I just told you to stop fighting!” Sion said. “Playtime is over. You two might not know this, but something serious is happening…”
“O, oh. This is really bad timing,” Claugh said. “S, sorry, Sion… I have something else I gotta do. Can we have this conversation some other time?”
“…Wow, what a coincidence,” Ryner said. “I have something I need to do too. See, I want to hear all about your super serious situation, but… Sorry. I really have to go right now. I really have to nap right now—”
Ryner and Claugh tried to bolt. But Sion just kept talking. “No, this work really needs done as soon as possible. It’s—”
“I don’t wanna hear it! I don’t wanna hear it!!” Ryner yelled and covered his ears. He tried to run. But Claugh grabbed his shirt from behind to stop him.
“Whoa there, Ryner Lute. You’re supposed to be Sion’s friend, right? Can’t you listen to his problems instead of me?”
“Traitor!! Uugh, I’m seriously gonna kill you… no, uh, wait,” Ryner said. “Aren’t you Sion’s closest confidant? I think you better listen to your lord’s wishes—”
“No, no, no, I think his best buddy should be the one to listen to his problems instead—”
“No, no, no, no, seriously, shouldn’t it be his most excellent employee!?”
“…Ugh, wow, I really don’t like you.”
“What a coincidence!” Ryner said. “I hate everything about you, even your face!”
And so they started trying to trip each other on the way out…
“…So, um, it sounds like everyone’s ready to listen now,” Sion said. “I have forty thousand matters here that I’d like you two to attend to—”
“No fucking waaaay!!” Ryner and Claugh yelled in unison, like any good friends would.
---
The next day, Ryner and Claugh were discharged from the hospital by their bully and boarded in due to a massive storm of paperwork…
Five days passed like that before they both collapsed of exhaustion and were brought back to the hospital as critical patients.
Noa screamed loudly, Ferris laughed loudly, and Sion made an expression that only a bully could make.
Ryner thought back to their plan to assassinate Sion that they thought of when they re-entered Roland before. It hadn’t worked out then, but now that he was he was back in the hospital, he was thinking of new ways to take down their sadistic king Sion Astal.
Maybe he could put tons of things he hated in his bed. It was the ‘Gyaah, all the last things I want to see are in my bed’ and then he faints plan!’
He tossed around ideas in his head to perfect his assassination plan.
---
That aside.
A new day began.
On a new day like this, they had the feeling that things would be calm. But this was far after. Even though it was a new day, just as it was a beginning, it was also an end…
When he thought back to those days, he felt that they were filled with more smiles than he’d ever experienced before. Because after he returned to Roland, Ferris and Sion were both there. They were really always smiling.
It was a long peace. But he knew that it wouldn’t last forever.
He didn’t realize it at the time. When did he realize it, actually?
When did he realize how precious it all was?
It was a precious time with people who were dear to him. He never noticed that he had all of that. He was fed up with the fact that he never noticed those things.
Bright days as that could be destroyed so easily… If only he’d realized what he had while it was there.
---
To think that this was the end.
Why couldn’t he have realized at the time that that was their final peace?
He was always like that.
It always took him until the very end to realize how beloved something was to him.
