I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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“Julian, the deputy priest, tripped and fell, cracking his head and fainting for three days. I can understand that. Serenon overexerted himself with swordsmanship training and suffered for three days; that makes sense. But a Sword Master like Miru being bedridden with a cold for three days? What, not pneumonia but just a cold? Is this some kind of joke? I thought he had died or something since even visiting was off-limits.”

“Tripping and falling? You do know that’s a reportable act of sacrilege, right?”

“A cold… Do we really need to put it that way?”

Julian and Serenon countered heavily against Kasia’s complaints.

In the three days I hadn’t seen them, the three had grown closer.

Amidst them, I felt a bit alienated and shrunk back.

As soon as Leo arrived at the royal palace, he was caught up in some tasks by clergy members I couldn’t recognize and went to get things sorted out.

And here I was, held back by Kasia, Julian, and Serenon, paying for my three-day absence in silence.

“I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything…”

“I understand that you had to leave discreetly, but still, it’s hard to shake off the disappointment.”

Serenon sighed deeply, his face written with disappointment.

Starting from not informing them of my arrival as a commander to a series of actions from me as a master, it was clear why they were upset.

“I heard you brought some good news. That’s enough, I suppose.”

Kasia shrugged off her shoulders. That refreshing conclusion did fit her. Julian tilted his head.

“What’s the good news?”

“Ah, um… First, please keep it confidential, but I’ve confirmed if the Silver Wolf beastmen will participate in the war.”

I casually explained what had happened with the Silver Wolf beastmen.

“The one who wrote the petition regarding the Silver Wolf beastmen was your mother…”

Serenon muttered with quite a shocked expression. He looked at me intently, then nodded.

“Indeed… Blood cannot be deceived. Greatness comes from great lineage.”

He muttered with an impressed expression. Kasia admired.

“You’ve done something remarkable. I learned that the Silver Wolf beastmen are the strongest race.”

“I’ve been doubted for having Silver Wolf beastmen lineage at every turn, but I may be able to show it now.”

Julian curled the silver hair on his head with a smirk.

If his pupils were vertical, he wouldn’t have known it, but it was clear he resembled the Silver Wolf beastmen.

“I deemed that if the vacancy of the commander became known, it would spiral out of control. Please forgive me for not mentioning it.”

Upon hearing the explanation, Kasia, Serenon, and Julian seemed to perfectly understand and didn’t add any more comments about it. I sighed in relief.

“So that’s why Lord Aymery was so desperate to prevent the commander from having an audience.”

“…Sir Jonathan Aymery?”

Seeing Kasia’s expression change to one of understanding made me blink. She nodded.

“Yes. Saying he can’t get up because he has a cold doesn’t make any sense, so I applied for daily visits, but the assistants all rejected me, making me suspect that the assistant might have assassinated the commander. They were thorough in blocking access.”

Filtering out Kasia’s extreme tendencies in her words let me realize that Jonathan had hurriedly covered for me after I’d left abruptly.

‘I thought he would just announce a rough summary, but it seems he took it quite seriously despite the terrible excuses.’

The excuse of having a cold sounded ridiculous, but he truly was thorough with his duties.

Just then—

“Commander.”

I turned my head toward the familiar voice.

A man with black hair and eyes that looked dipped in inkwalked toward me with a lack of luster.

He exchanged light greetings with Kasia, Serenon, and Julian before standing before me. His black eyes, still devoid of emotion, remained calm.

“I have much to report. Let’s go.”

Jonathan appeared as if he had plenty to say but seemed to hold back because of the others around. Formally, I was absent due to a cold.

He could have loudly questioned what the commander was doing, but he remained rational.

‘A bit… I’ve grown fond of him.’

That gruff face surprisingly brought me a sense of comfort, and I shook off my thoughts and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll go first.”

I got up from my seat, leaving Kasia, Serenon, and Julian behind. Having been absent for three days, I felt I needed to hurry and sort out the mess.

As I was about to leave with a quick farewell, Julian caught me.

“Commander.”

“Yes?”

“When you have time, please reach out to that guy.”

Julian, who was usually carefree and reckless, was serious this time. His lavender eyes were bright and earnest.

It was obvious who he was talking about without needing further explanation.

“…I understand. Thank you for your suggestion.”

I acknowledged it. I realized that I hadn’t been as heartfelt towards those who cared for me as they had been towards me.

Since coming to Atara, I had only contacted my family once. While I tried my best in not-so-ideal circumstances, it must have felt careless to them.

It seemed I needed to put in more effort.

“…That’s the important report. You can check the rest in the documents later.”

“I’ve noted it. Good work.”

In the short time it took to head to their lodging, Jonathan succinctly delivered the report.

I nodded calmly, inwardly impressed.

Aside from matters requiring my final approval, he had managed everything flawlessly. I had to acknowledge his competence.

“So can you tell me now?”

“What about?”

“Where you’ve been.”

I nearly stumbled in my steps but managed to turn and look at Jonathan.

As if sensing my gaze, he lifted his head from the documents to meet my eyes. His black eyes remained unreadable.

I had already told Kasia, Serenon, and Julian. Though I had asked them to maintain confidentiality, the situation was uncertain.

Kasia would certainly not spill anything even under interrogation, Julian would be too cheeky but not reckless with secrets, and Serenon had lived in the palace all his life, so he was thorough about keeping secrets.

With those three, I believed they wouldn’t blurt anything out without being compelled.

But Jonathan?

I stared at him blankly. I couldn’t read his inner feelings. Whether he was still uncomfortable with me remained hidden from view.

But one thing was clear: he didn’t fully trust me.

I had indeed grown fonder of him. That shadow of a being following me had become familiar. I would probably feel quite the void if he were to disappear.

“There will be an official announcement. You can check it then.”

But affection and trust were on different levels. Affection could be shared personally, but trust related to public matters.

In response to my clear stance, Jonathan slowly blinked.

“You don’t trust me, do you?”

I didn’t answer his almost muttered words. Perhaps it was just my misunderstanding, but Jonathan seemed a bit glum, making me turn my gaze away.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me. I’ve heard many ominous things about me, and it’s wise not to easily trust people.”

Jonathan, speaking calmly, stopped in his tracks. The lodging we stayed at was in a different location, and this was a fork in the road.

After a light bow, Jonathan walked away.

“But I trust you, Commander.”

His voice, devoid of emotion yet sincere, left a slight guilt and confusion within me as he departed.

I lay down on a wide bed after properly washing up for the first time in three days.

The lodging provided by the Silver Wolf beastmen wasn’t bad, but it couldn’t compare to the royal palace’s lodging. I took a moment to catch my breath and enjoy the peace before grabbing my communication magic tool.

‘Contacting at such a late hour might be rude.’

I checked the time. After dealing with three days’ worth of backlog and finishing my bath, it was nearing midnight.

I balanced a round crystal-like magic tool on my index finger, spinning it idly.

‘Should I contact El or not?’

Julian had told me to reach out, but if he was sleeping, I might disturb him, which would be rude. I furrowed my brow in thought.

‘First, I’ll try contacting him… If he doesn’t answer within three seconds, I’ll hang up.’

Having made that decision, I had to go for it; if I put it off, I might get entangled in other busy matters and miss my chance. It was better to try and fail than not try at all.

Swoosh.

I tried contacting El.

One second.

[Shushu.]

And surprisingly, El answered just before the second was up. It felt like he had been waiting with the magic tool in hand.

Suddenly, El’s face, glowing with divine energy, popped up above the crystal.

I hadn’t expected him to pick up while stretching out, so I flinched a bit.

“El, weren’t you sleeping?”

[Yes. I was trying to, but… I can’t seem to fall asleep.]

El pushed back his bangs. His long sky-blue hair looked freshly wet as if just washed.

[Maybe it’s because I saw something trivial. My stomach was in knots, making it hard to sleep.]

His voice, despite a cheerful smile, sounded oddly agitated. I checked on Leo, who wasn’t here.

“Um, he’s not a bad person. He might speak a little too freely, but…”

[Are you going to keep talking about that guy in front of me?]

“What?”

[I’m starting to feel a bit upset.]

El tilted his head, narrowing his eyes whimsically. It seemed he wanted to hide his gaze. Despite his gentle expression, he looked like he could rain down meteors at any moment, so I decided to remain quiet.

[I’d love to chat with you all day long, but I don’t want to keep you too long, Shushu. You look tired, so just seeing your face is enough. I’ll just say one thing before I go.]

El, with a face that seemed to cling to lingering feelings, spoke refreshingly.

His hand tenderly caressed the crystal.

[When you weren’t around, I didn’t think about it, but now I realize how meaningless my life has been without you. I miss you, Shushu.]

Those words were sweet enough to make my insides tingle. I couldn’t help but smile.

“I miss you too, El.”