Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

That night, Kyle called Frederica to an empty meeting hall. Here, nobody would get in their way. Kyle arrived before the promised time, only to be greeted by a stiff Frederica.

“Thank you very much for making time for me this late.”

As expected, Frederica’s voice was stiff and uncertain.

“It’s fine…” Kyle answered with a few words.

Normally, he’d be kind to the little sister of his precious ally, but his position wouldn’t allow that. More than anything, Kyle was her target of revenge in a way.

“I’m sure you should know the reason I called you here. This is about Zentos.”

“Yes…”

Frederica’s fist was gripped tightly, like she was trying to control herself.

“When I heard that my brother had passed away, I was drowning in sorrow. And when I heard the truth, I could barely believe it.”

“Zentos was a formidable warrior. And you should know that better than anybody else.”

“But that’s what I don’t understand! Why would he assist in the assassination of Milena-sama…!”

“You know, right? He was tempted by Prince Karenas, the one who planned the assassination. And as this was the prince’s order, Zentos simply did what his duty expected of him.”

But in reality, it was all King Remonas’ doing, who died at the hands of Kyle a bit later. If Kyle really wanted to protect Zentos’ honor, he only had to reveal that fact to Frederica. And if it was possible, Kyle would have loved to do so. However, that would create a problem even bigger than the question of succession of the crown, and it could lead the whole country down a hellish path. As of right now, the situation has stabilized for the most part—except for Frederica’s feelings.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the exact details regarding that, so there’s nothing more I can tell you. What’s the most important…is that Zentos and I fought, and I killed him. Right?”

Kyle felt ashamed he even had to lie to the little sister of his comrade-in-arms.

“And you’re hung up on that very fact, which is why you keep looking at me that way, no?”

“…My older brother was someone I felt very proud about. Someone I admired. No matter what the reason may have been, you’re the person who killed him…”

“And I accept that. Zentos was strong. It was a stroke of luck that allowed me to defeat him,” Kyle spoke with sincerity, but Frederica seemed rather surprised.

“It sounds like you knew him for a long time.”

“He’s a famous swordsman. Many admired him…and I was one of those people.”

That wasn’t a lie. Kyle respected Zentos. And during that fight, Zentos was more talented than Kyle. However, Kyle knew about Zentos, whereas Zentos didn’t know him. This small difference allowed Kyle to escape with a narrow victory. And even now that some time had passed, with Kyle having grown stronger, he still didn’t think he caught up to Zentos.

“During my fight with Zentos…I want you to understand that my act of killing him was not wrong.”

“I’d like to ask you while I can. Why did you prepare this place for me? I’m just a knight, so why would a hero like you show such consideration? I don’t see any need for that.”

Frederica was basically telling Kyle to disregard her feelings.

“It’s not for your sake. This is just for me. And to be honest, receiving such a harsh gaze each time we meet…is getting a bit hard for me.”

I should stop making up lies. This is for my sake. I can’t bear the guilt any longer. And I can’t keep going on if she’s going to look at me like that.

Kyle had cut down and sacrificed countless people for his goal. There must be many other people deeply resenting him. And yet, he couldn’t ignore the hatred from his former comrade-in-arms’s little sister. He hated himself for that.

“If there is anything I can do to atone, please tell me.”

“Then…could I ask for a match with you?”

Kyle was surprised at that request but found himself consenting still.

“So…you just want to win against me? Or is it…”

“I know! I can’t possibly wish for revenge, and I’m just trying to vent out my frustration!” Frederica couldn’t control her emotions as she screamed. “But…I just want to accept it! I’m aware that you are the [Dragon Slayer] and a hero. Even so, my brother was like a hero to me…So, I want to know that the person who struck down my brother was strong enough to truly do so.”

She wanted to confirm that the brother she admired didn’t trip because of some random roadblock, but rather that he was taken out by the future hero who would save humanfolk. In a way, she was just venting out her frustration. No matter what she did, Zentos will not come back. However, Kyle had to accept her request. She needed a place to vent her anger, frustration, and sadness. And only Kyle could offer this duty.

“But I’m not going to make this a slaughter. If you’re fine with it being a practice match.”

“I don’t mind. What time and place would be best for…”

“You can decide on that.”

“Then…can we do it right now?!”

“Got it.”

This meeting hall offered a lot of space, perfect for a clash between swords. Of course, it was still an illogical request, but Kyle agreed without hesitation. That’s why Frederica was now the one surprised, but seeing that Kyle took his distance, she quickly readied her sword and faced him.

“No lethal or life-threatening strikes. Once the winner is decided, the match is over. That sound good with you?”

“Yes…”

After glaring at each other for a short while, the first one to move was Frederica. She knew that she had no chance of beating someone more skilled than her if she went on the defensive. She was fast, showing her rigorous training, with a style that resembled Zentos, but to Kyle, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. After blocking several attacks, Kyle slowly began to fight back. Frederica grew restless since she couldn’t land any attack, so Kyle closed in on her and sent one attack to her torso, only to stop himself. As previously declared, this should have been the end of their match, but Frederica continued.

“Haaaa!”

Frederica gave up on stopping herself before a potentially fatal hit and just continued to aim for Kyle’s vital spots. She was dead set on killing him, but he had no intention of doing so, too. The difference between them was just far too great. Amidst the battle, Kyle would periodically avert his gaze from Frederica and instead glare at the wall behind her to keep himself in check. Kyle was eventually pushed against the wall, so Frederica directed the tip of her blade at him as if to finish it all.

The color burning in her eyes was not one of revenge, but instead resignation. Normally, this would be the time for a second wind. However, Kyle was superior in everything when it came to skill, experience, and general talent. So, Kyle decided to go all out for once. It was a slash so fast that Frederica couldn’t react. One at the blade of the sword, and one at both her hands. Unable to handle it, Frederica dropped her sword. She didn’t understand what had even happened, as the sword had disappeared from her hand, with Kyle’s blade a small distance away from her shoulder.

With Kyle’s attack, he fended off the opponent’s strike while also aiming for an opening. Ironically enough, this was also the very attack that helped him defeat Zentos, but he was relieved from the bottom of his heart that he didn’t have to finish his strike this time around. Frederica panicked and tried to pick up her sword from the ground, but her numb arm wouldn’t listen to her orders, as she couldn’t move any longer. Once she understood this, she just sank to the floor, almost like the tension had left her body.

“That settles it.”

“Why did you stop?”

“That’s an odd question…You were planning to get yourself killed, right?”

“I left behind a will in case that happened, yes. So that I wouldn’t cause you any more trouble.”

It seemed like she had decided that she would either kill Kyle or be killed by him from the moment she had been called over.

“What do you think I’d do, huh? If I cut you down here, it would harm my position, and Zilgus would have to brand me a criminal. Meanwhile, the Empire would use that chance to exile me.”

In other words, one wrong strike and it could have led to a war.

“Huh? Ah, yes, I guess…”

Met with such a realistic problem, Frederica lost all will to argue.

“And if you had killed me, it would cause a national issue, too. I understand that you have your revenge, but I can’t allow myself to get killed right now. And I can’t let you die like some tragic heroine.”

Frederica wanted to argue about that title of the tragic heroine, but she sadly realized that he was absolutely right, so she just dropped her head.

“So, I want us to reach a compromise,” Kyle said while he put away his sword. “I’m going to continue my work as a hero, so that many more people will hold respect for me and listen to what I have to say. However, Zentos was stronger than me. So, I want you to hold him in proud memory even from now on.”

Frederica looked at Kyle in disbelief, but eventually showed a smile. One that doubted Kyle’s sanity, but it was a smile nonetheless.

“That is…quite the light-hearted solution.”

“I’m sorry, but this is the only way I can preserve Zentos’ honor. If you can’t accept that, then feel free to ask for another duel whenever you’d like.”

“No, this is plenty. You were truly strong…So, thank you for accepting my selfish request.”

“No, I should be thanking you for allowing me this chance to talk with you. I appreciate it,” Kyle thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

Now that Frederica’s body had become able to move again, she grabbed her sword and put it away in her sheath.

“I don’t know if this is the right thing to say, but…I’m glad we could talk,” Kyle said.

“Same here. I’m happy I could learn more about you.”

It’s not like Frederica could magically accept everything about her situation, but she at least could let out the emotions she left locked away in her heart. She probably wouldn’t ever feel positive about him, but she at least could shake off some of her resentment. After Frederica bowed her head to Kyle one last time and walked away, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief and look over at the wall he periodically glared at during the match. One part mismatched in color suddenly shook, revealing a hidden room.

“So you’re done.”

Appearing from this space were Milena, Kirlen, Ninos, and the other knights. Leaving them unattended was absolutely out of the question, so they would be on stand-by in the area in case it got ugly—that was Milena’s condition to agree to this meeting.

“Why did you accept the match? Do you understand how we felt?!” Kirlen hissed at Kyle.

It was her duty to be ready to intercept if things got too dangerous, and if Kyle hadn’t signaled her with his gaze, she would have leaped out of the room many times over during the match. Of course, she would have had to strike down Frederica in that event.

“And if you hadn’t given her such a chance, she might have been able to sort out her feelings. Yet you did such a thing…”

Kirlen didn’t even try to hide her anger and frustration. Considering her position, she might have had to strike down her own subordinate.

“And the fact that you went so far…shows you’re still not worthy. I will continue to be against your relationship with Milena-sama.”

And Ninos showed her newly-found determination. She would probably return to when they had first met, getting in his way at every corner, but this was a result Kyle had to accept. He glanced over at Milena to ask for help, and she responded with a smile.

“Leave it at that, you two. Kyle-sama has plenty of right to act like an utter fool from time to time.”

Naturally, her support was worth as much as her promises, and once Kyle realized how angry Milena was, he could only give up and accept his dilemma.

“S-Still, I’m surprised you knew about the hidden room here.”

“It’s common sense to provide hidden rooms and escape rooms for safety’s sake. More importantly, don’t try to avoid the topic and look at me, Kyle-sama.”

Kyle tried to find an escape for himself, but this was struck down by Milena in a matter of seconds. There were times when a smile was even more terrifying than an expression of anger. Having experienced this, Kyle tried to avert his face, but Kirlen and Ninos had already moved behind him, blocking off any escape.

“One last thing…Frederica won’t be punished for what she has done, right…?”

“Of course not. After all, she would find out that we were watching you two.”

Kyle wanted to make sure this was the case, using this as a final excuse, but Kyle was denied immediately. After that, he was mentally tortured for the rest of the night.