Chapter40
Arius trembled his lips while looking at Daphne standing sullenly with her arms crossed.
No, of course I’m 3 years older than Daphne, I’m her brother, but still Daphne is somehow scary!
“I am.”
Gulp.
Arius forcibly pushed back his heart that was about to jump out.
“I’m a personality wrecker.”
“……Huh?”
“So no matter what anyone says about me, I don’t care. I don’t want to do anything about it. Reputation or whatever, it’s not important to me.”
Daphne lifted her chin.
“The reason I joined the subjugation force is to catch and beat those black mage bastards. No other reason.”
Daphne’s attitude, emphasizing each word one by one, was impeccably perfect.
Is the expression overflowing with confidence sufficient? No, she seemed like the incarnation of confidence!
“Revenge…… huh!”
Arius shouted with overwhelming emotion.
Daphne had resolved to revenge out of anger towards the black mages who cursed father and mother, who killed innocent people!
Arius was truly moved to the point of tears.
“I must have been too one-dimensional.”
Arius placed his hand firmly on Daphne’s shoulder.
“Instead of cheering for Daphne who made such a resolution, I was just throwing tantrums, so how pathetic must I have looked?”
“Hmm. Not to that extent…….”
“Okay, Daphne! Until you return, I’ll perfectly master the first form! I’ll become a proud brother who’s not embarrassing to you!”
“…….”
“Lloyd, let’s go! To practice!”
I’m just trying to increase my mana a bit, why does everyone keep misunderstanding it as revenge.
Revenge…… do I really have to do it?
“Hmm.”
Daphne stared blankly at the direction Arius disappeared, then abruptly opened her mouth.
“You said you’re not my brother before.”
Daphne’s earlobes, muttering like that, were slightly red.
It’s strange.
To think I’ve gotten a bit closer to humans.
Even though that shouldn’t happen.
***
The subjugation force composed of Guardians, Rose Knights, and knights from the Finch Marquis family is advancing across the holy city out of the city walls.
“Wow! It’s the Guardians! Guardians! Please give those black mage bastards a lesson!”
“Please kill them all and come back!”
“Please! Please avenge us!”
Cheers filled with each one’s wishes resound high and wide.
This black mage subjugation force had a somewhat short preparation period, but due to being known throughout the empire via newspapers, people’s cheers and expectations were sky-high.
“Guardians! Come back safely!”
“Don’t get hurt!”
Before leaving the castle, a knight from the Rose Knights suddenly frowned at the shouts piercing his ears.
“In their eyes, only Guardians are visible? Are we just sidekicks?”
He was a proper knight from a count family, but people only shouting for Guardians annoyed him.
“You’re sidekicks. Anyway, didn’t you fail the Guardian exam and come here?”
“Grr……!”
At his colleague’s words, the knight gritted his teeth.
The Guardians protecting the capital where the imperial family is are truly a group of capable and honorable knights.
Most youths pick up swords aiming for Guardian, and after failing the Guardian exam, they inevitably join other knight orders.
That’s why Guardians have superior skills, and thanks to good achievements, they are also popular.
“That’s that, this is this!”
However, the knight didn’t want to admit that fact. So he deliberately raised his voice.
“What’s so good about those pale-faced, skinny guys! Face isn’t everything!”
“How about saying that after becoming handsome? When an ugly guy says that, it’s not convincing.”
“Hey! Are you on the Guardians’ side?”
In front of the knight shouting with a flushed face, the Guardians are advancing on horseback in formation.
“Ah, again sounds cursing us are coming. This time cursing our faces. Too much, it’s not like I was born with this face because I wanted to be handsome.”
The Guardian with coral-colored hair braided to one side, Nike, deliberately dropped his shoulders and said. It was a loud voice as if to let everyone hear.
“It’s because Nike speaks like that that we get more curses.”
“Fiona, can’t you take my side even once?”
“No. Can’t.”
Fiona passed Nike with her high-tied hair swaying. Nike pouted his lips and grumbled.
“She never says I’m handsome even once. Too much.”
Then he exclaimed Ah! and turned back.
He was moving on horseback, but his posture was steady.
“Rache! Where is Rache?”
Nike shook his head looking for Rache, but he wasn’t visible. As a trainee Guardian, probably further back.
Should I go further back, while Nike was briefly pondering, someone approached.
“Why are you looking for Rache?”
Rache’s friend, Kenrick.
He pulled the reins and got close to Nike.
“Ah, I heard someone from Rache’s family is coming. I was going to ask when.”
Kenrick slightly frowned but soon replied calmly.
“I understand they’ll join on the way. This path leads to Achion Grand Duke family.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Nike hummed and tilted his head to one side..
“But Kenrick, do you know about that young lady? Ah, since you’re close to Rache, of course you know?”
Nike’s red eyes sparkled sharply.
“Don’t misunderstand. None of us have met the young lady. So we don’t know what kind of person she is, and she’s a young girl, right? I’m asking because I’m worried we might make a mistake and hurt her feelings.”
Kenrick was disgusted by the pretentious words pouring out.
“Don’t lie. You’re just trying to dig for information.”
At the surprisingly direct words, Nike hesitated slightly, then soon smiled brightly with his original cheerful expression and whispered.
“Kenrick. When there are people, it’s better to speak nicely, right? If you don’t want to get beaten?”
Guardians are basically popular.
The biggest reason for popularity is undoubtedly skill.
Because each Guardian’s skill is equivalent to Expert, the stage before Sword Master.
But there’s something people don’t know.
How much these who haven’t even properly shed their boyish looks are ground to achieve that level of skill.
Even mild-tempered people start cursing after a week of training. After a month, there’s no colleague who hasn’t fought with fists.
Even the son of the Hart family, famous for being altruistic and benevolent, who poured family wealth into poor relief, punched his roommate’s face ten days after joining Guardians.
However, since they can’t show such appearances to people, Guardians necessarily wear a smiling mask in front of people.
Like now.
“Again, 422 matches, 210 wins, 212 losses. I lost twice, but that was due to poor condition. Please don’t say things like getting beaten?”
“You lost twice yet talk a lot. Seems you want to get beaten again.”
“You, this, bastard……!”
“Shut up and tell me about that kid Daphne or whatever. Quick.”
Kenrick let out a sigh.
If he doesn’t answer properly here, Nike will obviously bother him the whole way.
Better to open his mouth than leave such annoying thing.
“Daphne Akion is,”
So Kenrick rather raised his voice.
“a total bitch.”
Hoping my friend Rache feels a bit satisfied.
“The epitome of a wastrel. Don’t get swayed by rumors. We have to see people as they are.”
His voice was louder than before, so most Guardians could hear his words.
Not long after,
Daphne joined.
***
What.
Daphne frowned seeing the subjugation force with a strange atmosphere.
“Is that the Rose Knights?”
“Yes, correct.”
Tate, riding horse together, quickly answers.
“But why do their faces look so messed up? Did they step on shit on the way?”
“Maybe because their faces are shit.”
“That makes sense.”
Daphne crossed her arms and scanned around again.
“Are those the Guardians?”
“Yes, correct.”
“But why are they glaring at me like that? Is something on my face?”
“Something is on it.”
“What?”
“Greatness.”
“…….”
Ha, really.
Do you think saying that will make me feel good.
Daphne barely covered her widening nostrils with her hand.
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By Anna 💓
