Chapter 28 – It Is Having Something to Protect That Makes One Strong

A week had passed since Gaikaku’s arrival in the Forest of Dikes.

Etacarina, who had been unconscious, awoke around noon.

It was just as Gaikaku, the Artillery Corps, and Aspi were all gathered.

Realizing she was in a private hospital room, she tried to sit up, only to find she couldn’t move at all.

“Oh, Etacarina! You’re awake, then?”

“Ojou-sama… W-what about me… Those…lizardmen…”

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“No… there’s no pain… I just feel weak, and I have no strength…”

“Knight Commander-dono! Is Etacarina all right?”

This was no tearful reunion.

Aspi was desperate; it was a true brush with death.

“I will perform a simple examination. My apologies, but could Aspi-sama please step back?”

“Yes! Please, take care of Etacarina!”

“…Knight Commander?”

A confused Etacarina stared at Gaikaku in surprise.

She was stunned that he was being called Knight Commander, but even more so that a human was acting like a doctor, and that he was being relied upon as one.

“…Ah, yes. My apologies for the discourtesy toward an elven woman. Artillery Corps, check her blood pressure and pulse. Also, confirm that no magic circles have manifested on her skin.”

“Yes, Sensei!”

“…Sensei? Artillery Corps?”

Etacarina’s confusion only deepened.

The girls of her own race were called the Artillery Corps, yet they were dressed in the clean clothes of medical professionals.

And now one of them had called the Knight Commander “Sensei,” which made things even more bewildering.

As this was happening, a member of the Artillery Corps used the curtain attached to the bed to create a simple partition.

This made it impossible to see what was happening on the bed from the outside.

That, of course, included Gaikaku, a man of another race.

“You seem confused, so allow me to explain. I am Gaikaku Hikume, commander of the Conjurer Knights. The one examining you is a member of my unit, the Conjurer Knights’ Artillery Corps. We came here at the request of Dikes-sama because the lizardmen had taken hostages and fortified their position.”

“I-I understand that… but why is a member of the Artillery Corps examining me? This is a hospital, isn’t it…?”

“This is very difficult to say, but the wounds you received from the lizardmen were so deep that the medical staff of this forest had no choice but to give up. I judged it to be an emergency and, knowing I was overstepping my authority, I performed the procedure myself.”

He said it so casually, but it was hard to believe that a knight commander possessed skills superior to those of a specialist.

However, it was clearly a proper hospital, so she had no choice but to believe him.

“Ojou-sama, is this true?”

“Yes… The other doctors were shocked as well. They said you couldn’t be saved… that it was impossible… sob…”

“I-I see…”

While they spoke through the curtain, the Artillery Corps continued to check Etacarina’s body.

They took her blood pressure and pulse by touch while undressing her to check for any abnormalities on her skin.

“Sensei, she’s stable!”

“Her body is weak, but there are no abnormal signs!”

“Good, fall back.”

Once she was dressed again, the curtain was opened to reveal Gaikaku, bowing his head.

Despite her confusion from the sheer amount of new information, Etacarina could sense his simple sincerity.

“As the one who planned this operation, I deeply apologize for putting you both in danger.”

“Please, raise your head, Lord Gaikaku!”

“That’s right… You have nothing to apologize for! It’s thanks to you that Ojou-sama is safe!”

Even Etacarina, who had been unconscious until just now, remembered the panicking lizardmen.

Aspi had been saved because of Gaikaku’s plan.

His apology made her feel guilty instead.

“I did my best, but this was the result. That means I wasn’t skilled enough. You have my permission to report this matter to Tistria-sama without hiding a single detail and to lodge a formal protest.”

“A-Are you sure?”

“I don’t mind… I dislike judging things by their outcome, but a result is a result.”

For Gaikaku, a situation where ‘we were prepared, but still took damage’ was preferable to one where ‘we weren’t prepared, but took no damage.’

But that was his subjective view; objective reality was another matter.

Whether by luck or anything else, success was all that mattered. Failure was unforgivable.

At least, that’s what the side that requested aid would think.

“My mission was to rescue Aspi-sama. The mission itself was a success, so any reprimand will likely be verbal. Therefore, please also report that a burden was placed upon Etacarina-sama and that she was put in a critical situation.”

“I see…”

“A burden… It was nothing of the sort…”

“…I…”

Gaikaku did not stop being humble.

“In my own way, I wanted to take responsibility. In other words, it’s self-preservation… Atonement. I will leave the rest to the staff of this hospital, so if you’ll excuse me… My sincerest apologies.”

With that, he led the Artillery Corps and left the room.

The two women bowed to his departing back.

Then, they looked at each other and smiled.

“Ojou-sama, I’m so glad you are safe.”

The two of them were innocent victims.

Their bond was something truly beautiful.

“…Etacarina, thank you, really. We may not be related by blood, but you are my precious family. I’m sure Father would say the same.”

※

With Etacarina having regained consciousness and begun her recovery, Gaikaku and the Artillery Corps left the hospital.

The group walked through the humid forest.

Even in an Elven forest, a human man followed by twenty women in identical uniforms was bound to stand out.

“Hey, isn’t that the Conjurer Knights?”

“Yeah, the heroes of the recent rescue mission…”

“I hear they’re a new, up-and-coming order that’s handled a lot of other missions, too.”

The people they passed looked at Gaikaku and his unit with respect.

It was the same respect they showed to other elite knight orders.

“They say the world outside the forest is crawling with monsters like that…”

“And these people are out there fighting in that incredible world… Amazing!”

“Wow, it’s amazing to think that a fellow elf belongs to a knight order like that!”

“Yeah, she’s the pride of the elves!”

Elves of all ages and genders turned their envious eyes upon the Artillery Corps.

The expressions on the women receiving this praise were complicated, to say the least.

“Um, Sensei… our emotions are becoming a complete mess…”

“It’s like I want to feel superior, but at the same time I want to tell them not to come crawling back to us now…”

“I can’t even tell if I feel good or bad about this…”

“I don’t care which it is, so shut up. It’s just a little further.”

The ones who had come to Gaikaku were bottom-tier slaves.

But their feelings toward their own kind were not all the same.

First were the beastkin and dwarves. They had places within their communities, so they held no ill will toward their races as a whole.

Then came the humans and goblins. They weren’t particularly considered failures, so they also held no special feelings toward their races.

But what about the ogres, dark elves, and elves…? Their treatment had been abysmal, so to be blunt, their feelings were negative. While the type of negativity varied, they would, at the very least, have complex expressions if their own people approached them casually.

Whether they were from this forest or not, almost none of them could feel genuinely happy being treated as the ‘pride of their race’ by their kin.

“I’m telling you, it’s just a little further. It’ll be over then, so be quiet until we get there… Hm?”

The group led by Gaikaku walked with confidence.

Suddenly, a young man appeared before them…

“Excuse me! You’re Lord Gaikaku Hikume of the Conjurer Knights, correct?”

“Ugh!”

One of the Artillery Corps members made a blatantly disgusted face.

“What’s wrong?”

“My brother. If only those lizardmen had killed this guy, too… What a bunch of useless hacks.”

“I see. But don’t say that out loud.”

The soldier, radiating pure hatred, looked as if she might simply explode with rage.

Keeping her in check, Gaikaku addressed the young man.

“Indeed, I am Gaikaku Hikume. How may I help you?”

“Sir! I would be honored if you would allow me to join your order!”

The hell? Sensei, let’s just execute him for lese-majesty.

The Knight Order isn’t subject to lese-majesty laws. Be quiet.

Their relationship must have been truly awful; her thoughts were remarkably simple.

She was already scheming for a pretext to kill him.

Gaikaku suppressed this while maintaining a mature demeanor.

“You wish to enlist? That is most welcome. However, our knight order is not currently recruiting new members. If you are confident in your abilities, I suggest you seek enlistment in another order.”

“No, I wish to learn under you!”

The young man’s eyes were sparkling.

“I was amazed by the vehicle that moves on its own, not to mention the surgical procedure on an elf! It seems you possess a wealth of arcane knowledge not available to the public… I wish to learn it from you!”

“Hmm… As a motive for joining a knight order, that seems a bit impure.”

“Perhaps, but I am serious!”

Let’s just kill him already.

Quiet.

Gaikaku was more concerned with restraining his subordinate than dealing with the young man.

In truth, if she were to lose control now, it would ruin everything.

“I come from a poor family, but they managed to scrape together my tuition and send me to school.”

Wow~, he’s spinning the story of how he sold me into a heroic tale! I’m gonna kill him.

“I was blessed with magical aptitude and was able to secure a good job… but I would not regret giving it up if it meant I could learn more under you!”

Oh, wow~! Wow~! So he’d easily throw away what he got with the money from selling me! Doesn’t regret it~! Wow~!

This pair of siblings presented beauty and ugliness all at once.

Gaikaku, though fed up, kept it perfectly hidden.

“It pains me to say this, but all the positions in my knight order are already filled. As for our elven members, as you can see…”

With that, Gaikaku gestured to the Artillery Corps.

“These women are my excellent staff who have supported me since before the order was even founded. My arcane arts would not be possible without them. They also serve as combat personnel, working as my artillery.”

Aside from the tone, this was something he said all the time.

Indeed, no matter how skilled a doctor was, they were helpless if the medicine they used was contaminated.

It was incredibly dull and uninteresting work, but it was because he had elves who would do it diligently that Gaikaku could serve as the commander of a knight order.

“Therefore, I am quite satisfied and have no plans for further recruitment.”

“Please, I’m begging you!”

And here, the young man made his blunder—the very words Gaikaku had been waiting for.

There were witnesses all around.

There were others who were wondering if they should try to enlist just like him.

In a situation with no room for excuses…

“I graduated from the university in this forest, and while I may not be elite, I possess above-average magical power!”

He said the one thing he shouldn’t have.

“I swear!! I will prove I can be more useful!! Than your current subordinates!!”

The moment they heard that, Gaikaku’s subordinates were filled with pure murderous intent.

All hesitation vanished, and they began to simply ponder, How can we kill him to make him suffer the most?

And they decided to entrust that task to the one who could make him suffer the most.

“Is that so… May I have your name?”

“Yes! My name is Tureis!”

“Very well. I will remember it.”

Gaikaku was smiling.

A truly reassuring smile.

※

After speaking with Tureis, Gaikaku went straight to the Forest Chief’s manor.

The manor, which had been occupied by the lizardmen, had already been restored.

Dikes was there, of course, and he gave Gaikaku and his unit a warm welcome.

“Lord Gaikaku! I received word from the hospital. Etacarina has recovered, I hear?”

“Yes, she is fully conscious. There is nothing more for me to do, so I have already completed the handover. For the time being, she will need to regain her strength… and in time, I will perform another surgery. If she wishes for it, of course.”

“Indeed… She is an elven woman, after all. She may not be willing to easily bare her skin to a man of another race. Whichever she chooses, we shall respect her decision.”

Dikes responded excitedly to Gaikaku’s knock at his door.

But it wouldn’t do to stand and talk in the doorway forever.

He cordially invited them inside.

“Nevertheless, the news that she has regained consciousness is wonderful. Please, come in and we can speak in more detail.”

“No, thank you.”

Gaikaku flatly refused.

“What?”

“My mission was to rescue Aspi-sama. I stayed a short while longer to help Etacarina-sama, who assisted us in that mission, but any further delay would be superfluous. We will be returning to the Knight Order’s headquarters.”

He wasn’t saying anything strange.

In fact, it was the perfectly natural thing to say.

And yet, a hint of rejection could be heard in his tone.

“I-I see… But could you not at least postpone your departure for one night? If you leave now, you’ll have to make camp in the wilderness…”

“I have already given the order to withdraw to my subordinates. We have also finished collecting the remains of the weapons I brought, so there should be no cause for concern.”

“B-But that will not set our minds at ease! We could not arrange a dinner of thanks while Etacarina was still unconscious, but if it’s tonight…”

“This mission was a heavy burden for us from the start. The only reason it fell to us was that the other knight orders are occupied with their own duties. If we are away from headquarters for too long during such a busy period, it could interfere with other missions.”

Gaikaku remained completely businesslike.

And his expression was cold.

There was much to infer from that.

“D-Did we do something to offend you?!”

He should have asked. Or perhaps he shouldn’t have.

Dikes tried to question Gaikaku about the true meaning behind his rejection.

“You have done nothing offensive. It is simply that we were reluctant to come to this forest from the very beginning.”

“And why is that?”

Here, Gaikaku paused.

He abruptly changed the subject.

“…The lizardmen didn’t notice Aspi-sama when she changed into a handmaiden’s clothes, did they?”

“W-Well, no.”

“They were in a panic, of course, but that sort of thing isn’t surprising when you have little contact with other races.”

“I suppose so. If one has no interest, that’s how it would be.”

“Yes… And when there is no interest, it can happen even among the same race. A person can be unrecognizable just by wearing different clothes. Even to their own family.”

“S-Surely not! At least among us elves, such a thing would never happen!”

Perhaps because he had just reaffirmed his own family’s love, Dikes’s words were quite strong.

“Is that so…”

“L-Lord Gaikaku, what truly happened?”

“It’s quite simple. One of my subordinates is from this forest.”

“What!!”

Forgetting his earlier questions, Dikes was overjoyed.

“Is that right… That is a matter of pride! I heard there were twenty elves in the Conjurer Knights, but I see… It is a proud thing just to see one of our own kind succeeding, but to think one was from the forest I govern…!”

But then, a question occurred to him.

As was the case with Avior, joining a knight order was a major event.

It was a bit unnatural that he wouldn’t know about it.

“My apologies. As the one who governs this forest… I had no idea. In that case, I suppose it is only natural you would be displeased.”

“Not at all. It is far more natural that you wouldn’t know.”

Here, Gaikaku revealed the truth.

“They were sold to slave traders by their families.”

“…What?”

“Though born as elves, they were lacking in magical power. Because of this, they were treated poorly by their families and now hold complicated feelings toward their hometown.”

At this, Dikes had no idea what to do.

Of course, he was aware of the slave traders.

But he had never imagined that someone sold as a slave would end up in a knight order.

“Of course, the slave trade is not illegal. Therefore, I have no intention of condemning it. I myself purchased them, after all. Besides, saying ‘selling one’s family is inhuman’ is the arrogance of the wealthy, born from ignorance of poverty. However… it is also only natural that they would harbor ill will.”

On top of that, Gaikaku simply stated the facts.

“Even so, they completed their mission with their full effort, without letting their personal feelings interfere. I’m sure you are well aware of that. But I do not wish to push them any further.”

“…”

“If you doubt me, you are welcome to investigate. As the one who governs this forest, the truth should be easy for you to uncover.”

But the timing with which he presented these facts was perfect.

There was simply no room for complaint, no room for resistance.

“It is not illegal for a family to sell their child into slavery. Because it’s legal, the proper procedures were followed. It should be on record.”

Dikes no longer had any words to make the Conjurer Knights stay.

“Oh, and one more thing. I was subjected to one ‘offensive act.'”

But even then, Gaikaku didn’t fail to press his advantage.

“The brother of one of my subordinates appeared before us. Without even noticing his sister was there, he said this to me. I want to join your order. I want to become your subordinate. …And when I refused, he said this.”

Here, Gaikaku made a blatantly disgusted face.

“‘I am more competent than your subordinates,’ he said.”

It was genuine anger.

“This recent, clumsy operation was conducted under your responsibility and mine. As a result, a brave woman was injured. I, and you as well, deserve to be condemned. But… my subordinates, and your subordinates, followed their orders without defiance and gave it their all. In this mission, at least, they are completely without fault.”

There is a true meaning that can only be conveyed through politeness, through facts.

“For my subordinates to be insulted in this forest is something I cannot possibly tolerate. It is extremely unpleasant. I will be leaving at once.”

“M-My deepest… apolo…”

“Your apology is not necessary… In that case, I would appreciate it if you would strive to prevent such an incident from reoccurring in the future.”

Having said what he needed to say, Gaikaku turned his back and left the manor.

In the end, he never took a single step inside the manor where a reception was being prepared for him.

It was rude, and it was discourteous.

“It seems that elves have strong family bonds… but it appears that blood ties alone are not enough to be recognized as family.”

But he had done his job flawlessly.

Gaikaku had accomplished a difficult mission. That, alone, was the result produced by the Knight Order.

※

The lizardmen who attacked this time were likely all single, with no one to protect, no family to speak of.

That must be why they could throw themselves into such a reckless operation and inflict such massive damage.

But were they strong?

Were they, who had nothing to protect, truly strong?

One look at their pathetic deaths should be enough to know that wasn’t the case.

Yes, when it comes down to it.

It is those with something to protect who are truly strong.

Against an enemy who attacks while still protecting what is precious to them…

You aren’t even allowed to fight back.

It is having something to protect that makes a person strong.