Vol 2 Chapter 59 – The Two of Them, The Day Before【Vol 2 – The Condemned Knight Edition】

“I see, I see. So the Hero was a villain after all.”

“…Yes.”

Eleonora nodded at Natan’s words.

On the surface, she seemed unchanged, but Natan sensed a darkness in her voice. He glanced at her and let out a sigh of exaggerated disappointment.

“Hmm… What he has done is, indeed, good. But it was all merely a ploy to deceive us. Yes, yes, a true shame. If only he were a good man like you, Eleonora, he could have fought evil alongside us.”

“…Yes.”

Natan raised an eyebrow at Eleonora’s flat response.

Normally, she would move to crush anyone blindly labeled as evil with severe prejudice. Why, then, did she now seem so hesitant?

“…Is Erik truly a great evil?”

“…What’s this? Are you having doubts?”

This was the first time Eleonora had said such a thing.

Natan opened his mouth, seeking to steady her wavering will.

“The Hero is a great evil. He has wormed his way into the good graces of the young Princess Debora, seeking to infiltrate the very heart of the nation. It is said he acted as a lone rearguard to ensure the royal family’s escape, but… you know his other title, do you not?”

“…’Berserker.'”

“Precisely.”

Natan nodded, satisfied with Eleonora’s answer.

“His actions were not for the sake of the royal family, nor for the people. They were for himself. A Hero who acts for his own desires… What might happen if such a man were to enter the heart of our nation… I cannot help but worry.”

The part about him acting on his own desires wasn’t entirely wrong.

“…My apologies. It seems I was wavering. Tomorrow, I will destroy the evil that is Erik.”

“Is that so? If my words have erased your doubts, then I am pleased.”

Natan watched Eleonora with a smile as she bowed her head slightly and departed.

The moment the door closed completely, his expression turned to ice.

“Hmph… A man who can make Eleonora hesitate, is he? Troublesome, indeed.”

He began to mutter to himself.

“The Altruistic Charity Hero is far too well-loved by the people. In the Royal Capital, he is likely more adored than any member of the royal family, save for Prince Orace. And now Princess Debora, who has taken him in, is less reviled than before… The royals are also a nuisance…”

Natan spoke words that could have him punished for treason if overheard, utterly unfazed.

He did so only because he was confident he was in a place where no one could possibly be listening.

“If Eleonora can dispose of the Hero, all is well. If she cannot… then I suppose I will have no choice but to act myself.”

Natan took out a massive staff and gave it a light swing.

He was no master of fierce hand-to-hand combat like Eleonora, nor was the magic he wielded the kind of destructive grand sorcery for which he was known, but… he was confident.

“However, for Eleonora to begin questioning my words… No, this must be because the Hero is special to her.”

Natan thought of the subordinate who had so faithfully destroyed evil for him until now.

“She has been of great use to me… but I suppose it’s about time to cut her loose. Well, with beauty like that… she’s certainly valuable enough to be reused.”

The smirk that crept onto Natan’s face as he chuckled was the very picture of the villains Eleonora so despised.

◆

“Erik, what are we going to do?”

In the inn room assigned to us, Miriam asks me a direct question.

Back when I was frequently adventuring with Debora, her kindness and whims granted me the rare experience of staying in the Royal Castle, but King Rei began to look upon it unfavorably, so now we stay outside the castle walls.

Well, Debora has arranged for us to be put up in a fine inn, so I have no complaints.

If anything, I would be perfectly fine with having only Miriam stay here while I sleep in the stables… in fact, I would have much preferred that…

However, I’m told that for them to treat me so poorly after I’ve come to be known as the ‘Guardian’ would only stoke the people’s anger toward the royal family, so I am being lodged here as well… What a shame.

“Erik, are you listening?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

Miriam sighs as if to say, what am I going to do with you.

She is usually reserved in her expressions around others, but in front of me, she’s a little more open.

Now, as for what to do, she is of course referring to Eleonora.

“The Knight of Judgment… I saw her fight against the Gray Guild. She was so brutal, and so strong.”

Miriam, who saw Eleonora’s battle at Klet Laboy’s mansion firsthand, informs me.

Yes, I’m sure she was. Just from watching her normal movements, I can tell she’s stronger than I am.

That’s only natural, of course. I only began training my body after I was summoned as the Hero.

Eleonora, on the other hand, has surely been training since she was a small child to become a knight.

It might be a different story if I had some kind of combat skill, but unfortunately, my skill is ‘Immortality.’ It only prevents me from dying.

Honestly, I don’t even know if this skill has a limit…

“However, we cannot run away.”

I state my decision.

What comes to mind is that hard, painful-looking gauntlet Eleonora was wearing.

Just imagining being beaten to a pulp by it… I think I might feel… fulfilled…

She is likely the only person who would use such an unwieldy weapon.

If that’s the case, then a duty arises for me to fight her.

“…Why go that far?… Could it be, Erik, that you’ve fallen in love with Eleonora?”

Miriam asks, her voice laced with anxiety.

…In love?

“Yes, well… in a platonic sense, I like her. But not in a romantic sense…”

“…I see.”

Yes, I absolutely love her personality, the way she delivers such severe punishments.

I want that extremism directed at me… that is my only wish.

Miriam seems somewhat relieved.

“…Then, is it to set Eleonora straight? You’re going to do something dangerous again for her sake.”

Set Eleonora straight? I would never do something so wasteful.

I simply want her to unleash that extremism on me…

“I really wish you would take better care of yourself, but… that kind side of you, Erik, is what I…”

Miriam gives me a faint smile.

“Will you help me?”

“Of course. I want you to use my power for your sake, Erik…”

Hmph… If she’s going to heal me, then I can allow myself to be beaten to a pulp by Eleonora without any reservations.

And so, Miriam and I resolved to fight Eleonora.

…However, there is something that I’ve been wondering about.

From her frequent use of the words ‘justice’ and ‘evil,’ she appears to have a strong fixation on them.

…But is that really the case?

Somehow, my M-sensor is telling me that’s not it…

Well, I suppose that is something I will find out tomorrow.

………Come to think of it, should I tell Debora about this?