Vol 2 Chapter 69 – The Old Man Bares His Fangs【Vol 2 – The Condemned Knight Edition】

“Oh, Eleonora.”

“Natan-sama…”

As she walked dragging the thief, her superior Natan approached from ahead with two men in tow.

His cheerful smile gave the impression of the usual kind old man.

“What brings you here?”

“What brings me? This place is close to where I’m staying. Just taking a walk, a walk.”

Eleonora nodded in understanding.

Natan had temporarily come to the Royal Capital from another territory, so lodgings would have been arranged for him.

If he held a high position among nobles like a duke, he’d be permitted to stay in the Royal Castle, but Natan’s rank wasn’t that high.

That’s precisely why he harbored anger that some nobody like Erik was permitted to stay in the castle…

Still, since he’d been entrusted with the capital’s public safety measures, he was staying at an inn fairly close to the castle.

“That fellow is…”

“Yes, a criminal. I captured him and was heading to hand him over to the station.”

“Oh, I see, I see. In that case… hey. Escort him.”

Receiving Eleonora’s report, Natan ordered one of the men behind him.

The man hauled the thief away.

Eleonora and Natan watched him go, but he smiled and addressed her.

“By the way, you seem to be working hard. His Majesty is pleased that the capital’s public safety has visibly improved and grateful voices from the people are reaching him.”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear.”

Eleonora merely bowed her head lightly at the supreme praise.

Honestly, though she was a knight, she had almost no loyalty to the royals.

That’s because her true nature was a hardcore sadist overflowing with sadism.

To suppress it or release it well, she’d chosen the profession of knight—she hadn’t become a knight from loyalty or patriotism toward the royals.

Therefore, being told she was praised didn’t make her particularly happy.

Also…

“It wasn’t something I could accomplish alone.”

Her cheeks, which never softened for Natan’s praise, relaxed slightly.

In Eleonora’s mind were Erik and Miriam.

Without their help, improving the capital’s public safety so rapidly would have been impossible.

“Hmm… the Hero, eh?”

“Yes. Erik-san has been very good to me.”

While Natan stroked his chin with a difficult expression, trust was visible in Eleonora’s face.

He secretly peeked at that without letting it show.

His eyes gleamed suspiciously.

“If you say so, does that mean the Hero wasn’t evil after all?”

“Yes. Erik-san was not a great evil.”

Eleonora answered Natan’s question.

Natan had declared Erik a Berserker and proclaimed him a great evil.

Indeed, if he were someone who incited bloody conflicts for his own desires, that would be an existence called evil.

But Erik was someone who seemed to deserve the title of Guardian.

Though Eleonora who’d once pummeled him had no place to say it, not a trace of doubt remained that he was a great evil.

“I see, I see…”

Natan muttered that and fell silent.

“Well then, Natan-sama. I have plans with Erik-san and the others afterward, so I’ll excuse myself here.”

Eleonora bowed lightly and turned her back on Natan.

Seeing that, the cunning old man’s face twisted.

“Ah, farewell then.”

Natan signaled to the man standing behind him.

The man nodded and vanished, next appearing behind Eleonora.

A massive sword gripped in his hand might cut her down even though she was covered in heavy armor.

Having leapt close with powerful legs, there were no footsteps, so Eleonora had no way to know.

This was the means by which Natan was confident he could neutralize Eleonora.

Now while she trusted him was the perfect opportunity.

Erik and Miriam weren’t here.

No one to alert her to danger, and her neck would be severed by the man…

“I knew it.”

“…!?”

—or so it wouldn’t happen.

Spinning around just before the sword reached her, Eleonora already had gauntlets equipped on her arms.

She caught the large man’s downward swing with them.

A high-pitched metallic sound rang out, and weight pressed down on Eleonora’s legs.

But even so, it couldn’t crush her.

Once the sword was caught and he froze, it was already Eleonora’s domain.

She mercilessly slammed her gauntleted fist into the face of the man staring in disbelief.

“Ggyah!?”

The man’s scream and blood sprayed as he was blown back from the momentum.

Eleonora possessed the strength to send a grown man flying.

The man who collided with the hard stone wall of a building slid down to the ground.

“What…!?”

“Aah… as I thought, this feels good.”

Natan stunned, and Eleonora savoring the pleasure of cleanly punching someone with enough force to destroy a face.

The difference in their expressions was considerable.

“Wh-why? How did you know about the attack?”

“Ah, so it was an attack after all. I’m glad it’s clear you’re evil.”

“…!”

Natan shivered at Eleonora’s gaze directed at him.

Originally, the eyes she directed at him held neither favor nor its opposite.

But with this act, they’d completely changed to eyes viewing prey.

Her clash with Erik hadn’t completely cured her sadism.

“Why I knew? Nothing special. I was just being a bit cautious about you. That’s why I could sense the attack.”

Natan had predicted Eleonora wouldn’t be on guard if she didn’t suspect him.

Most people couldn’t avoid an attack from someone they didn’t anticipate and would inevitably take the first hit.

A little while ago, she might not have avoided the attack either.

But Eleonora hadn’t placed complete trust in Natan.

“Why? I thought you at least trusted me…”

“Oh, I trusted you. To me, you were a convenient person who pointed out targets I could pummel.”

“What…?”

Since Natan didn’t know about Eleonora’s sadism, he’d truly thought she was just a justice-obsessed woman.

He’d thought he was using her, but ultimately they’d just been using each other.

Natan used Eleonora to eliminate obstacles, while Eleonora used Natan to obtain targets to satisfy her sadism.

“But it was about Erik-san. That made me suspicious of you.”

“Oh…?”

“You deemed Erik-san a great evil. Indeed, if he were a Berserker who needlessly incited conflicts as one rumor suggested, he could be called evil. But Erik-san ultimately wasn’t such a person. Because I interacted with him and learned his character, I could be wary of you.”

Natan had persistently called Erik evil and judged him a great evil.

If he was saying that believing only rumors, wasn’t he being far too desperate?

That’s why Eleonora found him suspicious and stayed on guard.

“I see, I see. If I’m already exposed, it can’t be helped.”

Natan smiled boldly.

“That’s right. I can no longer freely use you to eliminate obstacles… Ah, don’t worry. Everyone you killed had committed some wrongdoing. There wasn’t anyone who’d committed no crimes.”

This wasn’t Natan being considerate of Eleonora.

If he’d tried to make her kill someone completely innocent and it was exposed, he might be the next one deemed evil and killed.

Eleonora would kill even her direct superior if they were a criminal.

“Is that so? That’s good. Then please choose—be killed by me or be captured.”

Eleonora clashed her gauntlets together and asked.

Hit by such heavy, painful-looking gauntlets, the elderly Natan would die in one blow.

He had no intention of fighting on Eleonora’s turf of close combat.

That said, being captured was also problematic.

If investigated, everything he’d hidden until now would come to light.

“Hmm… you’ve gotten quite soft. The old you would have attacked to kill without question…”

“That’s right. But I promised Erik-san… that I’d only inflict excessive violence on him.”

“…That’s questionable in its own way.”