Chapter 484: Southern Island 11
In the end, Rabines was kicked to the ground by Dianne. Where, well, he was kicked to the ground.
“That was one hell of a scream……”
Covering the table exposed to the rain in the square fort’s courtyard, Naris looked into the distance while preparing dinner.
“I’ve heard that scream before”
“Me too”
Me and Anzefos nodded at each other. Yes. It’s hard to forget the scream of a man who is deprived of his dignity and pain.
“I don’t want you to get used to having to bring someone to their knees by force of personality, especially you, Andy-kun”
Hilda-san laughs a little sadly, hiding one eye with a bandage.
“Hilda”
“Andy-kun, you already have the power to rule terror anywhere if you want to. Denying other people’s lives and making them literal slaves is not difficult for the current Andy-kun. But I don’t think that’s who you are, Andy-kun”
Hilda stares at me quietly with only one eye while everyone else is paying attention.
“……Of course, I will not deny the 『Power』 that Andy-kun has. I’m not saying you can’t use that 『Power』 to win a battle and get something out of it. But to take further revenge on an already defeated Rabines is different from that, isn’t it?”
“……Yes, I suppose it is”
“Don’t get swallowed up by the logic of the world of power, Andy-kun. You don’t live in that world. You’re not from that world. Unlike the inhabitants of any other world, you’re not bound by rules and you’re trying to build your future from scratch”
“…………”
“I’m very happy that you are truly angry because of my injury. But if your rules are going to change because of me, then my biggest regret is that I triggered it. ……You can be angry and frustrated with your attitude, but don’t make the mistake of actually doing what you need to do. Because right now you are the justice of the dragons, the future that Sir Bonaparte and King Ulysses saw, the hope that will guide the coexistence of the different races of Polka and……our master”
Unusually, Hilda-san appeals to me in a sincere tone, without any joking at all. That’s because, as the oldest among my friends, as a wise woman, she’s seriously worried about my future.
“I understand”
“Yes. Good”
Hilda smiles, gets up from her seat and comes over to pat me on the head. Aurora, who came to put down the plates, looks at us like that and chuckles.
“But if that’s the case, I wonder if it’s okay to overlook Dianne’s 『Punishment』”
“Of course, it would have been better to stop it if it was stopped, but……it goes without saying to Andy-kun, Dianne-chan is a resident of the 『World of Power』. Her sense of values is biased towards doing things by brute force. That’s why Andy-kun has to consciously have a different way of thinking and become a person who 『Use』 that child”
“Use?”
I smiled wryly, saying that it was a little presumptuous, but Hilda-san was very serious.
“So far, Dianne-chan has been 『Use』by Andy-kun”
“Eh, no……”
R, Really? When I was in a bit of trouble, Laila gave me a helping hand while sipping alcohol.
“Hoho. She’s like a dragon, isn’t she? She has an independent will and a wisdom that is equal to anyone else’s. But she has the power to move the world. But because she has the power to move the world, she is disciplined to prevent her arrogance from harming the world. If you move things from the perspective of the powerful, the weak will fall away only because they are weak. Power and cause become muddled. Once you take a stand on such a matter, you have no choice but to continue to wield your power. You cannot support yourself except by continuing to kill those who stand in your way”
Dragons have more intelligence than any other species, yet they never think of using it to run human society. The logic there seems to apply to Dianne as well.
“I and Dianne are both essentially weapons. Only when someone uses them and sheathes them can they be fully realized in the world of mankind. Therefore, until now, Dianne’s father was the wielder of the weapon, but now you are Dianne’s wielder. There can be no doubt about that”
“…………”
Indeed. Dianne is no longer a sword in Minister Ashton’s 「Scabbard」. She is working only to realize the dream that I have drawn for her. If I think about what Hilda-san says, it will fall straight down.
“Don’t worry about being the boss or anything like that. From now on, when you need to pull, you have to pull the reins, Andy-kun☆”
“……I, I understand”
I wasn’t aware of it until now……or rather, somewhere along the line, I was aware that 「No matter what happens, as long as Dianne-san is there, there won’t be a problem」, but when I think about it, my own role is also important. The military has no control over Dianne anymore. And then Dianne came back. She had kicked the dirty guy and had gone to the waterfall to wash herself.
“What are you talking about? Andy’s not ready to use me yet. He’s got hia hands full with Laila and Maia, so don’t ask too much of him, older sister”
“Oh, really?”
“I’m sure you’ll have to think seriously about how you use me when you become my husband. I’m still going to be the one to help Andy, not the one to be used, okay?”
“Ho. You are suing me for disobedience”
“I’m saying you don’t have to think about me at this point. Andy had not had the opportunity to learn much and he was not going to be pressured into operating a force that even the best generals would have difficulty with. That’s something for me, Laila and my sister to figure out with our hundreds of years of experience, isn’t it?”
Ah. Well, I’m certainly not a learned man. Yeah, I’m not learned. Except for blacksmithing and crest engraving, I’m not ahead of the curve. And a little elvish.
“What Andy should have is the ideal and the will. It’s not a good idea to try to get him to do difficult things too quickly. Andy will probably try too hard and get sick”
“I don’t know whether you are being lenient or strict with owner”
“I’m not trying to be lenient or harsh. I just love you”
Dianne-san said plainly while wiping her hair with a cloth. Waa, Tetes and Naris said in unison. I was pretty shocked too.
“Hoho. I was talking about the pros and cons of acting on one’s own initiative. You are not trusted by my sister”
“Mu……I see that’s what you were talking about. You’re terrible, sister”
“There’s no right to call a child who broke through restraint and abused a prisoner of war to be called 『Horrible』. Dianne-chan is too straightforward. That’s a virtue, but Andy-kun shouldn’t be lured by it”
“……Mu”
“Our family values are important, too. If you are going to marry Andy-kun, you have to be flexible in your attitude. If Andy-kun becomes totally militant, there will be forces that won’t be able to get along with you, won’t there?”
“Uh……I suppose that’s true, but”
Hilda-san is unusual and drives out Dianne who looks embarrassed. Because it was caused by her own injury, she probably thought that she couldn’t just let it go.
“……I see. It’s because of younger brother’s nature that he’s able to gather children from various powers.”
“He’s not the same type as Master Ashton”
Nord and Jose watched the game while enjoying aperitifs. They are easygoing.
“Weapon……. I was really just a weapon of power in Afilm”
“I, Isn’t that what a knight’s job is like? If there is a head of the organization, there are hands and feet and if everyone is thinking at the same level, there will be things that will not work”
“Naris is easygoing. Huhu, a knight of Renfangas, I see”
“I got scolded for being too loyal and being too considerate
“That’s Tetes-chan’s fault. I think it’s also the Great Knight Chief Buster’s fault for entrusting a young girl like Tetes-chan with so many things”
“Mu, I think Al-chan and Naris-chan have been pretending to be old people lately”
“Well, you know, we haven’t had a hundred years of hard work, have we?”
“Oh my, you guys look like you’re having fun as usual”
“Uwaa, are you dressed like a knight chief? Or rather, you’re with Jose-san, so let’s stop wearing underwear!?”
The first time in a few days the four of then got together for a gauntlet knight girls’ party, it was completely as usual. And while the dinner made with the recipe Hilda-san presented was steadily being brought in, I suddenly looked at Laila and for some reason she was pointing in a certain direction with her thumb. When I looked at it, it was the entrance of the cave to another fort and a blond hair was peeking through the slightly open iron door. Squinting my eyes……is Galatia peering in?
“Where are you going?”
“Ah, sorry, I’m meeting someone”
I said no to Luna carrying a jug of water and went over to Galatia’s place.
“What are you peeking at?”
“D, Don’t say I´m peeking! I, I just happened to be on my way to another place and just wanted to check on you so as not to disturb you! Just a coincidence!”
“……No, it doesn’t matter if it’s just a coincidence or not”
What’s the point in emphasizing that?
“……Recently, once you’ve entered the roost, you haven’t come out……w, well, I know what you’re doing, but if that woman is back, you’ll go tonight or tomorrow, right? So, look”
“……?”
“……That, well……somehow, you took back my hometown. Just a greeting before you leave……what’s with that face?”
“I don’t know what you mean by that face……no, I don’t mean to make any kind of face, but”
“You’re grinning weirdly”
I’m not sure what to expect. I’m actually a little bit aware of it. It’s like watching a dog that barks a lot but starts to get used to you as you feed it. There was a dog like that on a farm in Basson that sometimes supplied me with wholesale cheese. At first he barked a lot when he saw me and Williams approaching the farm, but after Williams suggested that we give him some dried meat, we gradually became closer and closer. He sometimes barked at me and sometimes licked my hand. I wonder how he’s doing.
“……Weird guy. ……Are you coming again?”
“I don’t know……at the moment, I’m planning to devote myself to the next mission for a few months”
“Come to Farahl in the summer. Do you know what fireworks are? On the new moon day in summer, they send up big sparks in the sky. On that day, pirates and armed merchants take a truce and it is customary to buy everyone a drink if they sit at the same table……ah, but there is also a merman festival in the Seven Star Archipelago on the full moon day of summer. They get a derelict boat from a nearby island and bring it to a tide pool in the middle of the archipelago and have a race to see how fast the young mermen can sink it. They dedicate it to the king of sea spirits. It’s really impressive……”
Galatia was trying her best to explain with her body language and hand gestures. I wonder why. I feel like I’m looking at Jackie’s Sara or something like that, even though she’s already big enough.
“I, I’ll come if I can. It may not be possible this year, though”
“There are many other interesting places in Lapal. Yes, I know an island you might like. There is an all-female pirate group. They sometimes kidnap men from ships around there and squeeze out only the seeds. Alan was kidnapped once, can you believe it? Alan, who loves women, doesn’t want to go there anymore”
“……It is just a bunch of old ladies, isn’t it?”
“The only thing is, there is an island near here with labyrinth ruins. Even if I say that, monsters don’t appear. There is a rumor in Farahl that if a young man and a young woman go to the deepest part of the labyrinth alone and kiss, they will be promised eternal love”
“…………”
“And then, um……”
“You’re so cute”
“Eh”
I pat Galatia’s head as she tries her best to point out her sights one after another. I really understand how her father feels. She is so intense in her emotions, but when he gets close to someone, she tries her best to get the attention. If you had a daughter like that, you would want to protect her at all costs. I would even burn the nautical charts that are my tools of work.
“Emm, umm, so……emm”
Galatia, who turned red and lowered her gaze, seemed to have forgotten what she was trying to say after being stroked by me, but after she stopped for a while, she became angry again.
“……So come back! That……you see, it’s a nice and good place, so……I’m sure you’ll have fun and there’s more to see than our idiots……”
“You should come visit us. It’s a little cold, but it’s a nice place, my hometown too”
“Tss……that is, as expected……I don’t think it’s possible”
“Hmm, why?”
“Because Dad says you can’t go to Trot by ship and it’s not in my nature to travel by land……”
“I’m going to be traveling back and forth between here and Polka, from now on. It’s only a couple of days to Trot, if its a dragon”
“Ah…….”
Galatia looks as if she has just noticed for the first time.
“Besides, I plan to stop being a soldier and become a blacksmith in the near future. If you come to me, I’ll make you some accessories, Galatia”
“……R, Really?”
“Yes”
A cheap offer. But well, aside from striking swords, if it’s an accessory, I can guarantee it. I hope that someday humans, elves, dragons and even pirates will be able to laugh at each other in a leisurely manner. I hope so. That is surely what Hilda means by 「My world」.
“……W, Well then……wait a bit for me”
“Umm?”
Galatia leaves me behind and runs to the back of the cave. She comes back a few minutes later and brings an old, blackened silver necklace.
“Here it is!”
“……this?”
“I’ll give you this, make me something better than this!”
“……No, I’m the one giving it to you……”
“That’s okay! That’s……Thats, my mother’s”
“Eh”
“I got it when I was little, but it’s a necklace that my dad had a craftsman make for my mom, so it’s not for me……. So please make me a necklace that’s even better than that, just for me”
“……No, you should treasure that kind of thing. You shouldn’t give it to anyone”
“Its fine! Keep it until you make it! Compare it with that one, it has to be even better!”
……Uwaa. What a casual request for something super heavy? I wonder if something I said casually, like “just Galatea,” tugged at his heartstrings.
“So……”
Then, Galatia stuttered. So I know what’s ahead. But I’m sure she can’t say it because if she talks about it, it will definitely turn into spoiled words. I scratch my head and carry on with those words.
“Ah……understand. I’ll have it ready by the time we meet next time. So let’s meet again”
“……Yes”
Galatia turns bright red again. ……Hmm. The type of guy you don’t find around yourself, from the outside. That’s me for Galatia. Even if you subtract the fact that I´m a transcendent pervert who hugs and plays with women one after another, it seems that I have become an interesting partner to the extent that there are still surpluses. I can understand her father’s concern. A girl’s curiosity at her age can’t be left alone……and it’s not good.