Chapter 540: Reason
The day after Rainer pulled up with his cryptic declaration, Shario showed up again at our doorstep.
“I thought you said we had to wait seven days”
“I’m just keeping an eye on you. Unless you make any sudden moves, we won’t touch you”
The dragon body of Shario settled down near the watchtower. Does she want to wait until the deadline? If it were a dragon, it wouldn’t be such a problem.
“……What’s going on with the Presbyterians?”
“What do you want to know?”
Shario looked down at me as if I was making fun of her.
“You guys, who only have one young dragon and a few humans, would lend a hand to a fight between dragons?”
“……Are they alright?”
“Mu…….”
Shario was in a bad mood and choked on her words.
“……Who are you to say such a thing? I am”
“If Rainer is serious and if the Rainer faction is overwhelming, the Elder faction would be crushed to death in a heartbeat. You don’t look like the kind of dragon that would hide it, you”
“……Know-it-all”
A leading question taught by Tetes. In reality, I’m half-convinced. But if you killed your friends, it is the worst kind of concealment of guilt from a dragon’s point of view, the unmistakable evil dragon’s deed. If you believe that your deeds, your rider’s deeds, are right and you have a justifiable reason for killing your friends, there is no reason not to insist on it. This dragon, Shario, is honest, even though she is enamored with Rainer. If she was guilty, she would be more eloquent about it.
“And while we’re on the subject, can you tell me why he wants Neia?”
“I don’t owe you an answer”
“You don’t know”
“Don’t get carried away”
I think that response is like saying, 「Thats right」. ……I don’t know if she’s aware of that or not.
“How did it go?”
“She said he wasn’t going to mess with us. She’s not going to touch us, she’s just going to keep an eye on us in case we make a quick getaway”
“I don’t feel good about it……but I guess it can’t be helped. In seven days, even with a small round trip, we can transport several hundred people from the craftsman village here to the fort of Renfangas……”
Tetes is right, if they left us completely alone, escape would be easy. It is not a condition of the exchange. And the problem is the terms of the exchange. Or rather, the intention of Rainer’s proposal to let it all go if we send Neia over.
“I’m not sure what he means by that proposal……what does he mean by that?”
“Well, na……he doesn’t intend to rehire Neia as a hero now, right?”
“I’m sure you don’t have any personal grudge against him, do you, Neia-san……?”
“E, Eh……I don’t remember any grudges”
“Have you ever heard of anything like that, Brian-san?”
“I’ve never noticed that……we heroes don’t cooperate much to begin with. We each have our own areas of responsibility and we’re supposed to go around at our own pace and fight monsters. Sometimes we are summoned to the royal palace, but that is the only time our activities overlap”
“Then you don’t really notice the relationships between other people, do you?”
“Beyond that, you can say that your activities as a hero are tied to your area all year round. Of course you fight monsters, but you also adjudicate and mediate disputes in many villages……of course, you can also fight dragons. There is no means of transportation like that. Heroes are quite busy. As long as both parties work diligently, it is not possible for a relationship to exist that could cause a grudge”
“……I see. But he said he couldn’t forgive Neia-san……”
“Perhaps it was the luxury he enjoyed in the outside world?”
“If you put it that way, Rainer could have secretly flown to any number of countries outside the country. It would be out of line to accuse Neia-san of having flown out after an accident and having no way to get back home”
“It’s out of line, but it’s what that Rainer thinks……so it’s not crazy by any standard”
Brian folded his arms and said so, but anything is possible when you put it like that.
“Are you sure nothing happened with Rainer? Even the smallest thing……”
“I can’t recall. I dealt with him a few times during my training days and after I became a hero, I only saw him occasionally at the royal palace……”
“I don’t know if he’s still bitter about the fact that he was beaten to a pulp by Neia in training or……?”
“I’m not that different from Rainer in skill”
“……Is that so. I’m not sure how much of a shocker that is”
On a par with Neia. Neia is as good a warrior as Dianne. Dianne-san is a top-class warrior who can even fight with Sir Bonaparte, which means…….
“……So Rainer is very strong”
“Well, if that’s how you evaluate me……”
“At least for me, I can’t compete with the two of you”
Tetes timidly tsked at Brian who said it casually.
“Emm, Brian, you’ve been doing this for over a decade, haven’t you……?”
“……Well, if you’re as good as me against monsters, you can fight as many times as you want as long as you’re careful. Neia and the others are too strong”
Ah, I feel like I’ve heard this theory before. Or rather, it’s similar to Gauntlet Knights. Since we’re not going to war with humans, it’s enough to have enough fighting power to overcome monsters and anything beyond that is the domain of seekers…I guess there’s a point here, Renfangas.
“The only other thing that comes to mind is……”
Brian hastily adds, as if trying to shake off the awkward atmosphere.
“I’ve heard that Rainer had a crush on Faria”
“Eh……”
Neia’s ears perked up as if it was her first time hearing it.
“O, Oh? You didn’t know about this?”
“……I just found out about it”
Is it……by any chance? ……Then.
“Faria……is the name of”
“She was Neia’s mentor and was a hero before her. She died fighting a devil……”
“……That’s……something quite deep-rooted……or something”
“But there are some things that make sense……”
Tetes and I look at each other. That dark look in Rainer’s eyes as he looked at Neia. His behavior so far has been mocking Neia’s attempts to save the valley. Trying to have hope, trying to move forward……to give this valley the happiness of an outside country. Why does Rainer continue to toy with Neia, who tries to be a hero to save the people even if it means standing up to the nation’s plans, with his greatest fighting ability and the power of a dragon rider?
“……A, Ah……”
Neia realizes this and begins to tremble. Her face visibly turns pale. Seeing this, Brian and Tetes seemed to realize that they had also touched something that should not be touched and she suddenly started to panic.
“H, Hey, wait……Neia, pull yourself together”
“E, Emm, emm……Master, pass!”
“You’re the one who passed! Neia, calm down. I’m sorry Tetes, let me have a word with her alone for a minute. Give me some privacy, please”
“Ah, y, yes, I mean……”
“It’s okay. I’ll calm her down. It’s not your fault or Brian’s fault”
Tetes put up a sound barrier and I borrowed one of the cabins to help cheer up the wobbly Neia.
“……Is Rainer?”
“Yes”
“Does he know, I wonder……my sins?”
“If you and the flash sword aren’t talking, it’s not something that should be leaked”
“:…..But”
“I don’t think that’s the problem. ……If he sees Neia surviving with the flash sword and Faria’s hat, even if he doesn’t know the details, he might think that Faria died because of Neia……”
“……It’s a fact”
Neia inhaled and let out a shuddering breath.
“……Y, Yes……thats right……you won’t like it. Why did I think he wouldn’t think that about me……?”
“Neia, don’t get too worked up”
“I ……can’t believe that I, the one who killed Faria, am acting like a hero……I can’t believe that I’m talking about saving the valley or helping my people, but I can’t believe that I’m not enjoying the pleasures of the outside world or meeting people who are kind to me. To know what it’s like to have fun, to meet someone who treats you kindly, to know happiness like those people, that’s just……”
“Neia!”
“If he loved Faria, he would never allow such a thing……!”
“No!”
“But!!!”
Neia held her head, shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
“……I wanted to respond……if I could use the life that Faria left me for the good of this valley……and I knew the outside world was my destiny or something……but that’s laughable to Rainer……who has the power to protect and save this valley from the start……I had a misunderstanding and decided to save this valley by pretending to be Faria’s replacement……”
Neia squeezes out.
“……I bet he’d like to smash such a joke thoroughly……!!”
“………..”
Me. I can only hug Neia, who is at the bottom of her own punishment. The words will not reach her yet. Even just the warmth.