Yuusha-sama no Oshishou-sama Chapter 56

- -

Veldaroth's ma.s.sive body crumbled into pieces.
Eventually, the wind blew all the pieces away, and Wynn relaxed his grip on his sword.
He fell to his knees, his lungs gasping for air, as the light enveloping his body faded.

"Big brother!" Leti cried as she ran towards him and jumped onto his back.

"Whoa… Ow! Leti! That hurts!" Wynn complained as their bodies tumbled across the gra.s.sy plains.

"Well, I'll be d.a.m.ned," Oort sighed as he watched them. "Those kids completely hogged the spotlight."

"Yeah. Tsk, I'm not looking forward to the report I'll have to write," grumbled the magician.

Wynn had faced Veldaroth alone. The whole battle seemed like an intricate dance. The knights displayed sophisticated coordination in their attacks, and Wynn and Veldaroth had engaged in a deadly duet. Even a veteran adventurer like Oort had found it impossible to step in. If they had clumsily stumbled into the dance, they risked getting in Wynn's way. There was practically no room for intervention. Rather, the only ones who could help were the two girls, Leti and Evelina. Embarra.s.singly, the adults could do nothing but watch.

Oort scratched his head as he walked over to where Wynn and Leti were rolling around. Noticing his approach, Wynn sat up. Suddenly, Oort's fist came cras.h.i.+ng down on Wynn's head.

"Oww!"
"Don't just run off on your own… The only good adventurer is one that is alive. Better to be cowardly than dead."
Wynn clutched his head, and Leti stood up to protect him. Despite her teary eyes, she looked like she was about to tell Oort off. Oort's glare melted into a smile and he ruffled Wynn's hair.

"You did well, kid."
"Eheheh…" laughed Wynn as his head was patted. Then, he flopped back onto the ground.
The gra.s.s under him felt cool. His whole body seemed to burn after that furious fight, so the gra.s.s was really comfortable. With those thoughts, he pa.s.sed out.

"Big Brother?!"
Seeing that Wynn had closed his eyes and stopped moving, Leti hurriedly tried to shake him awake.

"He's fine, he's just tired," rea.s.sured Paul as he stopped her shaking.
Leti looked up at him; then, she looked back at Wynn and nodded understandingly.

When he opened his eyes, Wynn found himself covered with a blanket and lying on soft sheets instead of gra.s.s.
"H-huh?"
For a moment, he didn't know where he was. Trying to regain his bearings, Wynn blinked and looked around before finally realizing he was in Laura's house. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, sparks wafting up the chimney. Wynn noticed that Leti was snuggled up beside him, still asleep.

"Oh hey, you're awake?"

"Paul?"

"Does anything hurt? You suddenly collapsed, so Leti was really worried. Well, I think yer fine, but I've heard of cases where minor-looking injuries turned out to be serious. Say something if you feel weird anywhere."

"Okay. My whole body aches, but I think I'm fine. Where are we?"

"We're at Laura's house. I was heading over to where the magician guy is cooking some soup."

"The magician… Oh wait! What about the weird dog monster?!"

"Calm down, you beat it. We're good." Paul handed Wynn a wooden cup. "Drink, it'll warm you up."

The cup was filled with warm milk. Wynn sat up to drink and asked, "What about Leti?"

"She was awake right beside you until a little while ago. Using magic probably tired her out. She worked really hard."
"I see…" mused Wynn. The milk sent a warm feeling though his body, waking him up. Memories of the fight against Veldaroth came rus.h.i.+ng back to him.

He remembered how light his body felt. He could see all of the attacks coming at him, and it had become easy to dodge attacks that he couldn't even glimpse before. The sword also felt light in his hands, as if it were an extension of his body. With each step, he moved great distances, allowing him to close in on his target in an instant.

I wonder if it was all thanks to Leti, he thought as he stroked her hair softly, trying to avoid waking her.

"…mmm…" mumbled Leti as she s.h.i.+fted slightly.

"U-um…" Wynn heard a small voice call out from the doorway. Evelina's head was peeking out of the entrance, seemingly wanting to say something. After wavering for a few moments, she eventually gathered the courage to face Wynn and Paul. "Thank you very much."

"No problem."
"You're welcome."
Paul awkwardly held out his hand towards Evelina as Wynn smiled at her. Evelina returned his smile. It was a smile that had not been seen since before her village was attacked half a year ago. Evelina tiptoed over to Wynn. They talked for a bit before going outside to play a game with pebbles. Evelina listened attentively as Wynn taught her the rules.

When Leti woke up, she noticed that Wynn wasn't sleeping beside her anymore. "Where's Big Brother?" she asked.

"He just went outside," replied Paul.
She scanned the room for Wynn's figure, but quickly realized he wasn't inside. Just as Paul said, she was able to find Wynn playing with Evelina outside.

"No fair, Lina!!" Leti's cheeks puffed out with childish jealousy.

"Oh, you're awake! Let's play together!"
Despite the fact that Leti was miffed, she still joined the other two children in their game.
Laura and the adventurers came back to see them playing.

"Oort, I… I think I'll adopt the child."
"She's from a different race, you know? Don't you think it'll be hard?"
"It'll be fine. Avian or not, a child is a child. Look at them playing together. If they can get along, then there's no reason I can't adopt her."

Leti had forgotten her jealousy and became absorbed in the game. Wynn had won the first round. With teary eyes, Leti started another game with Evelina as Wynn watched from the side.

"I hope Evelina doesn't ever lose her smile again."
"Me too."
The cheerful cries of the children playing were carried across the plains by the wind.

"…and that's what happened."
A sigh echoed across the room after Wynn finished telling his story. In one of Simurgh Knight Academy's many rooms, five people listened to his story: Prince Alfred of Lemmroussell, Princess Cornelia, the High Elf Tiara, and Royce, Wynn's direct superior.

Wynn's body glowed with a pale light. Tiara had asked for the others' permission to cast enhancement magic on Wynn. The spell she cast was Body Strengthening, the preferred spell of knights.

"How surprising! I have never seen someone with so little mana; he has no resistance to magic at all, thus amplifying the effects of the spell."

When Tiara asked him if he had any experience with enhancement magic, Wynn told them the story of his first battle as an adventurer.

"I see," Alfred said, nodding his head in satisfaction. "So his strength would increase tremendously if he is aided by someone who can cast enhancement magic."

"That was when I was nine, and Leti — I mean — Lady Mavis was seven-years-old at the time."

"So, what happened after you slew the dog-headed demon?" Alfred asked, curious about what happened next. A demon — a high-level named one — was slain by such young children. One of them eventually became the Brave, and the other was her master, but it was still an unbelievable story.
Wynn continued his tale.

Two days after the battle, Oort's party and the three novice adventurers returned to the Adventurer's Guild to split the reward. In the end, most of it went to Wynn. Oort's party and Paul only took the expenses necessary for the goblin extermination while the rest was pa.s.sed on to Wynn. The reward Laura had put up was obviously not enough to compensate for defeating a demon. But a few days later, the magician came up to Wynn with additional money, wearing an apologetic face.

"Sorry about this, but this is hush money. They want you to pretend like this incident never happened." It would be a scandal of epic proportions if word spread that the Empire had made light of the information from the Adventurer's Guild and almost ruined the country by allowing a demon, and a high-leveled one at that, to roam freely. The magician and the sole-surviving knight would soon be sent to the front lines to silence them. To the top bra.s.s, there was no place in the Capital for such inconvenient existences. "I think I'll be sent to the front lines soon. Before that, I tried my best to get you reward money, but I was only able to get you this much. I'm really sorry."

Oort and the magician had agreed to keep the fact that Wynn and Leti were the ones to defeat the demon a secret from the Knight Order. Leti's power, in particular, needed to be kept a secret. It was something so abnormal that one would have to see it to believe it. Fearing that such young children would be easily manipulated, it was a unanimous decision. The more they heard about the magician's superiors, the deeper the adventurers' convictions became. They would not even think to bring harm upon the children who had saved them. After investigating the incident and everyone involved, the magician even went as far as warning the adventurers not to get too involved with Leti. As a result, only Lilia and the Guild Master knew the truth. With Oort's positive a.s.sessment of their performance during the "goblin extermination", Wynn and Leti were officially approved to become full-fledged adventurers.

"That adventurer named Oort seems quite sharp. What happened to that magician?"
"I apologize, I do not know…" As Wynn had been only a child back then, he didn't know the magician's name.

"I guess I should look into this incident. It intrigues me," said Alfred as Royce nodded in agreement.

"And what about the Avian girl?"
"Laura ended up adopting her. I think they should still be living together."

"Your Highness. I believe it would be best not to try recruiting the Avian. If you try to force her, we'll risk starting a war with the Avians."

"A war with the Avians would certainly be undesirable. Even I would not intrude upon the peaceful lives of my subjects. She may be an Avian, but she still lives in this country, and is therefore my subject," stated Alfred. Moreover, the Avian girl is acquainted with the Brave. If I force it, the Brave may turn against me. That's too dangerous a bridge to cross.

"Let us put the matter of the Avians aside and return to the previous topic. You were thinking of having Wynn serve as my sister's guardian knight, but why? Do you believe him worthy of serving Princess Cornelia?"

Wynn alternated his gaze between Prince Alfred in front of him and Captain Elstead behind him, his body still glowing from Tiara's strengthening magic.

"Princess Cornelia is a skilled enhancement magic user. She's perfect for someone like Wynn, who barely has any mana."
In a flash, Wynn understood why Royce had asked if he could become Princess Cornelia's guardian knight. He had doubted his ears when he first heard of it. He was surrounded by persons of high status, which put him on edge. Rather, it wasn't just their status that put him on edge. He felt at ease with Cornelia and Leticia, after all. However, the prince and the elven princess were not people he would normally have had the chance to meet.

Alfred's next words erased any possibility that Wynn had misheard. "In addition to enhancement magic, I do believe that their romantic compatibility is quite high."

"Huh?!"
"Your Highness!"
"Dear brother!" Alfred's outrageous statement startled an objection from Cornelia. The princess glanced at Wynn, then immediately stared at the floor, blus.h.i.+ng furiously.

"Haha, I'm only joking."
"Your Highness, I ask that you please refrain from teasing my subordinate." Royce, who was standing to the side behind Alfred, sighed before giving Alfred a sidelong glare.

"He's been acting so stiffly, I just had to ease the tension a bit," Alfred laughed lightly.

"Don't stir things up like that," Royce muttered, agitated by the prince's att.i.tude.

"No normal person meeting royalty for the first time would feel at ease."
"My apologies, Count Elstead. Well, back on topic. Wynn. I would like you to become my sister's guardian knight."
"What does a guardian knight do?" asked Wynn, "How is it different from being a regular knight?"
"Put simply, you would escort the princess. Think of it as the princess's elite guards. They would normally be hand-picked from the knights of the Imperial Guard."

"Elite guards…" Wynn looked at Cornelia for a moment. She was a princess, yet she still allowed him to call himself her friend. Cornelia looked back at him silently. "Why was I chosen?"

"First, Cornelia trusts you. But the bigger reason is that you are the Master of the Brave."
"Wynn." Tiara's azure eyes looked directly at Wynn. "We Elves are very interested in the person known as the Master of the Brave, the one named Wynn Bard. Other countries and races are no less curious."

"It is as the Great Sage said," agreed Alfred, placing both hands on the table. "You have a large influence over the Brave. Frankly, it would be a huge problem for me if you remained in the Knight Order."

"But… I'm just…" Wynn fumbled for words as he looked down.
"Wynn Bard," Royce called out to the youth. "In the eyes of the Empire, you are just a commoner who became a knight cadet. Most think that your t.i.tle as the Master of the Brave was just something you received by being her childhood friend. However, outside the Empire, that t.i.tle holds great weight. You are the only person to whom the Hero will kneel and bow. That is not to be taken lightly."

"What you think of yourself is one thing, but what Leticia thinks of you is another. If you wished it, Leticia would wield her power for you. Essentially, you wield the Brave's power."
"I agree with Royce," said Alfred, nodding. "You control a power that could shake the very foundations of this world. I am loath to leave that power under the Knight Order's hands. For better or worse, the Knight Order operates under a strict hierarchy. It is difficult to refuse an order from someone higher in the chain of command. I wish it weren't true, but it would be utter foolishness to believe that everyone in the Knight Order is chivalrous and trustworthy. As Cornelia's guardian knight, you will not be under such control."

"Are you ordering me to become her guardian knight?"
"No, this is not an order," said Alfred with a bitter smile, "I said so at the beginning. Right here, right now, you are not acting as Knight Cadet Wynn — Ah, though if you accept, I would have to add a 'former' to that — but as the Master of the Brave, Wynn Bard. I will respect your decision, whatever your choice."

Royce looked at Prince Alfred disapprovingly. Such empty words. A commoner cannot possibly refuse a royal.

"Cornelia is not yet eighteen. Therefore, there are only a limited number of official engagements that require her to fulfill her role as a royal. However, this does not mean that she has no obligatory functions to attend as a royal. You will be responsible for her safety during those events. As her guardian knight, only Cornelia may give you orders. It would also help her when interacting with foreign dignitaries if the Master of the Brave were to be by her side."

"We Elves shall act as a neutral observer to prevent the Empire from exploiting you and your t.i.tle."
"As a user of enhancement magic, she has great compatibility with you. While I would like to establish an official group, there are many preparations I have yet to make. In the meantime, it will be you alone."

Cornelia's guardian knight… Under normal circ.u.mstances, it would be a great honor to be offered such a post. The knights who guarded the Imperial Princess of Lemmroussell could only come from the cream of the crop, hand-picked from the Imperial Guard. As someone who dreamed of becoming a knight, it would be a dream come true. Well, the princess was his friend, though. But what bothered Wynn was that he was there because he was the "Master of the Brave", and not because of any personal merit. He would only be gaining the position because he had been lucky enough to know Leticia in the past. That would be a slap in the face for the other knights who had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into slowly rising up the ranks.
Was he really fine with that? Would that really be a dream come true?

"Wynn." Seeing Wynn's hesitation, Cornelia finally opened her mouth to speak. "Previously, you told me how you dreamt of becoming a knight. You told me how knights were stronger, wiser, and more determined than anyone else. Their swords fight to bring justice for the weak, and their s.h.i.+elds are the last defense of their lords."

Cornelia looked as she did the first time they had met at the Knight Academy. Unable to find a partner, she had looked lonely and helpless. Cornelia asked him imploringly, "Do you consider me to be an unworthy liege to serve and protect?"

- -