The Tale of the Teapot Hero’s Revenge

Chapter 16 Without Hesitation・In the Midst of Hesitation

When I returned to the closed armor shop, I was greeted with a passionate welcome from Beato. The moment I entered, she jumped at me and clung to me tightly.

Was she uncomfortable without me? Well, I couldn't sleep without her either. When I sleep alone, the nightmares from that night always came back to haunt me. But when Beato was with me, I could sleep peacefully until morning.

Returning with me were the Leader and Joanna. We had already changed into regular clothes at one of the Resistance's hideouts outside the capital, so there shouldn't be any suspicions.

Each of us was a wreck, but we couldn't afford to slack of. We all gathered in the basement and began the meeting.

"Now then, let's continue from where we left off."

"The possibility of a traitor? But that's..."

"It's just a hypothesis. I don't want to think that someone leaked information."

That's right, everyone here was the Leader's ally. A the leader, he vehemently wanted to believe that.

"I don't want to think about it nor believe it, but this is not a matter of feelings. We should assume there is a traitor and act accordingly."

About thirty people participated in this operation, all of them the Leader trusted. After the plan was decided here yesterday, we called everyone to the hideout in the outskirts and informed them of it. If there was a leak, it would have been at that time... right?

"We should avoid large-scale operations from now on. At least until we know who the traitor is."

"Yes, Joanna. I agree."

I couldn't delve into complicated discussions, but I understood that this failure was painful.

All this while, Beato, who sat next to me, was clinging to me tightly, leaving me dumbfounded.

"So, Joanna and Kyrie. I'm going to ask you to assassinate Neil tonight."

"...Huh? What? Tonight? Me?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'm counting on you."

"No, wait a minute. Are we going to do this on the same day as the failed assassination? And this time, just the two of us, Joanna and me!?"

"That's precisely why. They might be on high alert, but they probably wouldn't expect an actual attack on the same day. It's about undermining them psychologically."

Well, that might be true. I was surprised too, but the enemy would be even more surprised, even if their security was tighter. Tonight was the time when they were the most careless, which was understandable.

"..."

Beato anxiously hugged my arm tightly.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Let's sleep together when I get back."

"...!"

With that, she smiled brightly while still clinging onto my arm tightly. She had really grown attached to me. Unfortunately for her, I didn't intend to get too close than necessary to her.

"Hmm."

Strah, who had been looking bored, suddenly started grinning. She stared at me with a strange look. What's on her mind?

"...What?"

"It's nothing, really."

That's a lie, she's finding something amusing.

...Come to think of it, did Strah not like the activities of the Resistance very much? During the strategy meetings, she was always absent-minded, and in everyday life, she only helped in the shop... or rather, she's practically the shop owner.

"Let's do our best, Kyrie-chan."

"Yeah, if we're doing it, I'll give it my all."

That's right, let's refocus and concentrate on the assassination. I listened to the plans made by the Leader and Joanna, engraving them in my mind.

Without hesitation, without looking away, I took a step forward on the path of revenge.

△▽△Read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com△▽△

With a heavy heart, I returned to the castle after completing my mission to intercept the Resistance. I was shocked to learn that the Hero joined the Resistance, and that the destruction of her village was not caused by bandits, but by the king's orders. This information has already spread within the castle, causing unrest.

Each time the burn on my left arm throbbed, her face resurfaced in my mind. When I think of her face, filled with hatred and madness, I couldn't help but believe that her story was true.

"What is the truth... What should I do..."

Various thoughts whirled in my head, and my emotions were in turmoil. It's unbecoming of a knight, it's pathetic.

"Ilya, you look down."

"Gilius-dono..."

On my way to the princess's room, I coincidentally ran into the person who advocated for my participation in the recent mission, Gilius himself.

"Thank you for the training the other day. The techniques you taught me were immediately useful."

Renki, a technique that transformed the life energy sleeping in the depths of humans into various forms. I had only been able to extend the reach of my sword with Renki, but this man had taught me many variations in that special training.

"I haven't done anything. It's just that you have good instincts... So, is there something bothering you? You have a gloomy face."

"Well, that..."

"It's not something you can discuss with the princess, it's written all over your face."

Oh, was it that obvious? Or was he just exceptionally sharp?

"If it’s alright with you, I can listen. Keeping your worries to yourself will only make them worse. Maybe you'll feel better if you let it all out?"

"I appreciate it."

Taking advantage of his offer, I decided to let out the source of my worries. What happened during the mission, and meeting and battling the Hero... everything.

"I feel like I'm losing sight of things. The stories are so cruel, and I can't help but question if I'm truly in the right; if things can continue like this."

"...I see, it was definitely the right decision to let you go."

"What do you mean?"

The way he spoke, it's as if he knew what would happen.

"First of all, why did you make me participate in that mission? You were the one nominated, and you should have been more valuable in terms of combat power than me..."

"As for that reason, I'll tell you when the time comes. But for now, let's prioritize your worries first."

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry, I tend to worry about the details..."

"Don't apologize for every little thing. Being too serious is one of your flaws."

That's exactly right. I couldn't change it now, and the princess even said it's not a good thing.

"So, in other words, you're hesitating. Your beliefs are being shaken, and you're losing sight of your path."

"Embarrassingly enough, that's the summary of it..."

"In times like this, go back to your origin. The origin within you, the unyielding core. What is it?"

The origin, the reason I aimed to become a Royal Knight. That's very obvious.

"Princess Pernelle. I serve and protect her at any cost, even if I have to lay down my life. That's my unwavering core."

"Well, you understand it, don't you? As long as you don't change that, as long as you protect the princess, even if it means turning against the king..."

"What!? What a thing to say, Gilius-dono!"

I unintentionally raised my voice and quickly covered my mouth.

We were in the castle. If someone heard his opinion and it reached the king's ears, even Gilius-dono would be executed. Fortunately, it seemed that no one else was around.

"I don't mind. It's the same as not saying anything if you're not asked... Hey, do you know about a country called Stige that used to exist?"

"...No, not in detail."

I felt like Gilius-dono's expression turned stern. I never really looked into the current situation of the conquered countries. I was too focused on studying to become the princess's Royal Knight.

"The royal family who ruled there was executed without exception, along with the princes who led the army. The king, queen, and princess all died mysteriously within a few months. Well, it was probably a conspiracy."

He spat out the words.

"The residents who lived there were taken to the capital, and the most beautiful women were chosen as the king's concubines. The rest were sold as slaves or used as playthings for those who swore loyalty to the king."

Suppressing his anger, he continued, "The men were mostly drafted into the army and sent to the front lines. It's a two birds with one stone strategy: increasing the military power and preserving the strength of the homeland. A clever move."

His clenched fist was now trembling as he continued, "The tax rate rose to eighty percent, an unlivable level, right? After keeping it that way for a few years, one day they suddenly lowered it to sixty percent. It's still too high, but the sense of gratitude of the people of Stige of the sudden change went beyond human comprehension."

What happened in his past? I didn't have the courage to ask.

"They thoroughly stripped away everything and crushed the will of the people to resist. That's how our king operates. What do you think?"

As for what I wanted to do, that's already decided. Fighting for the princess was my unwavering core. But which choice would be better for the princess? I was lost in my wavering thoughts about what I, as her sword, should do.