Chapter 66

Freide, sitting calmly in the chair, opened her mouth.

“I heard the story. You turned nearly three hundred beastmen into minced meat. Even took down a great warrior.”

“Three hundred? Did I really cut down that many…?”

Honestly, I didn’t know how many I had killed.

At first, I was out of my mind, and later, I fought almost in a trance.

Three hundred beastmen, all by myself. Most of them were low-tier hybrids, but it still felt like an unreal achievement.

Milia said I took out about 30% of the beastmen.

So that means the rioters numbered almost a thousand.

Freide brushed her hair back.

“Yeah. An incredible feat. A lone knight slaughtering three hundred beastmen and saving the capital. Even if it’s not legendary, it’s at least worth a song, don’t you think?”

“……Please, don’t do that.”

A song about me?

Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.

“…Anyway, why are you here?”

Surely, she didn’t come just to visit me. We’re not that close, are we?

She must have some purpose.

Maybe it’s because of the royal invitation or a letter from her father? That’s all I can think of.

“Ah, well…”

Surprisingly, Freide hesitated.

She fidgeted, biting her lip and shaking her head side to side.

“Uh, well… you know…”

What on earth is she trying to say that’s making her hesitate like this?

It’s so unlike her.

“What is it?”

“Well… you’ve been through a lot. You did great. It’s all thanks to you that things ended this way.”

Freide gave an awkward smile, her lips trembling.

…Was it really that hard to give a compliment?

Thanks to me.

“…I guess.”

“Huh? You don’t look too happy. I went out of my way to praise you.”

“Twenty thousand people died in the end. It feels like they all died because of me.”

Even though we blamed the beastmen,

the guilt still lingers. It’s not easy to change how people feel.

Every time someone praises me, it feels like a thorn piercing my heart.

“What are you talking about? That’s so unlike you. Did you get brain damage or something? Oh right, you did get hit in the head by a beastman.”

Freide shrugged with a baffled expression.

She clearly didn’t expect such words from me.

Uncharacteristic, huh? Maybe she’s right.

“Well, they called me their top priority. Boris said the Ka`har tribe joined the Empire, which is why this happened. So it’s my fault. It was my decision.”

If it weren’t for me, the original outcome would’ve been fifty to a hundred and fifty deaths at most.

Instead, it was twenty thousand.

“Ah, no wonder you fought so desperately. Were you feeling responsible? You? That’s hilarious.”

“Well…! Yeah. Me, who’s killed so many Deinians, saying something like this is pretty funny. But—”

I didn’t kill them, but the original owner of this body did.

A murderer like that now feeling depressed because people died because of them must look pretty strange to others.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Sure, that’s true too. But what I’m saying is, it’s absurd that the person who contributed the most to this incident is drowning in guilt.”

“…Not the contributor, but the culprit.”

Freide shook her head and sighed, clearly frustrated.

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Sigh… why do I have to explain this to you? Anyway, listen up.”

Her grip tightened, making my shoulder ache.

“Twenty thousand people died? That’s thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, at least ten thousand more would’ve died. The students would’ve been wiped out.”

“That’s—”

“Keep listening. If you hadn’t prepared the silver through Asha? More would’ve died. Maybe even Nigel, you, or even me. Because the enemy was distracted chasing Asha, we barely won. If we had died, the knights who came to clean up would’ve had to face six purebloods and two great warriors.”

At least that part wasn’t wrong.

Because most of the warriors, Boris, and Natalia were taken down, the riot was quelled quickly.

If they had continued guerrilla warfare in the capital, the damage would’ve been catastrophic.

“And what, do you think they would’ve just slept peacefully in the capital if you weren’t there? They gathered a thousand troops. It would’ve happened anyway, with or without you.”

“…Still, if I had investigated the underground waterways three days earlier, maybe I could’ve stopped it. I was too complacent.”

I trusted the original story and thought there was still time.

I never imagined they’d use the earless low-tier hybrid slaves to start a massive riot.

The number of warriors was also slightly more than I expected.

But if I had gathered evidence earlier and prepared, we wouldn’t have wasted our knight forces in chaos.

Maybe we could’ve suppressed the riot immediately and minimized the damage.

“That’s stupid. If you had done that, you would’ve died right there. Do you think those well-prepared guys would’ve just let suspicious people roam the waterways? Over twenty warriors and three great warriors would’ve jumped out at once. Even Nigel with three others would’ve lost. You should consider yourself lucky.”

Freide firmly denied it.

“…You’re right about that.”

She was correct.

Their forces were definitely beyond what we could handle alone.

It was a level.

Originally, I planned to use my senses to avoid contact as much as possible and just collect evidence.

The best outcome would have been to find even one of those scattered guys and take their corpse.

If the smell or signs of them approaching us increased, I was ready to flee immediately.

But who would have thought they had a way to completely block my detection abilities?

It’s not something the beastmen could have created.

“So, just toss away any inexplicable guilt. People who worry about that kind of thing don’t tend to live long.”

Is that how it is? I don’t know.

Considering the injuries I’ve sustained so far, I almost didn’t make it.

But now that I’ve awakened my abilities, once my body recovers, I shouldn’t suffer serious injuries for a while.

I ponder again.

This alone is enough. I just need to protect more people in the future.

Is it okay to move on like that? It was a question without an answer.

No. It’s not that there’s no answer, it’s just that I want to think that way.

The conclusion was already there. There’s no point in agonizing over it, so I should just let it go.

What’s done is done, and I’ll have to keep fighting anyway.

Even if I disappear, the dead won’t come back.

And the story that’s already changed won’t revert to the original just because I’m gone.

What I need to do is already decided.

So, I’ll bury it.

Regret and guilt only slow down my sword.

…Still. Just a little. I felt a bit better.

Her rough words were her own way of comforting, seeping into my weary heart like rain on parched land.

It was irresistibly sweet.

—

In the end, I nodded in agreement with her words. Seeing this, Freide smirked.

“Right. I finally got a useful master. If you just up and die, it’d be a huge loss for me.”

“Got…?”

“I heard from my father. You’re not returning to your homeland after graduation, but heading north. Didn’t you get the letter?”

Ah, so that’s what the letter from Faelun was about. I was just about to read it.

When I applied for admission, I agreed to serve on the northern front for five years.

Though I had planned to ask Marquis Ludwig to let me slip away to Berengeiria when the time came.

Now, I’m not sure what to do. I’ll just have to go where it’s more urgent.

“The letter? I was just about to read it since my body’s been like this.”

“Really? Well, it’s probably nothing much. My father isn’t one to write long letters.”

Feeling it was the right time, I pulled out the letter with Faelun’s seal.

On the pristine white paper, only three bold sentences were written.

_’Your exploits in the capital were truly impressive. Faelun welcomes you. I look forward to meeting you in the north in three years.’_

…If I slip away to the east, I feel like they’ll come to catch me.

“Really, it’s not much.”

“Right?”

Putting down Faelun’s letter, I picked up the invitation from the imperial court.

“Ah, that invitation. It went to you too. Well, of course it would.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“It’s an awards ceremony. They’re going to give titles or medals to those who distinguished themselves in this incident. After such a big event, they need to spread some heroic tales to calm the chaotic atmosphere. You’re going to be pretty busy, I bet.”

Lacey said the same thing.

That I’d be busy.

“Busy? The ceremony should only take a day or two, right?”

“The ceremony, sure. The problem is you. The knight who risked her life to stop the capital’s disaster, the youngest master, a princess from another country…and possibly even receiving an imperial title.”

“A title?”

“Yeah. Your previous notoriety might…well, it’s a big problem, but the imperial court must have some plan since they’re inviting you. What that plan is, I don’t know. But in the end, a lot of nobles are going to be interested in you.”

The interest of nobles…well, it’s not entirely bad.

I need to build my standing in the empire, and there’s the issue with Ophelia and the imperial family.

Those are things a mere exchange student can’t easily interfere with.

“Plus, you’re a beautiful woman of marriageable age.”

“…What?”

I think I just heard something I shouldn’t have.

“Normally, your fierce aura and sharp eyes make you look intimidating, but with your injuries, your eyes look softer now…it’s a different vibe. I bet you’ll get tons of invitations to balls, proposals, even marriage offers. With your skills, status, and looks, you’re a top-tier bride candidate.”

That was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever heard.

Seeing my disgusted expression, Freide chuckled.

…I really wanted a cigarette.