Each Person's Feelings
Translated by GXYRU
Edited by GXYRU
As Sofia said, the battle with Duke Jordan has already been decided. Erik’s knights and the members of the intelligence unit continue to exterminate the remaining attackers.
Erik seems determined not to let up until the very end. As the last of his loyal knights falls, Duke Jordan stands alone.
“Erik, only you…” Despite this, Duke Jordan doesn’t show any fear as he glares at Erik from atop the castle walls.
“Duke Jordan, I must pay my respects for your perseverance in fighting until the end. However, challenging a battle you couldn’t win disqualified you as a noble. Because of you, many people lost everything. Oh, but don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about this recent attack. Your defeat was inevitable from the moment you attempted to take my life,” Erik says with his usual refreshing smile as he issues a ruthless final command.
Erik’s knight’s sword cleanly beheads Duke Jordan.
“Well, that’s the end of it. Leon, you can take care of the aftermath,” Erik says.
“Yes, Your Highness Erik. We’ll have it done in an hour,” the chief of the intelligence unit with slicked-back hair responds, and the intelligence unit begins cleaning up the battlefield using magic.
Since I was involved in the battle too, I felt bad making them do everything. Besides, there are some things I’m worried about, so I decided to leave it to Leon and the others.
“Big brother, is it over?” As we return to the villa, Zeke runs up to me first.
He must have sensed the situation from the sounds of battle he heard from inside.
“Yeah. We’ve dealt with all the attackers, including Duke Jordan,” I reply.
“I see, as expected of my big brother… but why didn’t you let me use my knights? I wanted to be useful too,” Zeke complains, which is quite rare for him. It’s true that Erik turned down Zeke’s offer.
“I already told you, didn’t I? We had enough firepower. Besides, can you protect yourself without any guards? Even if I relied on my knights to protect you, would you accept that?” I ask him.
With that response, Zeke can’t argue back. Sasha looks concerned for Zeke but can’t find any words to say.
“Listen, Zeke. You should seriously think about what you should do. For example, this time, you could have prepared forces other than just guards in advance,” I advise him. Even though it might sound like he’s pushing Zeke away, in the end, Erik is still thinking about Zeke.
“We’ve finished dealing with all the attackers…” Mars mumbles.
“Yes, Marquis Mars, that’s exactly what it means,” Erik replies with a refreshing smile, but Mars’s expression twitches.
Now that I think about it, there was a deal between Mars’s father, the cardinal, and Erik. They planned to use Mars as bait to involve him in this attack and crush the emerging faction within the church that’s connected to Duke Jordan.
But there were no church-related individuals among the attackers. It’s hard to differentiate them just based on connections to the church.
Well, I haven’t asked Erik anything about it, so for now, I’ll just leave it alone.
But still, everyone seems to have casually accepted that Erik killed Duke Jordan.
I guess that’s because they’re royals and nobles; they’ve already prepared themselves to take someone’s life if necessary.
Mars seems to fear Erik’s strength, and perhaps he’s prepared himself for power struggles, considering his position in society. However, Milia is different. She sits alone on the sofa, her face pale. As a reincarnated individual and the protagonist of the “Love Scholar” (Koigaku) from a commoner background, Milia has lived in a world far removed from bloodshed. While she desired this trip, she probably didn’t imagine such an outcome.
I should have been clear about what might happen during this journey with everyone. “Milia, I should have told you in advance. Until now, Erik and I refrained from killing the attackers to extract information. When fighting, we hesitate to kill unless we have a reason,” I explain.
“Yes, I thought about the possibility of this happening after hearing about the attack, but… Hey, earlier, Arius said he took care of the troublesome person… that means…” Milia trails off.
“Yeah, I’m the one who killed him,” I admit. While I spent eight years exploring dungeons around the world with Gray and Serena, that doesn’t mean I was solely focused on dungeon conquest. I have killed many people and have grown accustomed to taking lives, though always for a reason.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to get involved in this kind of… situation. It may be challenging to live solely in the world of ‘Love Scholar,’ but there are ways to live without being involved in battles,” I say, not intending to push her to adapt to the situation. After all, she’s aware that her feelings might not align with what’s considered normal.
“It’s too late for that now. I’m friends with Sofia and Sasha, and I won’t turn away from the reality they live in. Besides, I’m with Arius too…” Milia wants to grow stronger, which is probably why she wants to be with Sofia and Sasha.
“Milia, then feel free to rely on me too. I don’t mean to sound condescending, but I’ve experienced a lot in this world,” I assure her.
“That’s true. Arius must have had extraordinary experiences,” Milia says with a mischievous smile, though it’s clear she’s forcing it.
“Well, I can’t blame her for finding me exasperating,” I joke.
“I don’t find you exasperating… no, it’s nothing. Hey, Arius, I said you could rely on me too,” Milia suddenly holds my hand, blushing and avoiding eye contact.
“…I’ll take responsibility,” I reply.
Well, sometimes we all need someone’s warmth. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I don’t think it’s childish.
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