LIGHTNOVELWORLD Episode 13
Episode 13
Becoming a knight of Alshade, to be completely honest, was a story I wanted to jump into right away. If you’re seeking strength, magical power becomes essential, and it takes time to gain the ability to use it in extraordinary ways. But if I accept this offer, it will drastically accelerate my strengthening plan.
Furthermore, in the original game, Alshade may have been cold, but she wasn’t cruel. She had a strong and proud personality, making her one of my favorite characters in the Wildia Chronicles, despite being an antagonist.
In the present world, having actually met and spoken with her, I find her personality agreeable and, to be honest, I’m more worried that I might hinder her instead of admiring her as my superior.
There’s no other answer for me but “yes.”
However, there’s something I need to discuss with Alshade before I give my answer. It’s something that I don’t necessarily have to reveal, but I want to address it as a matter of closure.
“Before I answer that, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“…?”
When I said that, Alshade nodded nervously.
“While they were abducting you, the young lady, I happened to come across them. I didn’t know it was you inside the bag, but I knew there was a child inside… I knew, and yet I left you behind and ran away. Can you trust someone like me?”
It was the guilt I felt towards Alshade.
I don’t think my decision back then was wrong. I didn’t possess the power or means to save her from that situation.
Even if I were to go back to that moment with these memories, I would undoubtedly make the same choice.
The fact that she and I are now together, on the verge of escaping from Lamdo, is nothing short of a miracle.
If I hadn’t run away and let them capture me, we might have ended up in separate rooms. So, no matter how many times I repeat this, I would abandon her once again.
That’s how I felt about becoming her knight. However, I have no choice but to become one to survive.
So, I decided to honestly tell her about my abandonment and let her make the judgement. That was my intention.
“I don’t mind. If I were in the same situation, I would have made the exact same choice as you did. To put it in extreme terms, risking your life to save a complete stranger in a desperate situation is something only a saint or a madman would do.”
“In such a situation, I might betray you to save my own life, right?”
“I don’t think so. You may be able to abandon a complete stranger, but you’re not heartless enough to betray someone you feel connected to or have a debt of gratitude towards. I’ve come to that conclusion after interacting with you. If you were to betray me now, it would mean my judgement was completely wrong.”
Becoming a knight means being the close aide to a noble. Appointing an untrustworthy person as a knight could lead to vital information being leaked if they were to betray you.
Considering that risk and weighing it against my strength as a warrior, Alshade must have seen enough trustworthiness in me to choose me.
When Alshade confidently declared that I wouldn’t betray her, she exuded a sense of charisma.
(I’m pathetic… She probably already knew. Both my answer and the fact that she trusts me… It’s just self-indulgence to alleviate my guilt.)
Perhaps Alshade also understood this.
I have no reason to hesitate any longer.
I kneeled before Alshade and lowered my head.
“I, Rios, swear my eternal loyalty to Lady Alshade and will never betray her.”
“Rios, I shall accept your loyalty. I swear to be a ruler you can be proud of.”
When I suddenly knelt and pledged my loyalty, there was a moment of surprise in Alshade’s demeanor, but she then placed her hand on my shoulder and accepted my loyalty.
In this world, placing a hand on the shoulder of a kneeling knight represents trust, confidence, and expectations. She might not be aware that I know this, but for her, it might be her way of showing respect towards me.
The weight of her hand on my shoulder felt unbelievably heavy, yet at the same time, it felt comforting.
In the original story, her heart would have been wounded by the betrayal of a close person, and then she would have fallen into despair, eventually being defeated by the protagonist.
With my presence, her escape has been significantly hastened. There’s no way she could have escaped on the day she was captured. So, there’s a good chance the outcome will be different.
To repay her trust and gratitude, I will do my best.
Alshade then removed her hand from my shoulder, turned around, and lightly ascended a few steps before looking back at me.
“I’ll awaken your mana after we climb these stairs. Now, get up and let’s hurry. Oh, and no need for honorifics. You’re my knight, but I don’t like being so formal.”
“Understood, please wait for me! If my legs give out, I’ll be forced to come back to you.”
“Well then, hurry up and come up here.”
She said that, and I rushed up the stairs. My legs, which she had just healed, were about to become useless again.
“By the way, you looked quite impressive back there. I doubt you’ve ever learned proper manners, but have you seen performances of knights or something?”
“No, I haven’t. I just happened to see a play with knights in it in my past and imitated it.”
To be precise, I haven’t seen such a thing in this life, but I’m referencing scenes from plays and anime from my past life.
“Ah, occasionally there are people who perform such things on the streets. But to be able to imitate it so perfectly with just a glance, you must have a talent for etiquette.”
“Even if I have that talent, I can’t honestly say I’m happy about it.”
“Etiquette is essential not only for nobles but also for knights. Besides… If you have talent, you won’t need to walk around with books on your head for hours or repeat the same movements countless times… It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
“Well, I guess so.”
The words of Alshade had a genuine impact, revealing how much she had struggled to learn etiquette.
…I also thought that if I were to learn etiquette in this world, I would make full use of my excellent physical abilities and do my best.
We continued chatting casually as we climbed the stairs.
“We should be able to see the end of the stairs soon. Just a little more effort,” Alshade encouraged.
“Because you rushed me, I climbed fewer steps than last time, but I’m just as tired,” I complained.
“Come on, the goal is right there. Keep going,” she said, completely ignoring my complaint and cheering me on.
In reality, there were still about a dozen steps left. However, I didn’t have enough energy to rush up, so I climbed slowly.
“Phew, I finally made it to the top.”
“Well done. Shall I cast a recovery spell for you?”
At the top of the stairs was a small room with a door at the back. While Alshade cast the recovery spell on me, I looked around the room.
There were a few items that seemed essential for a journey, but the room appeared to be dusty and unused. It seemed like it hadn’t been used for a long time.
After Alshade finished casting the spell, she curiously walked around the room and picked up a dusty backpack.
“Look inside this bag. It’s covered in mould, but there’s dried meat and hardtack bread. There’s also a cloak, a water flask, and a lantern… They must have prepared for the journey and escaped through a secret passage.”
In my past life, it might have been referred to as a disaster preparedness bag containing items useful for evacuation during a disaster. It was a well-thought-out plan.
Well, the ones who prepared this bag were already captured.
“That means the mansion of the notorious merchant guild leader must be above this room, no doubt.”
“Before releasing your mana, wouldn’t you like to find out what’s behind that door?”
“Right, let’s check it out. Oh, I’ll go first. Can you lend me your ‘Illumination’ spell?”
“Sure.”
Alshade stopped before approaching the door, and I took my place in front of it. Even though I already knew what was behind the door, I cautiously opened it, allowing the ‘Illumination’ spell to go in first and confirm what was inside.
“It’s amazing, Lady Alshade, take a look!” I called out.
“What is it? Oh, my, this is truly incredible!”
Even to an amateur like me, it was evident that there were valuable art pieces, decorations, and weapons neatly arranged and stored on shelves. Alshade was also amazed by what she saw.
Beyond the door was the endpoint of the sub-quest, a bonus stage in the game where one could obtain gold and equipment.
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