Chapter 133
The fallen God of War was laid down in the Knights’ Rest Area.
By the time we comfortably positioned him, his complexion had completely returned to normal, and the strange scale-like things were no longer visible.
The Deputy Director’s Office was currently engulfed in silence.
Was it an unpleasant silence? Not exactly.
Rather, those who maintained the silence, including myself, were all engulfed in happy feelings.
But no one could easily break the silence.
It stemmed from the worry that perhaps this might not be reality.
Was it possible that this was just a fleeting sweet dream?
At least that was the impression I got from Deputy Director Maren Burstian’s expression.
The Knight Commander appeared to be deep in thought, perhaps trying to decide where to begin her story.
There were probably so many tales left untold and so many things we were unaware of.
Finally, she seemed to gather her thoughts and let out a puff of air.
“You said your name was Tanton.”
“Yes, that’s correct, Commander.”
The Knight Commander finally opened her mouth and cast a bittersweet smile at me.
“While I was doing something strange, you managed well. I thank you. I owe you a great deal.”
“It’s nothing. As a knight, I merely did my duty.”
The Knight Commander lightly nodded at my words.
“Hmm, yes. If this guy can embed an outsider in his body, then I should be able to share what I have to say comfortably.”
With that, the Knight Commander directed a playful smile at the Deputy Director.
“So, where should I start? How I became fine again? Or what has happened since that day until now?”
The Deputy Director contemplated for a moment and then, looking resolute, raised her head.
“Please start from the beginning.”
“Alright, understood.”
The Knight Commander straightened her posture.
“Well, it was when my irresponsible expedition began.”
#
Rondan’s Knights.
After sending Maren and some of the knights back to Rondan, we were on our way with the main officers to conquer the Giant of the Snow Mountain.
For the Knights of Rondan, strategies were all about cooperative attacks based on mutual trust among themselves.
That was how they had defeated all outsiders until now.
“Commander! But why did you suddenly decide to attack that guy? We’ve always been cautious until now!”
Were those doubts really arising now?
The Knight Commander chuckled at the God of War’s question.
The other knights seemed to share the same thought as the Commander, breaking into light laughter.
“You’re the type who acts faster than thinks, aren’t you, God of War?”
“Of course! Who else would have to deal with outsiders while wasting time thinking? I’m the type that crushes things!”
Hmm.
The Knight Commander couldn’t grasp what those kinds of jokes symbolized.
She just chuckled vaguely at the ridiculous tone of it.
“Right, I asked why we were heading there.”
The Knight Commander looked around at the officers and spoke.
“Hope.”
At that single word, the mouths of all the officers fell shut.
It was a word that would lift us up while also crushing us to the ground.
Hope.
A knight raised his hand.
“Why is coming here hope?”
“Right, I suspected you might be curious about that.”
The Knight Commander looked at them with a distant smile.
“I’m sorry to those who have followed me this far, but I have something to tell you now.”
At this moment, the Knight Commander wore a serious expression she rarely displayed, causing all the knights to tense up.
And when those words came out of the Knight Commander’s mouth, the entire order widened their eyes in shock.
“I will not be returning here today.”
“W-What do you mean, Commander?!”
It was an outcry from one of the other officers.
“What do you mean you won’t return? You never mentioned anything like that!”
“As you all know, I don’t die. By any means necessary.”
Once she said that, all the knights began to guess what the Knight Commander was getting at.
A horrific implication.
“I have thought from the start that this mission wouldn’t allow everyone to come back alive, as I declared beforehand. But someone must try. It must happen someday. How long are we going to live crushed by that outsider, right? To do that, we need to let them know we’ve made a step forward. We must give humanity hope! I want to be that role.”
“N-No, what does that have to do with the Commander not returning?!”
Even the God of War, who usually reacted joyfully, glared at the Knight Commander in protest.
He was always optimistic and lenient about everything that happened to him, but he was unflinchingly strict about disasters befalling his friends.
“It can’t be! Even if my limbs are cut off, the Commander must definitely return! Got it?”
“…If only optimistic things were to happen, would Rondan have lived under the Flame of the Princess while yielding to the outsiders?”
That was an utterly pessimistic statement.
Yet no one could criticize or refute it.
That was the history following the Emperor’s assassination by the outsider.
“Anyway, if I can land a blow on that giant and freeze myself, then Rondan can harvest hope. Humanity can finally break free from the outsiders. It’s fine if we don’t achieve anything, just by measuring how strong this guy is, we’ll be able to assess our strengths.”
“But, Commander…! Then what about the promise with the Deputy Director….”
As the God of War spoke with a sad expression, the Knight Commander responded with a distant smile.
“I… must keep that promise. And to honor that promise, you all must grow stronger. Based on the information gained from this expedition.”
After saying that, the Knight Commander raised her arm.
“Now, I ask you again. Anyone who wishes to withdraw from this expedition may do so. I will do my utmost to protect you, but in the worst case, everyone here might die. It’s okay to lie upon return. You may say you went on the expedition with the Knight Commander but accomplished nothing and fled according to her orders.”
The Knight Commander offered them one more chance.
But no one raised their hand.
Instead, someone lightly punched the Knight Commander’s shoulder, causing her expression to slightly shift.
“Huh?”
“Commander! Do you think we’d run away just because you say something like that now? Don’t make me laugh! What do you take us for?”
With the God of War’s roar, the remaining knights began to shout in unison.
With that tremendous morale, the Knight Commander initially looked surprised but then smiled with satisfaction.
“Damn, I’ve been lucky to have such great disciples.”
The answer was decided.
Now it was just a matter of carrying it out.
The Knight Commander turned her back to them and raised her hand high.
“I guarantee! Your chivalry will shine brighter and sturdier than the sun hovering beyond those clouds! I truly wish for a bright future ahead of you!”
With that last word, they yelled and charged into the domain of the Giant of the Snow Mountain.
#
And the Knight Commander regretted that her judgment had been too foolish.
Unable to move any longer, she lay face down and looked around.
Ice.
The kind created when a person freezes solid.
All her knights had frozen.
Had they merely frozen, the Knight Commander wouldn’t have had to blame herself so much.
Yes, they had frozen.
But they had not died.
“Com-Commander!!! Come baaaack!”
A scream filled with pain echoed from afar.
As the Knight Commander’s gaze turned that way, a horrifying sight met her.
One of her officers was gradually freezing from the feet up.
“It’s cold! Too cold! It hurts, I hate it, I want warmth! Ahhh!”
There was a saying that if you touched something too cold, you’d feel a burning pain instead.
Her disciple was crying out in excruciating burning pain as he was gradually freezing over.
He was now unable to move his legs, collapsing forward while kicking and flailing helplessly.
“I don’t want this! No, you mean to say I’ll be trapped in this agony forever?! No, Commander, save me!”
The knight froze with a twisted expression, uttering those last words.
The only reason one could tell they were still alive despite being frozen was that their legs were flailing until the very end.
It was likely the giant’s doing.
The Knight Commander could only look up at the giant with an endlessly vacant expression.
#
“…What a sad narrative.”
“It’s more accurate to call it a humiliating narrative. This was my fatal misjudgment that I cannot hide from anywhere.”
The Knight Commander said this with a sorrowful smile.
What could be done?
It would be much better to forget the past and think about what to do from now on.
And rightly so; according to the Knight Commander, they were not yet dead.
It would be far better to rescue those who are still suffering and apologize, compensating them.
If it absolutely doesn’t work… maybe I can treat their PTSD with my powers.
“Please, tell me the rest of the story.”
At the Deputy Director’s request, the Knight Commander nodded.
“Alright. From now on, I will share the story of how I ended up like this.”