CHAPTER 13: SAVE YOURSELF

In the end, I lost to Emilia. Although I managed to hit her head two times, she finished me off without holding back even a little. The courtyard now has three holes on its ground thanks to her trying to break me.

"Fuu…It has really been a while."

Still, I am somehow happy. To make a woman of her caliber sweat so much from practice definitively means I am reaching it.

"Don't you always train like this?"

"Nah, not really. Hrnngh…" She stretches her arms up and her sweaty clothes reveal her body. She has absolutely no scars on it. That's impressive for a warrior like her. "You shouldn't stare this much. I am still a woman, you know."

"Sorry. It's just that I noticed you have no scars even though you are this strong."

"Ah…Well, most of my scars are emotional. But as for the physical ones, we Valkyrie are granted a special ointment by the church that makes even the most villainous scars disappear. As they say, the servant of the god of law and balance must be immaculate at all times."

"I see. An ornament, then."

"Basically, yes. Though a strong one as well. But you seem to be taking it very well. When I told the same thing to Sarah, she went crazy saying that it is unacceptable for people to treat other people like that."

"She simply doesn't know it exists in our world as well. Or she is trying to deny it. And even if I am against it, what can I do? Change the values and beliefs of people who have been living like that for centuries? Then, I would be the same as that god who forces you to do what you do."

"Hm…Are you one of those?" She starts glaring at me intensely and smiles.

"One of those what?" What is she talking about?

"People like Telestal. They always think you yourself can change your situations.

That's part of the reason why he became the one in charge of the border. He told the king that summoning doesn't resolve the problem, it simply postpones it and it gives us little time to rest."

"Isn't he completely right?"

"He might be but just like us, he has no clues on how to end this once and for all, therefore, he was almost regarded as a heretic. The only thing that saved him was because he decided to defend the border until he dies. Else, he would have surely been executed."

"I see." Perhaps that's why he felt so alike.

He did look like someone who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders but I didn't think it was to that extent. And from the look of things, Emilia and Telestal are involved in something dramatic, which means that he is clearly not the perfect candidate to teach me. And yet, he found the time to do so…

"The sun is setting. I think it is time for us to leave. If we want the capital before sunrise, we will have to move soon." Emilia looks at the butler who nods and leaves silently. Now that I think about it, I don't see any of her personal guards. Where are they?

"I see. I will go and wake up the sleepy head upstairs."

"Please do. And be gentle with her. She might not show it but she cares a lot about you."

"She has no need to and that's the problem."

I go upstairs and the door is still locked. This time, however, the maid gives me the keys and I open the room. Once inside, I find Sarah sleeping on my head as she owns it. Her hair is spread on the bed like she is a model or something. Her legs are revealed enough for this to become a weird situation.

"You are not sleeping, are you?"

"…"

She doesn't answer but it is obvious she is not sleeping. No one falls asleep in this awkward position. What's more, the rhythm of your breathing has changed. What game are you playing now?

I take the glass of water from my table then I go to the bed and pour some in her ear.

"Hyaa!!! What are you doing?!!" She stands up while trying to slap me. As I thought, she wasn't asleep. I dodge her slap but because the bed is stable, I end up falling backward. "Watch out!"

And what is even more awkward is that she follows me. Now I have to prevent her from falling as well.

"You are a real handful." I block her with one hand and stop my fall with the other. "Being capricious isn't a quality, just so you know."

"Because being a pervert is one?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your hand." Only now do I notice that I grabbed her breast without looking. I release her after coming back up and she just stays silent the whole time.

"Emilia said it is time for you guys to leave."

"So that's the first thing you say after grabbing a maiden's breast. Is it arrogance? Or are you really that clueless?"

"I apologize if I have vexed you somehow. Now, please, it is time for you to leave."

"I didn't know you hated me this much." She leaves my bed slowly and with great effort. When she stands up, she looks back at me as if hoping that I would say otherwise. Sigh…

"I don't hate you. But I am not used to staying with people. You have seen it. You know it. So, don't hope that it will be different here. I will be alone here, as I have always been, as it should be."

"It shouldn't be like this. No one deserves to be alone."

"I didn't say I deserved it. I said it should be like this."

"If you are alone then who will come to save you?"

"Aha…." You just asked it the same way I did when he told this. "Ahahaha!!!"

"What is so funny?! I am serious here!!"

"Sorry, sorry. I know you were being serious. It's just that I was reminded of something."

"You are really weird, black bear. Anyway, I am leaving. I will see you in the capital, right?"

"Yeah, I will surely go there at some point."

"Good. It's a promise then."

"If you say so."

"It's not if I say so," she comes back to me and shows me her pinky finger, "it is a promise. Say it."

I show my pinky finger as well since I guess this is what she wants me to do and she grabs it with her own. Her face is close enough for us to feel each other's breath.

"It's a promise." She can be really pushy when she wants to.

"Good." Sarah leaves like a storm, as if she just receives something she couldn't wait anymore to have.

"A real busybody." A promise is nothing more than words anyway. Though I guess I will really have to go to the capital at some point.

***

After Sarah and Emilia's departure, one of the butlers comes to me and shows me a piece of cloth.

"What is this?"

"Those are the claws of the bear which was brought by the valkyrie. As they are very solid and hard, we thought it would be good for you to have them." As he says that, he removes the cloth, revealing the fangs that are shining black. Unlike what I remember, they are long and thick. Each of them is as long as my hand.

"Wouldn't it be better to give them to Telestal?"

"Master would surely want you to have them as well."

"I see. Give them to the blacksmith who came here then. Also, tell him I have finished what he wanted so I hope he will keep his end of the bargain."

"I will, Sir."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, do you guys know how to cook bear's meat. It has been a while since I last ate it." Quite a while, in fact.

"We certainly do, sir. Would you like us to prepare a meal for you?"

"Yeah. I would like to remember the taste of that day."

"That day?"

"Don't worry about it."