297. Because I don’t ask about my happiness (7)
‘To be able to mess with the captain… means that even if you can’t do it, you can be at the level of a corps commander…’ Even though
I know that appeasing the captain comes first, I keep using my brain to choose candidates without realizing it. do. Cleter quietly frowned at the list of candidates that came to mind.
How could a mere human being, not even a hero, touch the commander of the corps? Unless you are confident that you can completely kill it without leaving a trace, you should not touch it carelessly.
‘I can’t cause trouble to the captain.’
The priority is to know the reason.
It’s outdoors right now, but there’s no problem. Milan, who had fallen back as if he wanted to leave the rest to him, was threatening and biting the employees who were passing by from a distance, so it would be more efficient to be conscious of the gaze of others and comfort the captain at a time when he is anxious.
I carefully placed it on the pile of clothes and called to him.
“Leader.”
“….”
Deonhardt did not answer.
Why why? Meaningless words linger in my mouth. This was a question about Dan, who remained steadfast until the end, and at the same time a question about himself, who was more agitated than expected.
And the answer to the latter question was not difficult to find.
‘…I guess I depended on him… more than I thought.’
Because his purpose was clear, he was more trustworthy than a clumsy trust relationship.
Even though I know he doesn’t have any good feelings towards me, he’s one of the few people I can relate to in a funny way… and my spiritual support.
I think I just thought it was convenient because I could use it without worrying about anything, but I don’t know when it got to this point. Deon burst out laughing.
“…Leader…?”
As the pile of clothes shakes, Cleter calls him again. As soon as the movement stopped, two hands suddenly shot out from the pile of clothes and grabbed Cleter by the collar.
It was a collar grab, almost as if he was holding on to the last remaining string.
“Big…”
“You guys.”
“….”
“Don’t abandon me.”
A desperate voice rang between them.
Cleter, who was blinking quietly as if a little surprised, felt the hand holding his collar gain strength and smiled and covered Deon’s hand. He held the hand that was about to fall off with a little force and answered in an infinitely kind voice.
“You’re worrying so much.”
At this moment, the other guys probably feel the same way.
“How do you abandon your family?”
“…I didn’t mean that.”
“I know.”
I realized it from the gesture of desperately clinging to you as if you were the only one left and the words telling you not to throw it away. Since I had already heard about Dan’s accident, I was able to understand the situation even faster.
Dan is dead.
No matter how you look at it, it was a situation where death was inevitable. At that moment, mixed emotions passed through my heart. But does that mean I have to be swayed by my emotions in front of a collapsed captain? Cletor quietly gritted his teeth and patted the back of Deon’s hand.
“You know that our lives are precious.”
Even we, who came to the Demon World and rarely spent time with Dan, were in such a state of confusion. How would the captain feel, having had many conversations with him right next to him? In particular, since this is a demon world where there is no one to lean on comfortably, it may not have been at the level of simply ‘feeling attached’.
Cleter spoke emphatically, feeling something he couldn’t even imagine.
“I won’t die without a captain.”
“…okay.”
All he could do was offer reassurance, even if it was unconfirmable, and even though Deon knew this, he had no choice but to believe it.
***
While Deon Hardt was still buried in a pile of clothes, and Cletor and other members of the Lofty Knights were comforting him, there was a commotion a short distance away.
“Oh well. Didn’t I tell you no!”
“Come back later!”
It seems like the captain has finally calmed down. What’s all the fuss about?
Cleter, who was giving his arms to Deon, turned his head. Among the people surrounding them, you can see colleagues on one side baring their teeth and trying to kick someone out. And the person standing in front of him is….
“1st Corps Commander…?”
Deon, who was leaning his forehead against his chest, flinched at the voice that came out unconsciously.
However, Cleter’s blood pressure rose at the actions of his colleagues who dared to growl at the 1st Corps commander, so he did not notice and frowned.
‘No, even if I send it back, what’s the benefit of being a little more polite?’
What if my head gets blown off like that?
It’s only been an hour since I promised I wouldn’t die, but I’m already starting to break my promise.
I feel like I want to rush over and intervene right away, but the captain is still leaning in my arms. Cleter was afraid of what kind of cracks might arise in his ice craft-like heart if he passed it on to someone else, so he couldn’t move at all and nervously chewed his lips.
I heard their conversation.
“It’s important. I would have said it was announced in advance.”
“But not now. Come back later.”
“Is that definitely the opinion of Commander 0 Corps?”
“…Not really.”
“Then I would like to ask you for your opinion. In the first place, isn’t it absurd for a subordinate to arbitrarily block other people’s visits?”
Surprisingly, the 1st Corps commander was not angry. He simply responded to the words of the Lofty Knights with a calm attitude and steadfastly maintained his position.
Should I call this patience or tenacity?
The people who were dealing with the correct statement fell silent as if they were speechless.
‘What if I keep my mouth shut there?’
It’s a straight argument, it’s naive, and we have to stop it even if it means insisting on it.
Are you going to show this to the 1st Corps commander? To the demons next to the demon king?
Cleter’s face twisted in frustration. While I was wondering what to do about this, Deon, who had been silent the whole time, raised his head. The pile of clothes on top of my head fell down, revealing a dry face without any moisture.
“it’s okay.”
“…Leader?”
“You had an appointment, right?”
Jaykar overheard a conversation with Dernivan, commander of the 5th Corps, at the banquet hall the other day. Nevertheless, we passed by without saying anything and said we would see each other again soon. Since then, he has remained silent until now.
So I was waiting, wondering why it was like that.
‘I didn’t know it would be today.’
I got up from my seat and adjusted my clothes.
Pick up the outer clothes that have fallen off and put them back on. The other mad dogs each found their own clothes and put them back on.
After confirming that there was no problem, they moved aside to clear the way, and Deon calmly walked away. It seemed as if he had just gathered his composure, and it looked completely different from his precarious gait just a moment ago.
I approached the people who were still arguing with Jaykar and tapped their shoulders.
“I’m out of my mind, but who… is the leader!?”
“It’s true that Jaykar decided to come and I told him in advance, so get out of the way.”
“Is that so? But…”
Are you sure you don’t mind? You showed me that a little while ago.
The words that I could not bear to say because the 1st Corps Commander was in front of me appeared in my eyes. Deon chuckled.
“are you okay.”
“…”
“And who cares about whom? How dare you stand in front of the 1st Corps Commander and raise your voice?”
“ah.”
He is the commander of the 1st Corps and no one else. If Jaykar’s patience hadn’t been longer than expected, these guys’ heads would have fallen off long ago.
“Be prepared to get scolded later.”
Since the 1st Corps Commander is in front of us, we cannot just ignore it. Deon growled softly.
To the tune, the members of the Lofty Knights retreat, looking depressed. Deon looked back at Jaykar.
“I apologize for my subordinates’ rudeness.”
“It is not a crime to be highly loyal, but for your own sake, I would like you to be careful about exceeding your authority.”
“Be mindful.”
It was because the situation was special. Those guys know how to follow the line, but there’s no need to say that in detail. I lightly agreed and passed it on.
Rather than that.
“I didn’t expect you to come visit me now.”
“I think now is the best time.”
Wary eyes scanned Jaykar as if searching. He could have been nervous in many ways because the other person, who seemed to be in a bad mood, was looking at him, but he remained calm.
Deon opened his mouth.
“What’s going on?”
“First… let’s spar. I’ve never visited you without any reason, so if we just talk like this and go back, everyone will be curious about what we talked about.”
This means that a smokescreen is needed to hide it.
If interpreted differently, it means that the conversation to be held in the future is secret. Considering the weight of what he heard, it’s natural… but I don’t think that’s the only reason.
What on earth are you trying to say?
“…Follow me.”
Despite his doubts and wariness, Deon obediently led him to the training hall.
Jaykar took out the most basic sword from a weapon stand on one side, looked back at Deon, and frowned.
“…long sword?”
“that’s right.”
Deon flicked his long sword.
“Do you have any problem?”
“I thought your main weapon was a dagger.”
“That’s also true.”
“…Are you ignoring me?”
This seemed to be quite unpleasant, and there was a low, threatening voice that did not come out even when the crazy dogs were blocking the way.
No way. Deon shook his head.
“That’s not it. I used to learn swordsmanship from someone who was known to be the best with a sword in the human world, but I never used it properly. I was wondering how effective it would be in the demon world, but I was neglecting it because I didn’t have an opponent. I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”
As I became a warrior, my eyes for swords were opened, and I became curious about the swordsmanship of the 1st Corps commander.
It seems quite appealing that he learned sword fighting from the best swordsman in the human world. Jaykar’s expression relaxed a little. Deon did not miss the opportunity and smiled.
“Please understand.”
“…It doesn’t really matter since the purpose was conversation anyway. I guess I was sensitive.”
He holds his sword and takes a stance. It looked like it was about to start, but Deon raised his hand to stop it.
“And before we start, there’s something I want to tell you in advance.”
“…?”
“It was bad timing.”
It happened when I was in the worst mood.
He probably expected this too. So, it is right to be prepared for this as well. Deon grinned and raised his sword.
“Please understand if it’s a little rough.”
“…ah.”
Only then did Jaykar understand Deon’s intention and nodded.
“Of course.”
The two swords became intertwined as if they had been waiting.
When Deon slashed the spot where Jaykar had been, Jaykar was no longer there.
As expected from the fairy tribe, he walks with a light pace. Jaykar, who stepped on the swung blade and was quickly out of Deon’s attack range, kicked the ground again and counterattacked. The swordsmanship, which seemed as elegant as his gait, was unexpectedly destructive.
‘They say the reason for using a basic sword is to steal the enemy’s sword and use it on the battlefield.’
Surely, if it goes like this, the sword won’t last long and is likely to break.
It feels like a suppressed beast running amok. It has a similar feel to Stigma Primiro, but is more raw, destructive, and vicious than that.
An ominous feeling touched my skin, as if I was definitely going to see blood.
‘Considering the difference between a weapon you are familiar with and a weapon you are not familiar with, you probably had no choice but to choose a common type of weapon that can be replenished immediately on the spot.’
Deon, convinced in his heart, changed his movements a little.
The sword’s movements become more fluid, as if the joke ends here. Although it moved as smoothly as water and parried away attacks, at some point it was swung with great force. Jaykar was secretly impressed, as that single moment of attack had the potential to split even Mount Tai.
“It’s definitely not something to be taken lightly just because it’s not your main weapon.”
“I will accept compliments gratefully.”
After that, several sword strikes took place.
Jaykar, who had been swinging his sword in silence, slowly lowered his momentum as if this was enough. Deon, who noticed this with his keen sense of standing, also slightly relaxed his swing of the sword.
Jaykar opened his mouth as he continued his sparring, which had a more formal feel.
“But thanks to that guy carrying everything, there are few corps commanders who doubt you.”
