Chapter 72

Breathing heavily, the five of them, their faces pale, continued to shout.

"Was it on purpose!? Did someone incite you to deliberately cause this incident to frame me!? Who are you siding with! How much did you get paid!? How much did it take for you to betray me!?"

"It's not true...! It's a misunderstanding! We were thinking about Captain Sarell..."

"If you were thinking about me, you wouldn't have done such a foolish thing! I never thought I would be betrayed even by you, whom I trusted! Now I'll be called 'the burden of the Deraemon Duke Family' again!"

"I'm sorry, but we really didn't betray Captain Sarell..."

The five of them, including Wance, knelt on the floor, their faces pale, denying that they had betrayed Captain Sarell. They must have wanted him to believe them no matter what.

But Captain Sarell was furious and wouldn't listen. Watching the five of them, who he respected, being accused of something they didn't do, I felt a bit sympathetic. What they did was wrong, and trying to undermine the sub-commander and attacking everyone with swords during the assault was unforgivable, but it was pitiful to see them suspected of betrayal by Captain Sarell.

And it was also pitiful for Captain Sarell to be in a position where he couldn't trust his subordinates. Even I, who had just met them, could tell that there was a strong bond between them.

I, still confused, barked "kyan kyan!" to match Captain Sarell's shouting, and when he turned his attention to me, panting, I said:

"Captain Sarell, why can't you believe them? Their methods were wrong, but they really wanted to help you. These five really like you."

I wanted him to not doubt that.

Then, following me, the sub-commander also spoke.

"Mil is right. These five acted out of genuine admiration for you. I also had a hard time not suspecting people until I went to the northern fortress, but not everything is driven by schemes and power, as we saw in the noble society we grew up in. Not everyone who admires you is motivated by power or money."

Captain Sarell fell silent, listening to the advice. Then, looking down at the five, he said in a calm voice:

"I see... You're right. These five are not the kind of people who would be swayed by money..."

After swallowing his shock and confusion, he quietly urged them:

"Explain from the beginning. What did you do?"

Wance began to speak in a stiff voice:

"...When we were instructed to go and welcome Commander Gauss and Sub-commander Cromwell, I thought that if Sub-commander Cromwell were gone, Captain Sarell would get the position of 'Sub-commander of the Northern Fortress' as he wished, and could connect with the Snow Spirit. Furthermore, I considered Commander Gauss, who often clashed with Captain Sarell, to be a hindrance. So, I thought about how to trap them..."

"True, Sarell and I did clash, but it was always for the sake of the country and the knights."

The commander sighed, and Wance, looking apologetically at the commander, continued, looking down:

"At first, we planned to pretend to be bandits and steal their belongings. If the commander and sub-commander, who are such important figures, had all their clothes and money stolen, they would become a laughingstock in the knights' guild..."

"Unfortunately, I've already been a laughingstock. Years ago, I was drunk in the city and a woman I was drinking with stole my money."

The commander, for some reason, puffed out his chest and interjected, but:

"My subordinate is speaking, so please be quiet for a moment."

Captain Sarell glared at him, and the commander pouted. It wasn't cute. I imagined they probably had similar exchanges at every meeting.

In this strange atmosphere, Wance continued, hesitantly:

"So, we dressed in black and disguised ourselves, waiting for the commander at the entrance to Gorda. However, before we found the commander, we noticed the two spirit children. We saw them change into human form on the embankment, so we knew they weren't just animals. We also realized that the commander and sub-commander were behind them, and guessed that the white one was the Snow Spirit child and the red one was the Fire Spirit child. So, we changed our plan and decided to kidnap the spirit children. If the spirit children were kidnapped, the sub-commander would lose the trust of the spirits and would definitely have to leave the Northern Fortress."

"I see. It seems you really acted for my sake."

Captain Sarell nodded once and then said:

"...You are indeed my subordinates. It was a good plan. However, it was poorly executed. If you were going to commit a crime, you should have thoroughly prepared and made sure you wouldn't be caught."

"Yes, I'm sorry."

As Wance and the others bowed their heads, the commander muttered, "What are you apologizing for..."

"Sarell, what are you teaching them? I hope you're not doing any of these crimes in secret."

"Perhaps, who knows?"

The commander wasn't really asking, and Captain Sarell seemed to be joking.

"Stand up, all of you. We're going back to headquarters. I need to decide your punishment. And I also have to take responsibility for supervising you."

When Captain Sarell called to Wance, the five of them bowed their heads again, saying, "I'm sorry," but Captain Sarell was smiling, as if something had clicked.

"It's fine. I also suspected you of betrayal. But now, strangely, I feel good. Maybe it's because I realized how much you admire me. ...Hehehe, do you know? My older brother isn't admired by the people in the mansion or the citizens at all. My father wasn't either. Hehehe... I have something they don't."

Seeing Captain Sarell's continuous smile, the five of them, including Wance, looked at each other and relaxed a bit.

When we all went outside, the one-eyed knight and Kicks were just leading the five thugs, their wrists tied, down a narrow alley towards us. The yellow-green light floating nearby was the fairy Hyliris.

The sub-commander, still holding me, approached the one-eyed knight and briefly explained that Captain Sarell wasn't the mastermind. Kicks, surprised, said, "Is that so?" and looked a bit guilty. I felt the same way, having suspected Captain Sarell. I might lick his cheek to apologize later.

"We're going to take Captain Sarell with us and bring these five to headquarters."

"Then these five should come with us too..."

As Kicks looked back at the five thugs, Captain Sarell also led Wance and the others towards us.

Kicks was slightly tense, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact with Captain Sarell. It seemed that even though he wasn't deeply involved, for Kicks, who was a new recruit, Captain Sarell was a strict and intimidating superior officer.

Kicks hurriedly brushed off the dirt on his uniform and tried to avoid meeting Captain Sarell's eyes. It was kind of funny.

I thought Captain Sarell would pass by without noticing Kicks, but he stopped and said:

"Kicks, you seem to be doing well at the Northern Fortress. ...I caused you trouble this time. Grail too."

Captain Sarell turned to Kicks and the one-eyed knight, briefly spoke to them, and then left, followed by Wance and the others.

"Captain Sarell remembered me... I thought he didn't even know my name..."

"Me too..."

Kicks and the one-eyed knight, with their mouths agape, watched Captain Sarell leave. They both seemed surprised to be called by name.

Captain Sarell, while favoring Wance and the others, didn't completely ignore the other subordinates. He might be difficult to like and pursue power, but he wasn't a completely bad person.

"...Hyliris? Is something wrong?"

I asked, as she was perched on the sub-commander's shoulder, watching Captain Sarell's back.

"No, nothing's wrong."

Hyliris, still in bird form, shrugged and replied.

Thank you for reading this far! The story is scheduled to conclude on February 9th, so please stay with us for a little longer.