WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Asakusa
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Knight Commander of the Doomed Heroes ◈
Chapter 12: Peaceful Days (7)
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“How is it?”
Harin noona tilted her head, and her long, straight hair slipped over her shoulder. It was so black and glossy that it reminded me of obsidian. If I plucked out a single strand and showed it to anyone, they would probably say, “Sir Harin?” There was no other hair like it in the world. Mine was black too, but it didn’t have that shine.
That special shine probably came from her extraordinarily high-order magical power affecting her body.
“Hmm... Is it not very good?” she asked again.
I quickly took a small spoonful of the mint cheese soup she had made for me.
“Mmm!”
Honestly, the taste was questionable.
The key to mint cheese soup was controlling the heat, the seasoning, and the ever-changing mint aroma. Get those wrong, and the flavor simply wouldn’t come together.
Soup made with poor heat control or badly balanced mint even had its own insulting nickname: “millionaire soup.” It meant, how rich did you have to be to waste expensive mint and cheese making food like this?
In that sense, her soup was perfect millionaire soup.
It tasted awful.
I honestly expressed how I felt.
“Wow! This is the best! It’s so good! How did you know I liked mint cheese soup?”
My acting should have been flawless.
“You don’t like it, do you?”
“What? No. It’s really good.”
“No, it isn’t. You’re not enjoying it.”
She took the bowl away.
“No! My soup! Give it back! Harin noona made that for me!”
I struggled to resist, but she held me down with a hand on my head.
“Revel? Don’t worry. I brought my master along in case this happened. Master! Help!”
The dining room door suddenly opened. Then the scent of real mint cheese soup gave my nose a sharp little tap.
“Huh?”
I turned toward it as though under a spell. A middle-aged woman approached with a bowl of mint cheese soup and set it before me.
A soft, fluffy texture, like a soft-boiled egg yolk.
A faint touch of mint at the end of a rich, savory aroma.
Like sunlight and shadow, the different scents crossed, bringing each other into sharper focus and making each other feel new.
“You little rascal. Your eyes lit up the moment the real thing arrived.”
Noona. Just a moment. I needed to eat this.
I picked up my spoon and took a mouthful.
Ah. Why did I feel like crying?
The woman’s voice reached my ears.
“Sweetheart, the hero is very fond of you. She went around asking everyone what food you might like. And she practiced so hard. It even made me jealous.”
“Ah! Master, why would you say... No, it wasn’t like that.”
“Of course it was. I saw it all. So remember this, sweetheart. The food didn’t turn out well, but that’s only because it’s so difficult to make. It wasn’t because she didn’t put in the effort. Just think how hard she must have looked to find me. She even found out where your parents were from, then came to me because I was from the same place.”
At those words, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Uuugh. Hic. Hiiiii...”
I burst into tears.
Even as I cried, my spoon never stopped.
Mint cheese soup was something Mom used to make for me.
I could only have it on special days, when I had done something worth praising.
My favorite food.
Harin noona had found that exact taste for me.
Just for me.
It made me feel like someone special.
No. I think that was the first time I had ever thought it.
That I could become someone special too.
“Hic. Noona. When I grow up, I’ll help you. So you won’t have to fight alone. No, I’ll just fight instead. You can rest. Okay? Yeah? Hic. I really will.”
“All right. Make sure you do.”
Harin noona smiled and gently stroked my hair.
* * *
“...”
A dream.
It had been a dream.
I blinked my eyes open. The world felt unfamiliar.
Where was I?
When was it?
Where was Harin noona?
I blinked.
And blinked again.
Ah.
She was gone now.
...
Gone.
Then this place was...
Right. A twisted angel had appeared.
For the first time, we had challenged it with our own strength, without a hero...
And won.
We had won.
At last. With our own strength.
Instead of the heroes. Us. Me.
...
I had finally kept that old promise.
But the person I had made it to was gone. Had been for so long...
...
I sat bolt upright!
“Ugh...”
At once, terrible pain spread from my arm through my entire body. It felt as though flames were raging across me.
“Ghh...”
Bandages were wrapped thickly around my arm and body.
Now I remembered.
The sphere of magical power had eaten away my armor, and my skin had rotted and fallen off. My arm, which I had used to shield my face, had been left in especially bad shape.
“You idiot. Lie back down.”
A cold hand gently pushed me back onto the bed. The chill spreading from its touch eased the pain a little.
I knew who it was without even seeing her face.
That cool hand.
That cascade of red hair.
It was Helian.
Helian Ionia.
The Commander-in-Chief, who held military authority over Estel. My closest friend.
“I used a Deterioration Resistance spell and a Super Regeneration spell. Moving won’t make your injuries worse... but try to stay as still as possible for the month it’ll take you to heal. They won’t get worse, but they’ll hurt several times as much.”
“Helian. How’s the Order? Wounded. Dead.”
“Of course. That’s the first thing you ask.”
“Tell me. What’s the situation?”
“Seventy-eight lightly wounded. Nine seriously wounded. No deaths.”
“Ah.”
“No deaths. Don’t worry.”
“Thank goodness...”
Relief.
And pride.
Helian quietly looked down at me.
Come to think of it, it felt as though it had been a very long time since we had been alone together like this.
Perhaps because I had only just woken up, it almost felt as though we were children again.
“Revel. Congratulations. You really did it. You killed a twisted angel with human strength. You proved it was possible.”
“...Thank you.”
“And you gained quite a lot from it.”
“Gained...?”
“Touch this.”
She held out a cube that gave off a faint, milky-white glow.
“...Don’t tell me. Is that part of an angel’s corpse?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it that color? There’s no metallic sheen. It almost looks alive.”
“Just touch it.”
Why did she keep telling me to touch it?
“An angel’s corpse is hard and cold any...”
Squish.
“Huh?”
A mischievous smile spread across Helian’s lips.
“Now channel some magical power into it.”
“The amplification rate must have increased.”
“Go on. Channel some into it.”
I did.
And the magical power that returned...
Dooooong!
“Wha...?”
“Pahahahaha!”
Helian laughed loudly, pointing at my face.
But I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
“This... How much is it amplifying it? Five times? Can it really be this good...?”
“Yes. With that, you should be able to make just about anything. For now, I’ve sent samples to the Reconstruction Corps and the Academy so we can learn more. They’ll study them properly and report back.”
“We could make the finest weapons...”
Ideas were already bursting through my mind. With material like this, we could become stronger. Much, much stronger.
“And, Revel. You gained some of the angel’s magical power too, didn’t you?”
“Ah...”
“Couldn’t that help with your research into magical power? You have two kinds inside you now.”
She was right.
I could feel two kinds of magical power.
A large amount of light magical power.
A small amount of heavy magical power.
The heavy one was the angel’s dense magical power. It was of a higher order than human magical power. Perhaps it even held secrets of magical power we had yet to discover.
“...If I study this properly, it might help us resolve the heroes’ divine affliction.”
“Yes. Your lifelong wish.”
“We really did gain a lot... At this rate, we’ll have to kill more twisted angels. Without the heroes’ help.”
“...”
Helian suddenly fell silent.
She was staring at the bandages around my arm, soaked with fluid seeping from the wounds.
“Look.”
She reached out with her cool hands and began changing the bandages.
“It’s all good. It is... but do you really have to go this far?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have to fight right at the front like that?”
“There’s no one else who can do it.”
“I know... But it’s too dangerous. Can’t you stay in the rear? Why do you have to go out there and end up like...”
Helian bit her lip mid-sentence.
“That was out of line. Forget I said it.”
I gazed at her face, then slowly nodded. It wasn’t as though I didn’t understand how she felt.
No matter how worried we were about each other, we had to fight. In a world facing its end, those who could fight couldn’t afford to hold back to protect themselves. No matter how worried we were... Those feelings must simply have slipped out.
“Thank you.”
Helian smiled faintly, then abruptly changed the subject.
“By the way. Have you decided to go back to talking normally?”
Oh.
“...I do not know what you mean, Commander-in-Chief.”
“What? Why are you talking strangely again?”
“Enough of this nonsense.”
“What is it? At least tell me why. Why did you suddenly change the way you talk after becoming commander? It hurts, you know.”
“...”
“Tell me. Don’t I deserve even that much of an explanation?”
“...That is precisely why.”
“Hm?”
“It is because you are who you are that I am reluctant to tell you.”
“Are you trying to make me angry? I’m getting an answer. Today.”
Helian and I had competed for first and second place ever since our days at the Basic Academy. She was my rival and my closest friend, the only person I had truly clicked with.
That was why.
The words wouldn’t come easily.
But she was right. She, at least, deserved to know.
“...This is a vow I made when I became Knight Commander.”
“A vow?”
“I swore that I would do anything for the heroes.”
“Ah. Yes, I can see you doing that. But what does it have to do with how you talk?”
“I have to keep that vow. I cannot let personal feelings stop me from doing what needs to be done. So I decided to keep my dealings with everyone strictly professional. Even with you.”
“...”
Helian’s eyes wavered. She looked surprised and hurt.
I felt guilty.
“...That is why I did not want to tell you. They are not words I wanted to say to a friend who was... who is dear to me. Even so, I will not apologize.”
I felt ashamed.
Embarrassed.
Sorry.
But I accepted it.
I had sworn to give everything I had. To serve the heroes. To save them. I would look at nothing else. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.
“Ha.”
Helian let out a hearty laugh. For some reason, she seemed to feel a little better.
“You lunatic. You really are unbearable.”
“I admit it.”
Even as I admitted it, I felt too ashamed to face her, so I changed the subject.
“By the way, Commander-in-Chief. May I have a mirror?”
“A mirror? Here.”
She held one out, and I turned my face from side to side in it. Even those small movements sent fierce pain through me, making my body tremble.
“...Does it hurt? How are you going to keep that grand vow of yours if you flinch over a little pain? You idiot.”
“A fair point. I will try to endure it.”
“Ugh. You always have to have the last word.”
I barely listened to Helian’s complaint as I carefully examined my face in the mirror.
Only then did I feel relieved.
“Fortunately, there are no wounds on my face.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do not misunderstand.”
“You’re relieved you don’t have any facial scars, right in front of someone missing an eye. And you tell me not to misunderstand?”
“...In any case, that is not it.”
“It’s because of Sir Soyeon, isn’t it? You don’t want her to worry?”
“...”
“Oh, to hell with you.”
Helian threw a bandage at me. I could easily have dodged it, but I let it hit me.
* * *
Baek Soyeon had been in a good mood lately.
“This is the life.”
Exploring the city.
Taking pictures.
Eating delicious food.
Sometimes just sitting around.
A peaceful everyday life.
“This place isn’t as bad as I thought.”
Her heart was so much more at ease that it surprised her.
Baek Soyeon knew why.
“It’s all thanks to Commander Revel.”
It had only been a little over a month since they met.
Yet she already trusted him deeply.
She was simply certain.
Whatever happened, whenever it happened, he would support her and take her side.
In this unfamiliar world.
That was an incredible comfort.
So she wanted to express her gratitude properly. At least once.
“Sir Soyeon! The Commander has returned!”
“Finally!”
He’s a knight commander, not an office worker. What’s this about a business trip? Did the Order sneak off on a team-building retreat without me? How many days has he been gone?
Grumbling to herself, Baek Soyeon asked the estate’s steward, “He hasn’t eaten yet, has he?”
“No. I’m told he hasn’t.”
“Good! Tell him I’m getting a meal ready, and call him to the dining room in twenty... No, thirty minutes!”
“Yes!”
Baek Soyeon began preparing the special dish she had practiced for this day.
He was always feeding her, so she wanted to return the favor at least once.
“He really does have strange tastes, though. He likes mint cheese porridge? Even the mint-choc crowd would look at this and go, ‘Okay, that’s a bit much...’”
She grumbled, but every movement of her hands was full of care.
It had taken a lot of asking around to discover the dish Revel liked.
Mint cheese soup.
She had also gone to considerable trouble to find someone who made it exceptionally well, then worked hard to learn.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right, honored hero? Wouldn’t it be better if I came and made it for you? That’s what I did last time.”
She had worked very hard. Even so, her cooking master apparently hadn’t felt entirely confident in her abilities.
But Baek Soyeon hadn’t backed down.
“It only means something if I make it myself! I’ll give it my best shot!”
With that same resolve and enthusiasm, Baek Soyeon produced a truly perfect mint cheese porridge.
A creation all her own, which could only be called porridge rather than soup.
“Sir Soyeon. You called for me...? Wait. Is that...?”
At last, Knight Commander Revel Vieta entered the dining room and stopped dead.
The scent of mint cheese soup filled the room. The moment it brushed his nose, his eyes wavered.
“Ta-da! Surprised?”
“Did you make this yourself?”
“Yes!”
“Mint cheese soup?”
“That’s right. What do you think? I heard you liked it.”
“...”
“You do, right? Hehe. I have plenty of sources in the capital now, you know.”
Baek Soyeon smiled.
“Come on. Try it.”
Revel sat down and slowly scooped up some soup.
Slurp.
“How is it?”
“Perfect. Exactly the taste I remember... It is remarkable.”
Slurp. Slurp.
“Wow. You really are enjoying it.”
Baek Soyeon watched Revel eat.
Then her eyes suddenly settled on his hands.
Black gloves.
“What’s with the gloves? Don’t you usually take them off indoors?”
“I felt like wearing them today. ...It was cold where I went on business.”
“Ah, that makes sense. That sort of cold gets right into your bones.”
“But this soup is warming me up. You are very kind.”
“You know, Commander, you’re really good at saying embarrassing things. Are you some kind of player?”
“A player?”
“It’s a thing.”
“I see.”
“Wow. You didn’t even pull out your notebook this time. It really must be good.”
Revel kept slurping up spoonfuls of soup.
Just then, Deputy Commander Keron entered the dining room.
“Huh? Commander? I thought you weren’t going to eat. Oh, mint cheese soup. Is it good?”
Baek Soyeon welcomed them.
“Ah, have some too, Deputy Commander. I made it.”
“Wow. You made it, Sir Soyeon? What an honor.”
Keron hurried over and sat beside Revel.
Seeing how Revel kept his head down as he ate, they looked hopeful.
‘Our picky commander is eating like this? It doesn’t smell like much, but maybe the taste is different?’
Keron quickly scooped up a spoonful of mint cheese soup.
They put it in their mouth and worked it around.
Their eyes widened in shock.
“What is this? It’s textbook millionaire soup...!”
Thud!
Revel drove an elbow into Keron’s side.
“Ghk! Commander, what was that? Doesn’t your arm hurt...?”
“Shh.”
Revel simply continued to eat in silence, carefully taking one spoonful after another. As though praying. As though deep in thought. He almost looked holy.
Baek Soyeon was simply pleased.
She didn’t know.
She didn’t know that Revel’s entire body was covered in terrible injuries.
That even the smallest movement caused him agonizing pain.
The face visible above his clothes was perfectly unmarked, so she had never even imagined it.
Revel seriously savored Baek Soyeon’s millionaire soup as though pain meant nothing.
Keron, on the other hand, took only that first mouthful. Afterward, they merely pretended to eat without taking another.
Unaware of that too, Baek Soyeon rested her chin in her hands and smiled happily.
“This is so nice. So peaceful. I wish it could stay like this.”
Revel paused with his spoon halfway up.
Whatever he was thinking, a smile slowly spread across his lips.
“It really is. I wish it could stay like this.”
Slurp.
Taking another mouthful, he quietly closed his eyes. As though remembering something from long ago.
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