WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

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◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 2 Ch. 22: I Want to ×× with You

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In a carriage heading from Grandrium toward the Reyel Holy District, Matthew, a subordinate of the Holy Knight Oswald Gregory, looked out the window.

"That was a Gray Knight just now, wasn't it? Theo, and... was the other one Carla?"

Oswald strained his eyes, but he could not pick Theo and the others out of the crowd. Matthew had only noticed them because his eyesight was exceptionally good.

"They can go out in Grandrium without a Holy Knight watching them... What a luxury for Mad Walkers."

"That started after the chokers were introduced, right? The Holy Maiden of Creation was involved..."

"Yes."

Oswald answered with a grim expression and folded his arms.

The current commander of the Gray Knights had somehow gained the Holy Maiden's cooperation. That was not something even the higher-ups of the Reyel Holy District could easily accomplish.

"The current commander of the Gray Knights is no ordinary person. They must be terrifyingly shrewd, with both skill and influence... At the very least, there is no doubt they have Crown Prince Richard's backing."

The Gray Knights' current commander had their entire background concealed, and apparently only a few senior figures in the Reyel Holy District knew their identity.

Moreover, the Gray Knights belonged to the Erington Army, where Crown Prince Richard, the First Prince, held real power. In other words, those Mad Walkers were also the First Prince's spearhead.

The Reyel Holy District held an almost complete monopoly over the Blessed who could stand against Termea.

That was why the First Prince likely wanted forces capable of fighting Termea besides the Blessed.

Eventually, the carriage arrived at the Reyel Holy District.

The investigation into the Termea that had appeared in Rejilna and the neighboring village was still ongoing.

There had been one Fourth Grade Termea capable of controlling puppets, along with five victims who had been cursed by it and turned into Termea.

What mattered was matching the missing people against those who had become Termea. If even one person was overlooked, a Termea would be left roaming free.

The number of Termea Oswald's group had defeated matched the total number of victims, but just in case, Holy Knights would patrol the surrounding area for a while.

Oswald had returned to the Holy Knight Order headquarters in the Reyel Holy District to make that report.

"Somehow, it's noisier than usual."

As he stepped into the headquarters, Oswald looked around. It did not seem as though they were stirred up over his return.

Matthew, whose hearing was sharp, spoke quietly.

"...It seems they're making a fuss over a new recruit."

Being a cautious man, Oswald Gregory had naturally reviewed the list of new recruits.

"Was there anyone worth making this much noise over?"

"I could only hear bits and pieces, but apparently someone received special favor and is becoming Commander Randolph's squire..."

"What!?"

Oswald's eyes widened. Elbert Randolph, commander of the First Knight Division, was the only hero in the world to possess three blessings, and he was Oswald's superior.

（No one told me about this... What nobleman's son is it?）

There was no way someone could become that hero's squire without following the proper procedures unless a noble family had forced them in.

As his anger at the unfairness mounted, someone spoke to Oswald.

"Hey, that scar on your face... Could you be Mr. Oz?"

Oswald jolted. He had not noticed the person approaching.

Standing before him was a brown-haired young man with gentle features. The moment Oswald wondered who he was, the old scar running diagonally across his face throbbed.

Eight years ago, during the training of Holy Knight apprentices, a certain nine-year-old boy had drawn attention.

That boy was Blessed with two blessings, but he had been an obnoxious little shit who looked down on everyone around him. Even so, he had been strong as a devil, and fifteen-year-old Oswald had not stood a chance against him. Oswald had received his facial scar then. That was why he had become so cautious.

"You're... surely..."

The boy who had once looked down coldly on others smiled warmly.

"Yes. Starting today, I'm a knight apprentice, Allen Lawrence."

Oswald desperately stopped himself from crying out, Devil!

Allen Lawrence was a devil. Blessed with overwhelming talent, he was a problem child who could not understand other people's feelings and carelessly trampled on their hearts.

The boy who had crushed Oswald's pride, then left the Reyel Holy District without ever becoming a Holy Knight, had now grown up and was standing before him. What else could this be but a nightmare?

（But is he really the same person...?）

The Allen Oswald knew had been a child with a practiced sneer. Back then, Allen had looked down on everyone around him and kept treating Oswald with utter contempt, despite Oswald being six years older.

Seeing that Allen smile so cheerfully and affably now was honestly sickening.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see you at the welcome party, Mr. Oz."

"...Welcome party?"

"Yes, they gave me a slightly rough welcome, but I accidentally sent every one of them to the infirmary."

"............"

Holy Knights were meant to be noble knights who served God, but some of them were poorly behaved.

It seemed those types had envied Allen for becoming Elbert's squire, tried to give him a violent initiation, and been beaten instead.

Allen smiled shyly.

"I'm not good with words, so it was a relief they resorted to violence."

This was exactly the kind of person he was. No matter how pleasant his outward appearance was, it seemed he had not changed much inside.

Oswald turned his face away from Allen. That smiling face was a visual assault.

"We have only just returned from Rejilna. Sorry, but we're in a hurry, so save the old stories for later."

When Oswald answered curtly, Allen's voice brightened.

"Rejilna! ...Then it was you, Mr. Oz. The one who fought Termea alongside my little brother."

"Your... little brother?"

What was he suddenly talking about? As Oswald stood confused, Allen said with a smile,

"Theo. One of the Gray Knights."

"............"

"Tell me about Theo later, all right?"

A nightmare. The Nightmare Brothers, Oswald thought blankly.

* * *

Grandrium had areas of varying elevation, and after climbing a set of stone-paved stairs, there was a place with a clear view of Gordreil Castle.

At the top of the stairs, Lenny rolled out of Theo's pocket with a plop. It was a sly fluffball that had made its owner do all the hard work of climbing.

But Theo was so moved by the wonderful view that he did not even mind his companion's laziness.

"Wow... It's sooooo amazing..."

Gordreil Castle was an imposing castle with a particularly long history in Erington. It had originally been built as a fortress, but repeated expansions and renovations had incorporated both old and new styles into its current form.

Once the king's residence and the center of politics, it remained royal property even after the political center moved to Valgan Palace. It was apparently being used by Crown Prince Richard, the Prince of Rukeion.

As Theo gazed at Gordreil Castle, his chest throbbed for some reason.

（What is this? It feels so familiar, but... it's different from the one I know...）

"Meuu."

Lenny was hopping around at his feet. Theo picked Lenny up and held the little creature against his chest.

"Look, Lenny. They say that's Gordreil Castle."

"...Beyond the Red Steel Bridge beside Gordreil Castle is the Reyel Holy District... and that blue roof is the Great Cathedral. Beyond it are the Holy Knight Order headquarters and the Papal See."

At Carla's explanation, Theo's heart leaped.

"Lord Elbert is over there!"

If it was the Reyel Holy District, then perhaps Allen had arrived by now.

（I wonder if Allen's doing well. I hope he hasn't eaten so much that everyone around him is exasperated... Well, he'll manage. He's Allen.）

Allen was a true genius with a sword, an incredible person with the qualities of a hero. Surely, the Holy Knight Order had warmly welcomed him by now.

Welcome, Allen. You are a hero of the next generation!

After taking in the view to his heart's content, Theo thanked Carla.

"Carla, thank you for today. I had a lot of fun."

They had walked through the row of food stalls and eaten jam-filled baked treats, watched street performers, and found a bookstore where Theo had nearly lost track of time. It had truly been a wonderful time.

Carla had not actively said that she wanted to do this or that, but had she enjoyed herself?

（Was I the only one having fun?）

As Theo worried about it now, Carla looked steadily at him.

When Theo had first met Carla, she always wore a vague, unfocused expression.

Having lived so long, she had repeatedly turned over precious memories in her mind so she would not forget them. Unless she was on a mission to fight Termea, she had probably spent all her time drifting through memories.

But now, she looked to the present more than the past. Was it conceited of Theo to feel that way?

Carla lowered her eyes a little. It did not seem as though she was drifting through memories, but rather facing something within herself.

"I used to think only about not forgetting precious memories, but..."

"Yeah."

"I thought I would try making... new memories."

Theo would surely be among the new memories Carla made. What a wonderful thought.

As Theo's heart leaped, Carla lightly jumped onto the guardrail.

"Carla, don't climb up there. It's dangerous."

"I..."

As Theo approached, Carla reached out her hand as if peering down at him from above. For some reason, the distance between them felt familiar.

The girl looking down at Theo whispered softly.

"I want to... with you."

At that moment, a bell announcing three in the afternoon rang over Carla's voice.

"Sorry, Carla. What did you say...?"

Carla jumped down from the railing and looked at Theo.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?"

Theo felt as though she had dodged the question. But if Carla did not want him to press further, it felt wrong to ask any more.

Carla did not seem very good at lying or evading questions. Persistently pressing someone like that felt mean.

"I've seen everything I wanted to see, so shall we head back a little early?"

They had already finished shopping for the requested items, somewhat rare seasonings and indulgences such as coffee beans.

Theo was fundamentally a well-behaved boy, so he did not intend to play until the last possible moment. In times like this, it was better to leave plenty of room in the schedule.

But Carla visibly panicked.

"N-no!"

It was an unusual degree of fluster for normally calm Carla.

As Theo stared at her in confusion, Carla let her gaze wander.

"Um, being early is... no good..."

It seemed she had some reason she could not tell Theo.

Maybe guests, or someone important, would be coming to Cinder House.

"All right. Then let's adjust things so we can get back five minutes before the scheduled time."

Theo had a secretary's knack for adjusting schedules like that.

At his suggestion, Carla looked deeply relieved.

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