WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 1 Ch. 5: Retracted in Three Seconds

──────

The three angels who serve God are each said to possess the powers of 〈Destruction〉, 〈Regeneration〉, and 〈Creation〉.

In order to guide humanity rightly, the angels very rarely appear before people, granting revelations and grace so they may stand against Termea.

Those who have had a curse planted in them by a Termea are called Cursed, while those who have received an angel's grace are called Blessed.

Blessed are said to gain different powers depending on the type of grace they possess.

Those blessed by the Angel of 〈Destruction〉 gain the power to destroy Termea.

Those blessed by the Angel of 〈Regeneration〉 gain the power to heal wounds and hold back curses.

Those blessed by the Angel of 〈Creation〉 gain the power to create and materialize weapons and armor.

Among the people around Theo, Allen was Blessed by the Angel of 〈Destruction〉, while Olivia was Blessed by the Angel of 〈Regeneration〉.

And Elbert Randolph, hero of the Holy Knight Order, was the only person in the world blessed by all three angels. He was truly known as God's favored child.

＊　＊　＊

Theo had been brought to what was probably the finest room at the finest inn in the area. He sat uneasily on a plush sofa.

Before sitting down, he had brushed as much dirt as he could from his trousers. Still, he could not stop worrying that he might soil the sofa.

In front of Theo, Elbert and Beryl were preparing clean cloths and a basin of water. Theo had offered to help, but they gently brushed the offer aside.

"Hey, kid. We're going to wash those wounds first. Let me see your hands."

Beryl, a woman with dark skin and sand-colored hair, placed the basin before Theo.

"Um, I can do it myself..."

"It's fine, it's fine."

When Theo timidly held out both hands, Beryl carefully wiped the dirt from his wounds.

She seemed open and approachable. Still, what sort of position did she hold? If she was accompanying Elbert, it made sense to assume she belonged to either the Holy Knight Order or a monastic order, but she did not look like she belonged to either.

"Kid, are you a swordsman, by any chance? If so, you've got to take better care of your palms."

"What?"

Beryl pressed and kneaded the thickened patches of skin on Theo's hands with her fingers.

"These calluses are from a sword, not a pickaxe, right? Big sister can tell."

At Beryl's words, Elbert's face brightened at once.

"I see. You use a sword as well? Would you tell me your name?"

"I'm Theo."

"Theo. That is a fine name."

His admired hero, Elbert, had asked his name and praised it.

That alone made Theo's head feel as though it were boiling.

（What do I do? My admired holy knight... Hero Elbert is right in front of me...!）

There should have been so many things he wanted to ask a holy knight. But his heart was pounding so hard that he could not think of a single question.

All that came to mind was, Wow, amazing, he looks strong, he's so cool! That was it.

"Well then, that should do it. Beryl, switch places with me."

"Sure thing."

Once Beryl had washed the wounds clean, Elbert took her place.

Theo's upturned palms were still slowly seeping blood. Supporting one hand from beneath, Elbert knelt before Theo on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"Theo, may you be blessed."

The moment Elbert spoke, a pale light enveloped Theo's hand.

The pain in his palm eased, and warmth slowly spread through it.

（This is... the blessing of the Angel of 〈Regeneration〉.）

Those graced by the Angel of 〈Regeneration〉 were said to be able to hasten the healing of their own wounds. Olivia had said that her wounds healed a little faster too.

But only a handful could share that power with others as a blessing. It was not something just anyone could do.

"Give thanks to the mercy of the Angel of 〈Regeneration〉, who bears your pain."

As Elbert whispered those words, Theo's mouth moved naturally.

"Yes. I offer my deepest thanks for that mercy."

How gentle and warm was this glow that healed his palms?

When Theo had first been taken in by the Lawrence family, he once came down with a fever and felt unbearably lonely one night. He had cried, and Olivia held his hand until he fell asleep.

...It reminded him of the warmth of that hand. And, along with it, of Allen, who had prepared a ridiculously huge meal because, "If you've caught a cold, you need to eat plenty."

"It's done."

Theo, lost in the comfort of that warmth, came back to himself.

The pain in his palms was gone. When he scraped away the dried blood with his fingertips, the wounds had vanished without a trace.

"Amazing..."

Theo let out a breath of wonder at that miraculous power to share grace.

Meeting his admired Hero Elbert had already been incredible enough. Yet Elbert had even blessed him.

"Th-thank you, Lord Elbert!"

"You're welcome. May the future hold much happiness for this young swordsman."

That, on top of everything else, was more than Theo deserved.

He instinctively pressed a hand to his chest. The joy filling him felt ready to spill out in ragged pieces.

"Um, Lord Elbert, why have you come to this town?"

The moment he said it, Theo froze. In his excitement, he had blurted out the question in his mind without thinking it through.

If Elbert had come here for work, he could not possibly share the details. And if it was for personal business, prying into it would be rude.

"I-I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me. Please forgive my rudeness."

Elbert spoke with a faintly wry smile as Theo deeply regretted his words.

"No, do not worry so much. I came to this town to meet an old acquaintance."

"If you're from this town, wouldn't you know him? His name is Duncan Lawrence, a former holy knight."

At Beryl's added words, Theo sharply raised his head.

Of course he knew Duncan Lawrence. He was Allen's father.

"Duncan Lawrence died a year ago. A cold got worse..."

Elbert and Beryl widened their eyes in surprise.

Beryl muttered before she could stop herself.

"That old man had nothing going for him but toughness, and a cold..."

"Beryl."

At Elbert's reproachful voice, Beryl scratched at her short sand-colored hair.

Then she looked at Theo with the expression of a scolded dog.

"...Sorry, kid. You knew old man Duncan, didn't you? 'We give thanks for the footsteps of a great warrior. May his soul rest in peace.'"

Beryl held her index and middle fingers together and traced a Wing Cross with her fingertips.

She drew wings to either side from above, then made a vertical line from top to bottom. It was the prayer for the dead, tracing the symbol of the Wing Cross faith, said to represent the form of an angel.

The solemn manner of the two made Theo feel their respect and sorrow for the late Duncan. He cautiously asked:

"...Were you close?"

"Yes."

It was Elbert who nodded sadly.

Duncan Lawrence had left the Holy Knight Order around seven years ago. That meant Elbert had probably been around twenty at the time, before he was known as a hero.

"The reason for Sir Lawrence's retirement was his leg injury, correct? That injury... happened when he protected me."

Duncan's right leg had been a prosthetic. Theo had heard that Duncan had been cursed by a Termea, forcing him to have his leg amputated below the knee.

（That injury... happened when he protected Lord Elbert.）

Duncan had never once said that he had protected the young Elbert. Theo could vaguely understand why.

The fact that one holy knight had lost his leg for the sake of Hero Elbert was unnecessary in a hero's tale. Duncan had not wanted his own injury to damage Elbert's reputation.

Whenever Duncan heard of Hero Elbert's achievements, he was always happy. He would proudly say, "That guy is incredible. A true hero."

（That is why I came to love Hero Elbert so much.）

Elbert must have felt deeply grateful to Duncan as well. That was why he seemed so deeply saddened by Duncan's death.

"When Sir Lawrence left the Order, he asked something of me. He said, 'If my son grows up and joins the Holy Knight Order, I am counting on you.'"

Elbert held his clenched hand to his chest and murmured as though savoring the words.

"If Sir Lawrence's son is considering becoming a holy knight, I came here hoping to make him my squire."

Duncan Lawrence's son. In other words, Allen.

（Allen... as Lord Elbert's squire...）

At that moment, Theo was probably not thinking very clearly.

The frustration of being so forgettable that the townspeople could not remember him.

The excitement of meeting his admired Hero Elbert and receiving his blessing.

The jealousy that Allen had been chosen as a potential squire for Hero Elbert.

So many emotions mixed together into a mess, and before he knew it, his mouth was moving.

"I..."

Saying that his heart had been too shaken for reason to do its job would only be an excuse.

"I am Duncan Lawrence's son."

It was probably the first lie Theo had ever told.

That first lie tasted bitter on his tongue. It only made him feel miserable, leaving his chest full of emptiness.

All the blood drained from his face to his feet. His vision warped.

"...That was a lie!"

Three seconds after telling the first lie of his life, Theo took it back and bowed deeply.

"I lied. I'm sorry!"

For a moment after lifting his head, he saw Elbert and Beryl staring in stunned silence.

Ah, what an awful thing he had done.

He had dirtied the good fortune of meeting a hero, the joy of receiving a shared blessing, with his own hands.

"Excuse me!"

Theo rushed from the room without looking back.

Self-loathing and humiliation made his insides boil. He wanted to hit himself as hard as he could.

（...I'm the worst! I'm the most horrible fool!）

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried