WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: nemui

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◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈

Vol. 3 Ch. 8: The Eternal Glutton and the Cautious Man

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The Reyel Holy District, which contains the Papal See and Holy Knight Order headquarters, lies across the river from Gordreil Castle in the capital, Grandrium.

Inside the carriage bound for the Reyel Holy District, Theo let out a cry of wonder at the enormous wall beyond the window. The Reyel Holy District was surrounded by a wall meant to keep intruders out.

As the carriage drew closer, the huge wall seemed to loom toward them.

"That's amazing. I was impressed when I saw it from afar, but seeing it up close is amazing in a whole different way."

"Hey, don't get so excited. It's embarrassing. You look like some country bumpkin."

Beside the excited Theo, Hugo folded his arms and put on the air of a city dweller.

It was hard to believe he had been so stiff with nerves about visiting Crown Prince Richard.

Hugo's usual catchphrases were "I'm tired," "No way," and "What a pain," but apparently, having met Crown Prince Richard and with an audience with the Pope ahead, even he could get fired up.

"Hugo, have you been to the Reyel Holy District before?"

"I was in the Mercliff Cathedral Choir. I've sung at festivals in the Reyel Holy District a few times."

Mercliff Cathedral was the largest cathedral in Grandrium. Naturally, its choir was elite. Theo was honestly impressed.

"Hugo, you're amazing."

"Well, when you're a man like me, this kind of thing is no big deal."

"You are amazing, but I think you should be a little more humble."

"Why do you praise me, then immediately tear me down?"

"That is enough chatter from you two. We will soon arrive at the West Gate. Straighten your clothes while you have the chance."

Administrator Archibald cautioned them from the seat across from them.

Archibald was accompanying Theo and Hugo on this trip to the Reyel Holy District.

Theo did as instructed and straightened his collar. Of course, beneath it, he wore a black choker. It was part of JJ's ability, allowing JJ to know the wearer's location.

Next, Theo checked his buttons and the wrinkles in his clothes. Lenny was not in his pocket today. Lenny was staying behind.

Theo had asked Beryl to look after Lenny so Gertrude would not dissect the little creature. Lenny was probably rolling around at Beryl's feet right about now.

（At the end of this Red Steel Bridge is the Reyel Holy District...）

After finishing his inspection, Theo held his trademark little braid.

Beyond the great gate ahead lay the Papal See and Holy Knight Order headquarters. Which meant Allen was there too.

"Administrator Archibald. Once the meeting is over, may I go see an acquaintance in the Holy Knight Order? Just for a little while..."

"No. A Gray Knight's visit to the Reyel Holy District is by no means welcome. This is an exceptional circumstance. You will keep a low profile, and once your meeting with His Holiness the Pope is over, you will return promptly to Cinder House."

Theo had expected the immediate refusal, so he did not press further.

But Hugo, who had overheard, looked at Theo in surprise.

"Huh? What? You've got an acquaintance in the Holy Knight Order?"

"The person who picked me up, someone like an older brother to me, is a Holy Knight. His name is Allen. He's a genius with a sword, he sees the whole picture, he's good at teaching, and after Dad Duncan died, Allen trained me..."

Theo spoke so quickly that Hugo gave him an unenthused look.

"You praise him without reservation. But with me, you praised me and then tore me down."

Of course, Theo did not think Allen was a saint.

Allen was an outrageous glutton, hated thinking things through, slept messily, folded laundry sloppily, and when an argument became too bothersome, he solved it with brute force. Still, those were criticisms he should tell Allen himself whenever possible.

（Allen, I wonder if you're doing well... I hope you haven't forgotten me.）

Allen was Blessed, so Theo's Oblivion Curse did not affect him.

Even so, Theo worried that Allen might be having so much fun in the new environment of the Holy Knight Order that he had completely forgotten Theo.

'Just what I'd expect of Allen! You really are Duncan Lawrence's son!'

'You are the one worthy of serving as Lord Elbert's squire!'

'You're amazing, Allen! Here, eat plenty of Press Bread!'

The Allen in Theo's mind was surrounded by fellow Holy Knights, stuffing himself with bread. He wore such a stupid expression that it was infuriating.

（If he's forgotten me, then I'll smack him across the face with a hard loaf of bread!）

Theo was generally kind and mild-mannered, but he had a short temper around Allen and was quick to use his hands and feet.

That was simply how brothers were, Theo thought.

* * *

Around the time Theo was reaching that dangerous resolution, Allen Lawrence posed a question to his senior Holy Knight, Oswald Gregory.

"Os, is it possible that... everyone hates me?"

"You..."

Oswald groaned in a low voice. He lay facedown beneath the seated Allen's rear end.

This exchange took place immediately after Allen had thoroughly beaten Oswald in sword training.

"Of all things, that's what you ask in this position!?"

"Well, I thought this way, I wouldn't have to let you see my sad face..."

"If you have time for such unnecessary consideration, get off me already!"

"Okay," Allen replied halfheartedly as he stood.

Holy Knight Order headquarters had several training facilities, but this was not one of them. It was simply a back garden.

It was fairly open and received decent sunlight, so people often used it when they wanted to move their bodies a little without applying to use a training ground.

"The sad thing is, no one will train with me. You're the only one who'll keep me company, Os."

Allen grumbled as though sulking, but he understood.

Among those who participated in training, no one but Oswald could match him.

At present, Commander Elbert Randolph of the First Holy Knight Division was busy with work in the Reyel Holy District, so Allen, his squire, was effectively on standby.

During his first few days after joining, he had been reasonably busy learning about the facilities and having a Holy Maiden examine the strength of his blessings. Recently, however, he had been bored out of his mind.

That was why he wanted to train, preferably in a form close to actual combat, but had no opponent.

So he had negotiated with Oswald Gregory, （meaning he had pestered him until he wore him down）, and they had been training in the back garden.

"What a problem... I need to get stronger."

"You're already strong enough."

Allen did not deny Oswald's words.

With two blessings, Allen simply had high physical abilities. Combined with his natural talent for the sword, he could overwhelm most opponents.

But that was only if his opponent was human.

"For example... say I beat my little brother senseless in a way I never meant to and made him cry, then I'm a complete emotional wreck..."

"Wait. What sort of situation is that?"

"Then, while looking for the little brother I made cry, I miss lunch. And while I'm weak with hunger, I encounter a Fifth Grade Pain Tail."

"Surely you mean the one that appeared in Worg last month..."

"All I have in my hand is a wooden practice sword. And I have to fight while protecting my mother and little brother. I want to become strong enough to defeat a Termea in that situation."

Oswald furrowed his brow to its limit, making a sour face.

For cautious Oswald, who valued preparation above all else, it was surely the exact situation he would never want to face.

"Before you improve your swordsmanship, make thorough preparations and manage your condition so that you never end up in such a situation. Also, cherish your little brother."

Even without being told, Allen ate plenty, slept plenty, and cherished his little brother.

Now that he was a Holy Knight, he had also been given a Red Steel sword, so he no longer had to worry about facing an enemy with a wooden practice sword.

Even so, he thought of it.

"I couldn't defeat that Termea. Hero Elbert Randolph did. That is reality."

Allen had a talent for observing his own movements and those of others objectively, from a broad perspective.

He intuitively understood things like how close he needed to be for an attack to land, how his movements appeared to an opponent, and so on. This talent was what made him a genius of swordsmanship.

But it was difficult to make use of that talent against Termea.

Termea incorporated traits from many kinds of creatures, so they moved in ways Allen could not predict.

"...If it were a one-on-one sword fight, you could probably defeat Commander Randolph as well."

"That's true. But Commander Randolph is the one who can kill Termea faster than anyone."

Against humans, the movement of their joints determined what they could do. Allen could tell how far to evade so an attack would not reach, where a blind spot would form, and where to strike to make someone unable to move.

But Termea did not follow those rules.

Their entire bodies were sense organs, making it pointless to read their eyes. Just when he thought he had evaded an attack, a Blood Tail would sprout from some unexpected place. They made too many movements he could not anticipate.

For Allen, Termea were exceptionally difficult opponents to fight.

"I can read human movements with considerable accuracy, but Termea are hard to read. That's why I want to learn how to fight Termea here."

Oswald listened to Allen's declaration with a complicated expression, but seriously.

Allen liked that earnestness of Oswald's, which was why he had specifically asked him to train.

"Oh, right, Os. Try moving like a Termea now. You know, all squirmy."

"...Do you think you can get away with asking anything unreasonable just because I'm your opponent? Honestly, the more I hear, the more I sympathize with your little brother."

"You're a good person, Os. You care about Theo."

To Allen, anyone who cared about Theo was generally a good person.

Oswald twisted his lips in displeasure.

"...It's not as though I care about him."

"Sure you do. My little brother is a good kid, isn't he? He's smart, brave, thoughtful, and back home he's famous as the thoughtful little twerp..."

Allen, who had been about to begin talking about his little brother, spotted someone approaching from the shadow of a building and fell silent.

The boy appeared to be in his early teens, around Theo's age. He had unruly black hair. A moment later, Oswald noticed him too.

Allen assumed the boy had business with Oswald, but the boy's eyes were fixed directly on Allen.

In a loud voice, the boy declared:

"Allen Lawrence! Fight me!"

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