WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: nemui
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Forgotten Curse Knight ◈
Vol. 3 Ch. 10: Guilt, Self-Loathing, and Reflection
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Theo, Hugo, and Archibald arrived at the Holy Knight Order headquarters within the Reyel Holy District. They were greeted by a bearded man in his forties with black hair, and a woman in her late twenties with long, straight chestnut hair.
Both wore Holy Knight Order uniforms and carried swords.
The serious-looking chestnut-haired woman spoke stiffly.
“Thank you sincerely for making the trip. I am Stella Garnett, Captain of the Fourth Knight Order.”
“I’m Diego Falke, Captain of the Fifth Knight Order. Ah, sorry about all this.”
Diego looked somewhat worn out.
In that regard, he was not entirely unlike JJ, but this man had muscles sufficient to move swiftly once battle began. Unlike JJ, he was a middle-aged man who could fight.
Diego looked at Archibald and gave him a loose, ingratiating smile.
“Stella here will show our guests around, while I’ll take Administrator Archibald to another room.”
Diego called Theo and Hugo “guests.” In other words, he was implying that Archibald was not one.
Though Diego was smiling politely, his eyes held a faint challenge as he looked at Archibald.
A tense air passed between them.
“...I am assigned to monitor these two. I have a duty to accompany them.”
“Ah, sorry about that. Royal Feather is the Crown Prince’s personal blade, isn’t it? There are things at headquarters we’d rather you didn’t see.”
Diego knew that Archibald was not a regular Gray Knight, but someone temporarily assigned from Royal Feather.
Both the Gray Knights and Royal Feather were under the Crown Prince’s authority.
But the Gray Knights were disposable pawns. Royal Feather, on the other hand, was made up only of the most elite individuals, people deeply loyal to the Crown Prince.
Diego was wary of Crown Prince Richard, who stood behind Royal Feather.
Archibald spoke in a restrained voice.
“...Very well. I will comply.”
“Right, sorry about that. Stella, dear, please show our guests around.”
Stella, the chestnut-haired woman, gave a small nod and urged Theo and Hugo to follow her.
Theo had to break into a light jog to keep up with Stella. She walked briskly and smartly, so small Theo would be left behind if he did not hurry.
Stella glanced back at them, then suddenly looked startled.
She slowed her pace a little.
“...How old are you two?”
“I’m fourteen.”
“Fifteen, ma’am.”
“I see. You are still minors... I cannot understand sending such inexperienced people to a battlefield.”
At Stella’s bitter words, Hugo made a face that seemed to say, “Ugh.”
Theo straightened his expression and answered.
“I will do my best not to hold the Holy Knights back.”
“Ah, no, I...”
For some reason, Stella grew flustered and continued mumbling.
“I did not mean you were immature... I mean, well, you are children, and it is dangerous to send children to a battlefield...”
Theo and Hugo silently looked at Stella.
Stella cleared her throat and asked with a stern expression.
“If anyone in the Fourth Knight Order has treated the Gray Knights unfairly, tell me. I will give them a severe warning.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
When Theo thanked her, Stella abruptly faced forward and resumed her brisk pace... Then, after a few steps, she seemed to remember something and slowed down again.
She was a good person.
After they had walked a little farther, she began glancing back at them again.
She seemed unsure whether to speak, so Theo deliberately asked.
“Excuse me. Have I done something rude?”
“Ah, no, that is not it. Um... Is Beryl well?”
The question surprised Theo. Hugo wore the same expression.
Beryl, with her sand-colored hair, brown skin, and lovely wrap skirt.
“Yes! Ms. Beryl always takes good care of us.”
It seemed Stella knew Beryl. Gray Knights often worked together with Holy Knights, so they had probably met during a mission.
When Theo nodded enthusiastically, Stella frowned for some reason.
She nervously looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, then asked in a low voice.
“Beryl... She is not indiscriminately getting involved with men, or causing trouble for you two, is she?”
Theo was speechless.
Beryl was certainly an attractive woman. Sometimes her allure made his heart skip a beat, but at the very least, she did not do the sort of thing Stella was suggesting.
More than that, Theo did not like Stella asking whether Beryl was causing them trouble. Ever since becoming a Gray Knight, Theo had always been helped by Beryl.
So Theo objected firmly.
“Ms. Beryl is not that kind of person!”
His voice came out stronger than he had expected.
“Idiot, don’t defy her!” Hugo used Theo as a shield and slipped behind him.
Stella did not get angry at Theo’s attitude. If anything, she froze with her mouth slightly open, looking as though she had been shocked.
Eventually, Stella began speaking in a mumbled rush that was hard to make out.
“N-no, that is not it. I was not trying to insult her... Though, yes, asking it that way does sound insulting... Ugh... As long as she is well, that is fine. I am sorry. Forget I asked.”
Stella’s troubled expression made her look like someone awkwardly worried about a friend, which left Theo uncertain.
Then Hugo cautiously poked his head out from behind Theo and asked.
“Um, did something happen between you and Big Sis Beryl during a mission?”
“...Nothing. As one of the Holy Knight Captains, I was only concerned whether a former Holy Knight was behaving disgracefully.”
Theo and Hugo’s startled “What?” overlapped.
Stella also reacted with a surprised, “What?”
After an awkward silence, Stella asked in a quiet voice.
“...Could it be you did not know? That Beryl is a former Holy Knight...”
“This is the first I have heard of it.”
When Theo nodded, Stella’s eyes widened and she went rigid.
It was the expression of someone who had realized, “I messed up!”
She had unintentionally revealed something Beryl had kept hidden while Beryl was not present. Guilt filled her face as Stella forced out the words.
“I am sorry. Forget it...”
Until they reached their destination, Stella kept her lips tightly pressed together and said nothing more.
Still, the words “Guilt, Self-Loathing, and Reflection” seemed written across her dignified back.
Theo secretly felt relieved.
(She probably does not hate Ms. Beryl.)
（Still, Ms. Beryl was a former Holy Knight...）
It surprised him, but now that it had been said, it made sense.
Beryl had seemed to know Duncan Lawrence, Allen’s father, whom Theo called Father, and a former Holy Knight. She also called the hero Elbert “El” and acted familiar with him.
She might have seemed too free-spirited to be a Holy Knight, but if she had once been one, it made sense that she was already accustomed to fighting Termea at such a young age.
Even if ordinary people suddenly became Mad Walkers, that did not mean they could immediately fight Termea. In fact, it was more natural to hate fighting, as Hugo did.
Beryl had probably already known how to fight Termea from the moment she became a Gray Knight.
（If I ask Ms. Beryl about Father Duncan... will she tell me?）
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