WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons ◈
Chapter 31: Break (1)
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One day earlier, on the day Ron Hazely returned.
Violet Blackgarden sat on a bench in a secluded corner of the knight school. This was where she had promised to meet Ron at noon.
She restlessly twirled her hair around her fingers.
‘Did I dress up too much...? I didn’t have to put this much effort into it....’
Her neatly braided deep-purple hair fell over her shoulders. A red rose tucked between the braids added a bright splash of color that did not suit Violet’s usual atmosphere.
The skull-shaped hairpin at the side of her head had been selected from her precious collection of thirty skulls stored in her room. It was one she wore only on important days.
She usually wore light makeup, but today she had put extra care into it. The dorm maid had done it for her.
“Ahem....”
Violet awkwardly steadied her breathing and barely managed a relaxed smile.
‘It’ll be fine. They say most men are insensitive to this sort of thing, so Mr. Hazely probably won’t even notice that I dressed up...!’
“Hmph!”
Violet blew out a puff of air through her nose, filling herself with confidence.
For a moment, the contradiction of dressing up only for Ron not to notice it crossed her mind, but...
Compared to the embarrassment she felt now, it was not an especially important problem.
Violet raised her head. Fluffy clouds drifted peacefully across a sky as blue as a lake.
‘I want to see Mr. Hazely soon....’
“Violet!”
“Gasp...!”
Ron Hazely, a light-brown-haired young man, suddenly approached with a cheerful greeting.
She had only just thought that she wanted to see him, yet she heard his voice right away. Violet let out a startled cry, her shoulders twitching.
Heat quickly rose to her face. Her heart began to race.
She quickly turned toward Ron. Ron sat beside her with a grin, looking incredibly excited.
“It’s been four days! Have you been well?”
“Yes, Mr. Hazely...! H-Hello....”
“Oh! You dressed up nicely today?”
“Pardon...?”
Ron made scissors with his index and middle fingers, pretending to trim his bangs.
“Did you cut your bangs by about two centimeters? Your hair is braided really nicely too. Oh, that skull hairpin! You only wear that one on important days, right? From your collection.”
Unexpectedly, Ron pointed out every detail Violet had put effort into.
“Ah, um... Mr. Hazely....”
A sound almost like a moan slipped through Violet’s teeth. Her voice grew so quiet that even Ron beside her could barely hear it.
Each of Ron’s thoughtful compliments made Violet’s face grow hotter. Eventually, she lowered her head.
The corners of Violet’s lips slowly rose. Her knees twisted together. A shy yet thrilling delight welled up inside her.
‘Ahh... what do I do? I’m so happy...!’
Violet absentmindedly thought that all the effort she had put into dressing up had been worth it.
The two first discussed the results of their investigation.
“Just as you suggested, Mr. Hazely, I investigated with undead servants in spirit form.... At dawn today, I found traces of demonic energy.”
“Where?”
“On a mountain near the White Wing Knight Order’s Campbell Branch.”
Violet had already told Ron that she had a constitution capable of sensing demonic energy.
Ron had explained that this was an ability every vessel of the Demon King possessed, so Violet had not hidden it either.
‘Demonic energy....’
The timing was perfect.
“So I’m secretly tracking those traces.”
“Please do. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”
“Yes! Oh, and....”
Violet fidgeted with her fingers.
There was something she was very curious about, but she had been debating whether to bring it up.
Violet cautiously parted her lips.
“By any chance, with Miss Lorendia....”
Nothing happened, right?
“Why Elise?”
“Um... ehehe, I was just wondering if your training went well....”
“The training? It went well enough.”
Violet smiled awkwardly in relief.
‘I almost meddled for no reason...!’
She had nearly said something she would regret.
No matter how wary she was of Elise, she could not burden Ron just because she was curious.
‘They only trained at the knight order for a short time anyway, so there’s no way anything could have happened.... Right, nothing happened...!’
Violet decided to think positively and let the matter go.
And the next day.
“Ron, good morning~”
The Tactical Studies classroom.
The moment Elise Lorendia, a graceful female cadet with lovely magenta hair, greeted Ron warmly and sat in the seat beside him.
‘Huh...?’
Violet could not close her mouth.
* * *
Elise naturally sat beside me. I looked at her suspiciously.
“What’s with those two...?”
“Did something happen at the White Wing Order?”
“Why is she sitting next to Ron Hazely...?”
The cadets stared and whispered in confusion. The glares from Elise’s group of admirers in particular seemed to prick my skin like needles.
Elise did not seem to care. She had never concerned herself with what other people thought in the first place.
“Elise...?”
“Hmm? What is it, Ron?”
Elise responded sweetly, as though she was looking forward to whatever I would ask.
I wanted to ask why she had sat beside me, but the words soon caught in my throat.
Her intention to get closer to me was obvious.
“Um, it’s nothing....”
“Mmm?”
Elise tilted her head and gave me a playful look.
She had surely figured out what I was thinking.
“Ugh....”
A small female cadet with pale-blue low twin-tails and a small frame.
Lara Twislope let out a groan as she looked at Elise with complicated feelings in her eyes.
Then, without a word, she sat beside Elise. She looked resigned. Forget her.
Scrape.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, I heard a chair being pulled from the other side.
When I turned, I saw Violet lowering her head with a deeply flushed face. She had moved her chair closer to me.
“I-I’m sorry. A bug just passed by...!”
Violet explained in a timid voice. It was an obvious lie.
I immediately understood her intention.
Wasn’t Violet worried that I would grow closer to Elise and leave her behind?
“A bug?”
“Yes, a bug....”
“Ah.”
I nodded and let it go without saying anything else.
“Hm...?”
Elise gave Violet a meaningful look.
Scrape.
“Attention, everyone!”
Soon, the class representative sprang to their feet as the Tactical Studies professor entered.
“Class 2 Tactical Studies attendance report! Thirty cadets total, fifteen excused, fifteen present! That concludes the report. Class is ready to begin!”
After the attendance report, the lecture began, though it was only a brief review followed by self-study.
There were few cadets because it was the personal squire experience period.
During the lecture, I secretly glanced toward Elise.
Elise immediately noticed my gaze and met my eyes. Then she narrowed her eyes seductively.
‘Seriously....’
She left me speechless.
It was the same after class.
“Ron, want to have lunch together? You too, Violet.”
Turak had something else to do, so Violet and I were eating at the cafeteria when Elise suddenly approached us with Lara in tow.
“Gasp...!”
Violet was startled, then immediately pulled her chair closer to mine. I was flustered.
“Um, another bug just passed by....”
“A bug...?”
“Yes, a bug. A creepy one....”
It was the same flimsy excuse as before, but I did not mind.
Elise briefly looked at Violet with narrowed eyes and a perfunctory smile. Then she turned a bright smile toward me again.
I asked Violet.
“Violet, are you okay with eating with them?”
“Yes, I’m fine....”
I nodded and looked at Elise.
“I don’t mind.”
“Okay.”
Elise sat across from me. Lara let out a small groan, then reluctantly sat beside Elise.
Lara kept glancing in my direction, but she did not speak to me.
“Look over there.”
“Elise and Lara are with Ron Hazely again....”
“Damn it....”
“Did something happen at the White Wing Order?”
The first-year cadets began whispering again, sending us curious looks.
...It was burdensome.
......
“Why did you act like that today?”
“What do you mean?”
Night, Training Ground Seven.
I had been training with a mock sword fitted with magitech weights when Elise suddenly came to the training ground.
Elise was crouched down with her knees together, resting her chin in both hands as she watched me.
I asked calmly.
“You sat beside me during class and wanted to have lunch with me too. You were different from usual.”
“Yeah, I was.”
“Did you have some kind of change of heart...? Hm? Why are you smiling?”
Elise wore a mischievous smile.
“Ron, you were conscious of me?”
There she goes acting playful again....
“Wouldn’t you be conscious of it if it were you...?”
“Well, it’s nothing special. I just wanted to get closer to you, Ron.”
“Huh?”
I was flustered. It was an unexpected answer.
I stopped swinging my sword, caught my breath, and asked in confusion.
“Weren’t we already close?”
“......?”
Why was that?
Elise’s head trembled slightly once. Uncharacteristically, she parted her lips a little and lifted her turquoise eyes.
An unnatural silence passed between us.
‘What was that?’
I strongly felt that there had just been a gap between how Elise and I saw our relationship.
Elise was not someone who opened up easily, but I thought we were close enough.
There was clear proof, too. In the original story, Elise had never treated anyone the way she treated me.
Soon, Elise raised the corners of her lips and stood up. Then, with both hands behind her back, she approached me.
Elise leaned her head close to mine.
“Ron thought of me as a friend?”
“Then what did you think of me as?”
“Hmm....”
Elise smiled meaningfully and turned her head away.
“I’m embarrassed to say.”
“Why...? Did you really fall for me or something?”
“Unfortunately, that isn’t it~”
“Bleh.”
Elise stuck out her tongue with a playful smile.
I frowned and let out a laugh.
Elise grinned as she strode toward the exit.
“I have to go to the Red Wing Order tomorrow for my squire experience, so I’ll head in now. Poor Ron, don’t cry because you miss me~”
“Seriously.... Then why did you come here?”
“I told you before. I came to train and happened to....”
Elise trailed off, suddenly fell silent, and thought for a moment.
Then she stopped walking, turned toward me, and smiled sweetly.
“To see you, Ron.”
“...Huh?”
I accidentally drew in a breath at her unexpected, honest answer.
“You’re not pretending otherwise anymore?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I have a reason to anymore.”
...Had she opened up to me, at least somewhat?
As I wondered about that, Elise laughed softly and waved.
“Anyway. Keep it up, Ron.”
“Yeah, well... see you. And don’t cry because you won’t see me either.”
“Sniff, my tears are already blurring my vision~”
Elise playfully sniffled as she left the training ground. Silence filled the space after she was gone.
Whoosh!
I began swinging my mock sword again.
‘Violet said she detected traces of demonic energy.’
Traces of demonic energy disappeared over time.
Finding such traces at this point suggested that another Demonkin might have taken on what Orankel was supposed to do.
‘But things didn’t go like they did in the original story.’
Then again, if I were part of the enemy forces, I would have given up on attacking the White Wing Knight Order’s Campbell Branch too.
The White Wing commander had guarded it the entire time.
It would have been the same even if they attacked while Elise and I were headed to the knight school.
The branch was close enough to the White Wing commander that she could have joined the battle at any time.
‘Elise is going to the Red Wing Order now.’
The Red Wing Knight Order branch Elise was going to was only two or three hours away from the White Wing Knight Order’s Campbell Branch by magic carriage.
If the Demonkin who left traces of demonic energy was still near Campbell, they could easily target Elise’s route or the Red Wing Knight Order branch.
If so....
‘There’s a chance she’ll be targeted.’
Whether Elise was on her way to the Red Wing branch or had already arrived there, there was a risk that the enemy would target her.
It was only a hypothesis, but there was no harm in being careful.
Tomorrow happened to be a holiday.
So I decided to wear Kelius’s Cloak, the invisible cloak I had obtained before, and personally investigate near where the traces of demonic energy had been found while keeping an eye on the situation.
Violet and I had already discussed it beforehand.
......
The next day.
“Mr. Hazely, I found a Gate...!”
Violet informed me.
She said that while tracking the demonic energy, she had found a Gate that looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Author’s Note
As I mentioned in the announcement, I was in poor condition, so writing took a long time and this chapter was delayed.
I’m sorry!! I’ll take better care of my condition from now on!!!!!!
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