WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Oblivious

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Weakest Knight Became a Swordmaster, But Only in Dungeons ◈

Chapter 48: Canary - Interlude

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Elise Lorendia carried me in a princess carry as we crossed the abandoned mine.

Rather than joining us, Violet Blackgarden lingered around me, checking whether anything unusual was happening. Just as we had discussed beforehand.

‘There was no guarantee Nadia was the only one causing trouble.’

Still...

“Elise, I have something important to say.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Could you save me some face...? Please change how you’re carrying me...”

There had to already be plenty of students evacuated outside.

What would become of the tough-guy reputation I had worked so hard to build if everyone saw Elise carrying me in a princess carry?

Elise snickered. I thought she was going to tease me, but she silently set me down and gave me a piggyback ride instead.

“You’re not teasing me for once?”

“Ron’s reputation is a serious matter.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks...”

Uh... This was really awkward.

Elise was smiling, but it did not feel as cheerful as when she usually teased me.

‘Well, of course not.’

Her heart must have been heavy right now.

Even when she teased me earlier, she had probably just gone along with the mood I was trying to forcefully change.

So I decided to let it pass without saying anything.

I left the abandoned mine on Elise’s back. Bright sunlight welcomed us.

A large number of evacuated students had already gathered outside. They all turned our way in confusion.

“Elise!”

A female student with pale blue hair tied into low twin tails, a beret perched on top of her head.

Lara Twisloff came running over as if she had been waiting for us. It looked like she had been searching for Elise.

Maybe because I had just narrowly escaped death because of Nadia, I was especially happy to see Lara again.

“Oh, Lara.”

“What happened to you two? Why is Hazely hurt...?”

“A lot happened. This is seriously exhausting...”

I answered with a lamenting tone.

But Lara did not respond. She only stared at me seriously.

‘Hm? More than I expected...’

Was that not a really worried look?

“Lara, we can talk later.”

“O-Okay!”

Elise immediately headed for the Healing Division, with Lara following behind.

Elise reported to Instructor Logan, then laid me down on a cot set up in the Healing Division camp.

The healer ran mana through me to inspect my condition, then frowned.

“Cadet Ron Hazely, what on earth happened to leave your body like this...?!”

“W-Well, a lot happened...”

Why were they making it sound so grave? It was making me self-conscious.

‘Still, that desperate escape was rough.’

Just one exchange.

The backlash from throwing myself forward in the manner of Raging Thunder Sword to survive that one exchange with Nadia had been excessive.

It felt as though my entire body had been crushed. At the very least, I could not possibly be fine.

Beside me, Elise’s expression hardened coldly, and Lara’s night-sky-blue eyes trembled.

“Hazely, you...?”

I understood why Elise was like that, but why had Lara become so serious?

I barely endured the pain, then asked with a snicker.

“Lara, are you worried about me? Hah, I’m honored...!”

“I-I’m not wor...!”

Lara reflexively flared up, then let out a deep breath and glared at me in dissatisfaction.

“Just get better already, idiot.... Stop saying pointless things.”

“Huh?”

What was with that prickly reaction? Was she really worried about me?

It felt strangely moving.

I buried the back of my head comfortably in the pillow, closed my eyes in satisfaction, and basked in the emotion.

“Looks like Lara’s caught the Ron bug too.... You really do live long enough to see everything....”

“I don’t know what that means, but it sounds really unpleasant. Right, you?”

Lara snapped at me.

Soon, the healers sent Elise and Lara out so they could focus on treating me.

‘Still, I held up well.’

I had not pathetically whined to Elise, “Aagh, it hurts like hell!”

I had endured enough. Now I could get some proper sleep.

Only then did I let consciousness slip away.

...

“Up like the wind.”

The moment I regained consciousness, I opened my eyes wide and raised my upper body.

Sure enough, the temporary Healing Division facility came into view.

“Huff...”

Soft, steady breathing came from beside me.

I turned my head toward it and saw a woman with long, deep purple hair spilling down her back.

She was fast asleep with her arms folded atop my bed and her cheek pressed flat against them.

It was Violet Blackgarden.

“Violet...”

Affection naturally filled my voice.

A smile spread across my face. She had stayed to look after me.

‘You saved me again.’

How would I have managed this incident without Violet? It would have been hell.

No, my journey might have ended before that.

‘I seriously cherish you, Violet...!’

I gently stroked Violet’s hair.

But then, Violet flinched. Her body trembled slightly.

“H-Huff...”

“?”

Her awkward breathing. The blush covering Violet’s cheeks. A bead of cold sweat running down her forehead.

Wait, this...

‘She was pretending to sleep...?’

Why?

I quickly found out why.

“Wow, affection the moment you wake up? You two are so lovey-dovey~”

A lively voice suddenly pierced my ears from behind my head.

I had just regained consciousness and had not focused on my aura sense, so I only noticed another person’s presence late.

I turned toward the opposite side of the voice. A woman with magenta hair came into view.

“Elise...?”

She was sitting in a chair and looking at me. Elise.

She was smiling brightly as usual, but somehow, her presence felt heavier than normal.

A chill ran down my spine.

“I was the one who saved you and carried you here, but the first person Ron worries about after waking up is Violet~? Sniff, I’m hurt.”

Elise drew out her words playfully and put a hand to her eye, pretending to cry.

‘Violet... You were pretending to sleep because of Elise?’

I could understand that. Violet seemed drained whenever she was around Elise.

Elise had surely noticed too, but she seemed to be respecting Violet’s intentions.

Wait. That meant nobody had actually been fooled, right...?

“Hey, Violet was just the first person I saw.... Want me to pat your head too?”

“Hehe, I’m fine. But how do you feel?”

“My body... Ugh.”

Pain flooded in as soon as I tried to move my arm.

“I can barely move.... It does feel better, though.”

“They said the healing went well. If you rest for just one day, you should be almost fully recovered. Have you gotten stronger again, Ron? At White Wing, you had a harder time even with less severe injuries than this.”

“I’m always improving.”

“Pfft...!”

Maybe my offhand joke had landed, because Elise let out a brief laugh.

I leaned back against the headboard.

“More importantly, Elise, what happened after that? What exactly was going on?”

“Mm, nothing particularly special...”

Elise quietly explained what had happened after I fell asleep.

The instructors had organized the evacuation, then begun thoroughly investigating the site.

Most of the students had returned to the knight school, while the instructors remained at the abandoned mine to investigate the incident.

All training and lectures scheduled for tomorrow had been canceled because of this situation.

“Did the Healing Division stay because of me? I feel bad.”

“They had to stay anyway. They didn’t know what might happen while the instructors were investigating the site.”

“Ah...”

That was true. There could be more dangerous people around.

Then I heard about Violet as well.

To earn points during the search tactics training, Violet had scattered undead servants around the mine to search for the magical dolls.

Many students had also testified about seeing all sorts of undead servants.

While she was at it, Violet had checked on me too, wanting to make sure her friend was safe.

And then, unbelievably, she had discovered that I was in danger.

That was why she had asked Elise, the strongest among the students nearby, for help.

‘Of course, Violet’s story was all a lie.’

It was just as we had discussed beforehand. It seemed Violet had explained it well.

“I see.... I survived thanks to you two. Man, I was worried I might die in a place like that...”

I absolutely did not want to become a ghost haunting an abandoned mine.

“Yeah. Seriously.”

Elise lowered her teal eyes.

“I’m glad, Ron...”

A voice full of sincerity slipped through Elise’s teeth.

“...”

“...”

Maybe because it was such a heavy topic, the mood had turned awfully solemn.

This would not do. Lara, please change the mood.

“If I’d died, Lara would’ve been really sad too, right? How much would she have cried in front of my grave.... Ugh, just imagining it makes my chest ache...!”

“What, what nonsense are you saying...?!”

Rustle!

Lara, who had been standing near the wall behind the curtain, yanked it aside and snapped at me.

With even a little focus on my aura sense, I could easily make out Lara’s presence. That was why I had realized long ago that she was there.

Elise and I turned toward Lara.

“Oh? Lara, you were there?”

“You obviously knew I was here...! Stop pretending, Hazely!”

“Then why were you hiding? I thought you were too busy being regretful, devastated, and obsessed over me to show your face.”

“Don’t say ridiculous things...! Why would I do that over you?! You’re so full of yourself...!”

Lara huffed angrily.

Mm, this was the good stuff.

I smiled broadly.

“It’s good to see you again, Lara.”

“Urgh.... Ahem.”

Perhaps having nothing more to say, Lara cleared her throat, dragged a chair over beside Elise, and sat down with a blunt expression.

“Oh, you’re going to stay with me?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just because Elise is here, okay? It’s not because of you.... Only a little, just a little...”

Tsundere Lara avoided my gaze. Her cheeks had turned red. She seemed embarrassed.

Still, she could not bring herself to say it was not because of me.

“Huff...”

Violet’s awkward breathing drifted from the other side. How long was she planning to keep this up?

Before long.

“Ron Hazely, are you awake?”

“For the Empire. Ngh...”

When the black-haired Instructor Logan entered the Healing Division camp, Elise, Lara, and I reflexively saluted.

A sharp pain shot through my arm. Instructor Logan returned the salute.

“Do not force yourself to salute. I apologize for disturbing your rest, but I would like to hear your statement. Is that alright?”

“Yes, sir!”

Of course. I was probably a key person involved in the incident.

Instructor Logan asked me several questions, and I gave my statement about the incident.

* * *

Elise, Lara, and Violet decided to sleep in the Healing Division camp.

They had chosen to stay with Ron rather than return to school.

[Master.]

“Mm...?”

Deep in the night.

Scally, a small puppy undead servant wreathed in pink mana, woke Violet by shaking her with adorable front paws.

Violet rubbed her sleepy eyes with a hand.

“Mmm.... What is it, Scally...?”

[This is no time to sleep.]

“Hm...?”

[Is this not a situation where the wall of separate male and female dormitories has fallen, and Ron Hazely is sleeping in the same space?]

“Why does that...? Ah.”

Violet’s face flushed bright red, and her drowsiness fled at once. Timidly, she pulled the blanket up to the tip of her nose with both hands.

Violet gave Scally a suspicious look over the blanket.

“You’re going to say something weird again, aren’t you...!? Mr. Hazely is a patient right now. He needs to rest...”

[That is right, Ron Hazely is currently a patient. Should you not stay close by and watch over him?]

“Ah...?”

[You never know what might happen.]

“!”

Rustle.

With a look of realization, Violet carefully raised her upper body.

“Is that so...?”

[It is.]

“R-Right? This is no time to be sleeping...!”

Truthfully... she had quietly wanted to stay by Ron’s side since earlier.

She was very worried about Ron, and she simply wanted to be with him.

That was why she had stubbornly pretended to sleep beside Ron’s bed even in front of Elise. Although she had not fooled anyone, still.

Earlier, she had been unable to do anything because Elise and Lara were nearby. But was this not a very good opportunity now?

[You may be tired, but you must watch over Ron Hazely. He is your future hus... no, your precious friend.]

“That’s right. He’s my precious friend, yes...!”

Violet placed a hand over her chest and quietly took a deep breath.

When she got out of bed and pulled back the curtain, she saw a lamp giving off a faint light.

Like a thief, Violet crept toward Ron’s bed.

With a rustle, she carefully drew back the curtain and saw Ron’s peacefully sleeping face.

Rustle...

Violet made as little sound as possible as she slowly drew the curtain closed again, then sat on the edge of Ron’s bed.

“Phew...”

The tension was intense. Her heartbeat was rough.

Violet broke into a cold sweat just from trying to breathe quietly.

Violet looked Ron over. His wounds had healed under healing magic.

Just looking at Ron filled Violet’s chest with a sense of fulfillment.

Then her eyes lowered. Guilt came flooding in like a tide.

‘I’m sorry, Mr. Hazely.’

If her undead servants had been only a little faster, Ron would not have been hurt so badly.

And yet, as soon as Ron regained consciousness, he had called Violet’s name in a voice full of affection and carefully stroked her hair.

Violet liked that voice and that touch very much.

Brush.

Violet unconsciously touched Ron’s light brown hair.

She felt the urge to stroke it, but she did not have the courage to go that far.

She stopped her hand there and hardened her resolve.

‘I’ll grow stronger. So I can protect you even more.’

Thanks to her constant training during break, the number of undead servants that obeyed her commands well had increased.

Had she not been able to command roughly fifteen or more undead servants as she wished during this operation?

From now on as well, Violet intended to grow stronger without rest in order to protect Ron.

Then, brush.

Ron’s hand closed around Violet’s.

“!”

Violet’s body trembled in surprise. Her heart dropped.

“U-Um...?”

What was this all of a sudden? Violet looked at Ron’s hand around hers with pink eyes trembling in confusion.

At some point, Ron had woken up and was looking at Violet through half-open eyes.

Heat rushed up Violet’s face.

“Violet...”

Ron’s husky voice enticingly tickled Violet’s ears.

“Mr. Hazely, you’re awake...? I-I’m sorry. Because of me...”

“Did you come to see me?”

“I was just worried.... Y-Yes...”

Violet’s face turned red as if it were about to burst. Her voice gradually faded away.

Brush.

“Huh...?”

Ron gently brought Violet’s hand, still held in his, to his forehead and closed his eyes.

Then he said softly,

“Thank you, Violet.... For protecting me...”

“...”

Violet’s lips parted. She stared blankly at Ron.

Suddenly, the image of Ron saving her came to mind, and emotion welled up inside her.

Violet pressed her lips together to hold back her tears, then formed a deep smile across her face.

“I’m grateful too, Mr. Hazely. For becoming my friend.”

The quiet dawn was still. The chirring of insects could be heard beyond the tent. Violet let herself sink into the silence.

The light shining through the curtain was gentle. Its faint glow flickered in Violet’s eyes.

Feeling deep comfort from Violet’s warm hand, Ron fell asleep again.

Violet did not let go of Ron’s hand and remained by his side the entire time.

Meanwhile, at another cot.

Elise Lorendia lay in bed with her eyes quietly open.

She had not slept a wink, in case someone tried to target Ron.

She had long sensed with her aura sense that Violet had gone to Ron and was with him.

The two spent their time together quietly, without doing anything in particular. Elise kept her attention on them.

“Ron and Violet...”

Elise murmured in a very small voice.

The night grew deeper.

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