36. A Granteed Victory.
“Are you really not human?”
Blatt, whose chin had dropped stupidly, asked Jillian.
The dumbfounded expression on his face was so obvious that Jillian couldn’t hide his gloating.
“Where on earth do think one puts a potion and use it?”
“……..”
“I’ve torn my shoulder, you don’t believe I can just roughly sew it up and use it again like new, right?”
“That is……….”
“Like you said, I am still a human.”
Blatt acted like a dumbass when Jillian interrogated him.
‘I haven’t seen a wound like that before.’
In the first place, most battles with monsters involved the Duke protecting them, so knights rarely suffered serious injuries like Jillian.
Of course, there were times when the knights faced monsters directly, but if they were not able to subdue them, they usually died instead of just being injured.
Thanks to this, the injuries that Blatt knew of were minor ones that occurred while taking cover.
They didn’t danger one’s life.
Things that will heal with good stitches or splints and rest.
‘…… I never even thought about potions. Besides, who knew they could be so effective?’
Jillian repeated once more what he had said to Blatt, who was grumbling internally.
“I said it would get better quickly, didn’t I?”
“I know, right! Wouldn’t it have been better if you had added, “I used a potion?””
He complained as if he was being unfair, but unlike his grumpy voice, his expression had brightened since a long time ago, as if he was relieved.
“I didn’t know you distrusted me this much.”
“That……”
“You’re being mischievous.”
What saved Blatt, who was speechless, was a cool voice.
“Elizabeth! When did you come!”
“…..Please call me properly using my title as a captain.”1I love their dynamicsෆ╹ .̮ ╹ෆ
Elizabeth looked away, pretending not to see Blatt greeting her with such a fuss, and bowed to Jillian.
“Captain of the 6th Citadel, Elizabeth Swann, is reporting after completing the security patrol. The movement of the swarm is currently observed in an area 3 hours away from the 7th Citadel, and has been showing a swarming pattern since about an hour ago.”
“Great job. What about the knights?”
“Not a single person was left behind and they all returned home……..”
“No, the injured people.”
Jillian simply corrected Elizabeth as if he was stating the obvious.
“I heard that the four of them are in quite serious conditions.”
“They will probably not get past today.”
Blatt’s face hardened at her straight forward answer.
Jillian nodded and asked again.
“Only four?”
“For today, we expect four.”
“For today…? I guess Captain Swan would like me to pay attention to this every day?”
“I don’t mean that, they could miraculously get better.”
“How can you expect something like a miracle in this situation? Should I tell you that you’re cute?”
“Sorry.”
“How many are there in total?”
“Eleven. There was a lot of damage because the wall bursted without warning.”
After Elizabeth’s answer, the temporary command room became quiet.
Occasionally, all they could hear was Blatt’s loud, agitated breathing.
No one opened their mouth.
“So that’s what happened?”
It was Jillian’s question that broke the silence.
“What are you going to do, Captain Blatt Awar?”
“I will do my best to provide sufficient compensation to the bereaved family.”
Blatt kept his head down and did not lift it.
“If you’re already saying the word ‘bereaved family,’ are you telling them to die?”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s because I don’t think a miracle will happen.”
“Blatt Awar.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Look at me.”
Blatt raised his head at the command, his eyes red and wet.
Jillian looked at him and tapped his shoulder.
His shoulder, where even the faintest traces of injury had disappeared.
“There are plenty of potions.”
“But, the potions………”
They were hard to get.
Because they were created only when a person with holy power devoted a lot of effort in it, so it consumed a lot of holy power, and priests avoided it because the holy power could not be manifested again for at least a few days or as long as several months.
“Take it and use it.”
While Blatt was grateful for Jillian’s words, he felt extremely tired.
Each of the eleven knights was a precious person.
Choosing just one of them…….
“Duke, I…….”
Rattle.
The sound of a heavy wooden box rattling was followed by the sound of glass bottles clattering, and the sound of splashing water.
“Even if their lives are not in danger, there will be serious injuries on them.”
Jillian gestured to his shoulder and continued.
“I don’t think two boxes will be enough.”
It sounded like Jillian was laughing at the end of the sentence.
However, because of the tears that quickly rose up and obscured his vision, Blatt couldn’t tell whether Jillian was smiling or looking at him as gloatingly as before.
Of course, any expression didn’t matter.
“Thank you.”
Swann’s expression, standing next to Jillian, didn’t look distorted by tears like him, but that didn’t matter either.
Ugh.
Although he ended up acting like a child and crying out loud, Blatt was okay.
Even if he looked pathetic or got criticized for not being like an adult.
“Thank you for saving their lives.”
Because they were able to save everyone without missing anyone.
So everything was good.
Blatt couldn’t bear the overwhelming feeling, so he put his hand on his chest and knelt down in front of Jillian.
“I, Blatt Awar, will serve the Duke faithfully for the rest of my life…….”
“If it’s a knight’s oath, I refuse.”
“……Why?”
He was now happy and sad at the same time.
Blatt glared at Jillian, who coldly refused without any hesitation, with tearful eyes.
He knew he shouldn’t be like this, but the Dukes of Baloch had a really naughty side.
No Duke in history had ever allowed a knight to take the oath!
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“Ah, no matter how insignificant I may be, wouldn’t there be times when I could be helpful?”
Jillian narrowed his eyes and laughed at Blatt’s words.
“You are not insignificant, but wouldn’t it make better sense to at least receive an oath from someone who will live longer than me?”
“………”
He never thought he’d find fault with his age.
Blatt was dumbfounded and pointed at himself.
“I just turned 30 this year.”
“How old do you think I am?”
He had white, smooth skin with no spots and a beauty that seemed to resemble a flower in full bloom.
Blatt didn’t know his exact age, but he looked like he would be much younger than him.
“Still…….”
“Anyway, do you think the injured knights can withstand it with their conditions? Do you want to increase the delay by arguing over such trivial things?”
“It’s not trivial……..!”
Blatt, who was shouting out loud, suddenly gasped and closed his mouth.
As he said, the oath was not the most important right now.
Blatt jumped up and grabbed the potion box.
The sound of the glass bottles clinking was really lovely.
“Thank you, Duke.”
“Go quickly.”
Jillian waved his hand roughly and immediately turned his attention to Elizabeth.
“Go on.”
“Yes, I expect it will take a bit of time for us to regroup again because the snowstorm was severe…….”
Jillian’s voice, discussing the time of departure with Elizabeth behind him as he closed the door, was as calm as always.
At that moment, Blatt was moved to tears again.
Do people know?
How the Duke of Baloch and his knight protect this ice wall?
His heart pounded at the sound of the glass bottles clattering as he walked.
***
“……Hey?”
“Yes?”
After Blatt left, the 6th Castle captain had a hard time concentrating.
“Are you still worried? Even if their conditions are bad, the potions arequite effective, so everything will be fine.”
“Oh, of course. I’m not worried.”
“Then what happened?”
Elizabeth hesitated to answer Jillian’s question.
“I asked what happened.”
“………Was that all?”
“What?”
“I was wondering if there were any potions left.”
Ah.
Jillian laughed lightly at Elizabeth’s words.
“Elizabeth Swan.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“The temple send ten bottles of potion when a new Duke of Baloch is crowned.”
Elizabeth couldn’t follow the sudden change of subject and just blinked.
“In Baloch history, not a single potion was used until a little while ago.”
“……Ah!”
After he finished speaking, an exclamation bursted out a beat later.
There was astonishment in Elizabeth’s eyes as she looked at Jillian.
“There are plenty of potions. You don’t have to worry. I won’t let Baloch’s knights die in vain.”
“How badly were you injured?”
‘In Baloch history, not a single potion was used.’
Was that what surprised Elizabeth?
Jillian took a step away from Elizabeth, who was about to search his body at any moment.
“Didn’t you hear why Blatt was causing such a fuss?”
With a click of his tongue, his chin pointed to his neat shoulders again.
“As expected, you were serious. That’s why you couldn’t use your left arm at all.”
“It’s okay. It’s all healed up.”
Even as he clenched and unclenched his fists in front of her eyes, Elizabeth did not straighten her wrinkled brow.
No, rather, she asked back.
“Why do you have to sacrifice your life to protect the imperial family like this?”
The emotion that filled the transparent, bright blue eyes that seemed to see through everything was anger.
Jillian was used to this gaze.
It was a feeling that he and the people guarding this wall had expressed at least once.
For along time.
So Jillian whispered the same thing this time as he always did.
“For no reason. I’m doing this because it’s Baloch’s duty.”
“…….”
Elizabeth said no more.
But she didn’t have a look of understanding.
The deep blue eyes beneath the long lowered eyelashes were cold and sunken.
Suddenly, when Jillian looked at those eyes, someone came to mind.
Although she also had eyes as blue as this, hers were warmer than anyone’s else.
Bianca.
Missing his queen so much, Jillian had to quietly clench and unclench his fists.
If he didn’t control his feelings, he was afraid his legs would run to her as fast as they could right now.
“Report, what is the estimated arrival time of the monster horde?”
Jillian asked Elizabeth for an answer as if interrogating her.
He desperately wanted to go back ‘home’ now.
***
“Perhaps they will return home when the snowstorm passes in the future?”
“That fast?”
Bianca’s eyes widened at Hayley’s words.
“Originally, conquering the wave itself doesn’t take that long. Including the cleanup, it can be completed in a month at most.”
“Don’t they say it was a horde monsters?”
Jillian was dealing with it alone.
“I know you won’t feel reassured even if I tell you this, but the Duke is strong. Of course, knights also provide cover, and sometimes good long-distance attacks using bows and spears are also made. There’s also a catapult.”
Even though I heard it, I couldn’t understand what was being said.
However, I knew this one thing.
This meant that no one in Baloch Territory had any doubt about Jillian’s strength.
Everyone was naturally talking about his safe return.
It was a relief, but also strangely bitter.
Was there such a thing as a granteed victory?
Did the Dukes of Baloch bear that burden the whole time?
Alone without anyone knowing?
I felt like I wanted to be on his side, even if I was only going to cry.
“Please bring me the costume designer, Hayley.”
“Yes?”
“I need to get my wedding dress tailored.”
Hayley, whose face hardened at Bianca’s words, shook her head.
“That will be difficult.”
***
TL:
I would appreciate an encouraging comment o((*^▽^*))o.
