Chapter 22
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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You and I had a bad relationship from our first meeting.
Elves hated dwarves, and dwarves hated elves.
A symbiotic relationship where they despised each other.
Whenever they had a chance, they would hit and fight each other.
Sometimes, they would trouble the commander with childish retaliation.
That was us, but still, we didnât deny that we were comrades walking the same path. And we firmly believed that there would definitely be glory at the end of the path we walked.
[Ah... everything is going dark...]
[I donât want to die. I donât want to die!!]
[Why do we have to die?!]
Even though they were all excellent heroes, their last words were too ordinary.
The desperate cries of those who didnât want to die. And the overwhelming despair that easily shattered that desperation.
A reckless expedition whoâs decision was forced.
However, not wanting to suffer disadvantages, no one opposed the expedition. And we had to pay a heavy price for that arrogance.
[I thought the human king was blinded by jealousy. But it turns out I was the one who was blinded.]
[Commander...?!]
[Take this, a scroll I prepared just in case. Use this and get out of here right now.]
Her voice was still unwavering. However, her condition was by no means good.
Her right arm was tattered as if it had been torn apart.
Her split abdomen had her intestines slightly protruding.
[But Commander, if we run away, what about you...?!]
[If itâs not me, you wonât even have a chance to use that scroll. You know that, donât you?]
[...]
[Go. At least you survive and plan for the future. That is... my last request as the commander.]
Their commander was left alone there.
There was no choice.
Just as the commander said, if it wasnât her, they wouldnât have the leisure to even use the scroll.
It was a rational choice.
I desperately thought so.
If I didnât,
I felt like I wouldnât be able to endure it.
Itâs collapsing.
The ground is collapsing.
Endlessly falling somewhere.
The hell I saw that day still hasnât left my mind.
And it must be the same for you, right?
[The new commander of the Royal Knights...?]
[Thatâs how it turned out. I heard he was the only one who predicted the annihilation of the Royal Knights.]
[...]
[With that level of insight and strategy, he must be more than qualified to become the commander.]
Itâs a lie.
They just need a scapegoat.
Not wanting to bear the responsibility for the annihilation of the Royal Knights, they turned a blind eye to the problem right in front of them and instead chose a sacrifice to be offered.
But there was nothing more I could say there.
As a result, we were nothing more than a defeated army. And the defeated army headed to the kingdom to welcome their new commander.
We didnât say anything. Our dead eyes gave up looking at each other.
The miserable appearance of the other wouldnât be any different from our own.
We mocked each other.
[Stupid dwarf. What are you so proud of?]
[I can imagine you crying and whining. Kanf.]
Insincere words spilled out.
That terrible experience made us sensitive. And that sensitivity became a sharp blade that stabbed each other.
An emotion that we didnât even know if it was anger or self-loathing.
It was clearly that we...
No,
We couldnât accept ourselves.
People are unexpectedly cunning.
We couldnât bring ourselves to point that blade at ourselves. So we pointed it at someone in a similar situation.
It was the same for her.
Our clash intensified.
But would users like it if there were bearded old men in an adult game?
She was very short, about 140cm tall. Almost like an elementary school student.
She also had short brown hair that touched her shoulders, and her amber-like eyes were shining.
In this game, dwarves were one of two things. Loli or shota.
Since they couldnât really do such things to a real elementary school-aged child, dwarves appeared as a substitute race.
Dwarves had a setting similar to elves where they were half-spirits.
Once they reached a certain point of growth, their appearance no longer changed. In other words, it was legal.
At least in terms of age.
âLooks like heâs more pompous than I thought.â
âDonât say such arrogant things. Thatâs why elves get cursed.â
âI canât hear you well because youâre too far down.â
âKanf.â
âI think weâll have to settle this once and for all today.â
â...â
The elf spoke as if she found it interesting, and the dwarf refuted her.
Then they glared at each other again and picked up their weapons.
It was quite a spectacle, but I couldnât let them fight here.
Because the cooldown was still active.
If they started fighting here again, I, who was caught in the middle, would definitely be torn to shreds. But I couldnât stop them with just any words.
âBoth of your actions are truly a sight to behold.â
âAre you openly interfering now?â
âThis is a problem between me and Kanf.â
â...Iâm starting to understand a little now.â
Appropriate aggro is helpful. But you shouldnât pull too much aggro.
Then weapons would fly at you right away.
I, with time stop on cooldown, couldnât dodge the attacks.
âThe fact that you are not qualified to be Royal Knights.â
Therefore, if that happened, I would definitely die.
So, I had to scratch their pride to an appropriate level.
Fortunately, at my words, they stopped fighting and looked at me again.
âWhat does that mean?â
âLook around you. What do you see?â
â...â
The knights who had tried to stop them were already stuck in the wall outside the courtyard or thrown into a nearby flower pot.
In a word, it was a mess.
âThose innocent knights were caught up in your pointless venting. Am I wrong?â
Good, there was a reaction.
I guess even they felt guilty, judging by their appearance.
Indeed, even though they were called heroes, if they caused harm to others who had nothing to do with it, they should feel guilty.
Their guilty conscience was the key to my strategy.
The Royal Knights were the heroes of the continent.
Was it really the right thing to do to cause harm to others like this?
I brought up that logic.
Of course, they would have nothing to say even if they had a hundred mouths.
It was 100% entirely their fault.
They shouldnât have anything to say in the first place. At least if they had a conscience.
Soon, the elf opened her mouth.
âCertainly, it doesnât seem like they brought some random rabble. You seem to have quite some skill...â
âBut we still canât acknowledge you.â
âFor once, I agree with you. I have the same thought.â
âYou canât acknowledge me?â
What?
Do I need skill just to mediate?
I even need to be acknowledged by them?
Ah, I see. Theyâre the oh-so-great Royal Knights, right?
Amazing, amazing, your shit is thick.
âIf you want to be acknowledged by us, show us your skills.â
â...â
âUntil then, we cannot acknowledge you.â
I blinked my eyes.
Before I knew it, the tip of her drawn sword was close to my neck.
Iâm not kidding, I didnât even see her drawing the sword. And you want me to show my skills?
Uh... I didnât expect this?
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