Chapter 11: New determination

“I knew that Galatea is the right person to escort him this time and yet I annoyed Grace and the others by saying stuff like that… I hate myself.”

“Well, you’ve been guarding Grace all along haven’t you? I don’t think he’s going to hate you for that.”

“I know that. But I can’t forgive myself.”

When I was making my rounds in the village, self-loathing from my own words this morning, Sarah told me to eat at her house instead of looking like that and we were having a late lunch in her dining room.

Actually, she seems to know about my feelings for Grace, so she sometimes listens to my problems.

“Well, it’s a bit bewildering that the man you love is relying on another woman, even if it’s Galatea-chan the golem.”

“It’s not just that I like him, I want to protect him or be with him or some other mix of emotions. Also, Galatea’s not a golem, she’s a robot.”

“I don’t know what a robot is, but you have a deeper relationship with him than Galatea does. I saw you for the first time when you met Grace, you were coming home from the bar with him drunk. What did you do after that?”

“Huh…. oh… that’s…”

Sarah asks with a sly grin. She’s probably talking about after Edward’s party. I thought he was going to be attacked, so I chased him to the store, only to find out that I was mistaken and I was stuck outside wondering what to do. It’s embarrassing to think that she was watching me even then.

“Oh, we held hands and talked a little in his room, then went home. But the atmosphere was different than usual and I was really thrilled.”

“Huh? that’s it? Did you kiss him?”

“What’re you talking about? That’s something you do with your lover. Me and him, we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“That guy… even though I fanned him so much, he’s worse than I expected. But this is a problem too.”

“In addition, he’s royalty after all and I’m just a knight. I don’t think we’ll ever get together. I just need to protect him.”

As I answered her words, I grasped my beloved sword as if to reassure myself. This is the mithril sword that Bowman repaired for me. A sword that only the knights of the Kings guard, my pride and joy, are allowed to use.

So, I’m a knight of the guard and he’s royalty, albeit a miserable one. Therefore, we should remain as we are. If I could protect him as a knight… ah, but Galatea is better for that role. I’m becoming negative again.

“Hmm… I see.”

For some reason, Sarah who had been holding her head sighed.

“Aren’t you too particular about being a guard Knight? I know you don’t realize it, but when chasing after Grace you’re no longer a guard knight. And anyone can see that Grace has a special trust in you and Bowman and that seems to be a bond so deep that even Galatea-chan, who joined you here, can’t get into. And the closest person of the opposite sex he has is you. I think you should be more confident.”

“But I’m…”

I’m originally just an orphan. I didn’t know it when I was a child, but I could stay close to him because I was a guard knight. Is there a qualification to be by his side for me who lost that role? In general, it was with his help that I became a king’s guard knight, even though it was to be his power. 

“Well, if you’re in a place like this, it doesn’t matter if you’re royalty or something. Because we all see Grace as the lord of Asgard, not part of the royal family. So Vigna, why don’t you be his companion instead of a Kings guard Knight? And since he’s a lord, it won’t be surprising if he has two or three wives, so why don’t you get honest about your feelings?”

“That’s…”

That might be a leap too far. He’ll be a member of the royal family for the rest of his life. But maybe I was too concerned about my position as a guard knight. Actually, he treats me as a companion, rather than a guard knight.

Since that’s the case, even if I give up my position as his escort, I don’t have to give up my position as his trusted companion. That made me feel better.

“Vigna-san, we’re in trouble. It’s monsters. A horde of wyverns is coming! They’re going over the guardian chains.”

While I was thinking about this, Neil, who looked panicked, opened the door roughly and came in. It’s true that the guardian chains will have no effect on a wyvern that can fly.

And this isn’t a goblin, a wyvern, even a small one, would be too much for these guys who had only recently started training.

I have no choice but to go. Because Grace who went to the mine asked me to protect this village.

“I’ll lend you this sword, Neil. It should be able to cut through wyvern scales. Get everyone out of here! I’ll take care of the wyverns.”

“But, Vigna-san, this is a badge of honor for the Kings guard.”

“That’s okay, Neil. And thank you, Sarah, you’ve made me feel better.”

“I don’t mind, but you have to come back.”

I smile and nod at her words. I took the new weapon that Bowman had given me. I hadn’t really thought about using it before. 

But thanks to Sarah, I was ready and if you think about it, this weapon was inspired by the Souzi relic he got. If so, it may be more suitable for me than the mithril sword.  Because now I’m not a Kings guard knight, but Vigna of Asgard territory.

***

“Uooooooo, too fast! I’m falling!”

“Should I slow down, Master?”

“No, just go as fast as you can!”

“Yes, Master!”　

I answered Galatea and struggled to hold on to her. Everyone stay safe. Who are these people that are terrorizing us? I’ve been a bit too conspicuous lately, so there was definitely a chance of an attack. To be honest, I almost feel self-loathing that I wasn’t vigilant enough.

“Master, above!”

“Huh?”

Responding to Galatea’s voice, I looked and a flustered Wyvern was headed out of the village and when I thought something had hit it, it exploded and fell.

“Wait a minute! What was that? Scary!”

“I’ll head over there Master.”

When we entered the village, we see that the buildings are burnt in many places, but more than that, the corpses of wyverns are conspicuous. A Wyvern is a reasonably strong monster and if there are five of them, they can destroy a small village.

And because they have hard scales and can fly, even knights of the king’s guard struggle.

“You’re pretty early. Don’t worry, the village and the residents are safe.”

“Vigna… are you okay? That’s…”

After the battle, there was Vigna, a little dirty but almost intact and what she had in her hand was not the usual mithril sword, but a mysterious weapon that was a combination of a gun and a sword.

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