Chapter 119 – Extraversion. Sonia, the Proud Knight of Rondella
At the sound of her sad voice, as if it were soaked in water, I finally stopped her steps and approached Sonia, who was hugging her knees and hugging her tightly.
“What are you doing here?”
“It was hot, so I came out. Huh. It was so hot in front of the campfire that I couldn’t stay longer.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes, yes… Yes…”
Sonia, who nodded her head and added a word to her when she roughly agreed, eventually buried her face in her lap and shook her slender neck as she spoke to me.
“Actually, it’s a lie… I ended up running away because I couldn’t get along with other people…”
A humming voice came from Sonia’s mouth, which was buried in her skin. Wrinkling my eyebrows at the subtle smell of alcohol wafting through her air, I finally realized that Sonia was not sober and slumped down in the seat next to her countless times.
“Who is bothering you?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know… I’m just doing my best as a knight… It sucks…”
Watching her swaying thin shoulders, slender nape, and moonlight-orange hair glistening, I reached out her flinching hand, placed it on Took-Sonia’s shoulder, and said quietly:
“Sometimes there are ignorant people who mock and ignore people who are doing their best.”
Sonia, who didn’t understand why she was being antagonized, reminded her of her best friend before she fell into this world. When her friend’s appearance overlapped with her Sonia, she thought that she shouldn’t be close to her, but left her alone.
“All, other seniors ignore me and mock me. There were also cases where they pushed me away and removed me from the mission, asking me what I could do.”
As if the dam of sadness had been broken by her kind consolation, Sonia began to confide in me all the feelings she had accumulated so far, occasionally stuttering in her voice full of resentment.
“There is no one on my side, Zeke helps me and takes care of me unlike a servant, but because I have no power, I am taken by other servants and busy with chores or errands…”
I nodded my head at the servant’s schedule, which seemed to be something out of the ordinary, and spoke to Sonia in a calm voice.
“I can’t help it, it’s obvious that the knights will already look at Sonia-sama with a negative eye.”
“Then! Then what should I do…! Should I just be pushed around by them and stand like a doll with only my armor on and let go of my hands…?”
It seems that there is really no one on your side to say such a heavy story to a mere mercenary. Growing sympathy for Sonia, who looked desperate, I sighed and said quietly.
“I have to show you. Even if you try to ignore it, you have to press their noses as a great achievement that cannot be ignored.”
“Those bastards…?”
“Ah…”
I spit it out of my mouth without realizing it because I was annoyed at the adult boys wanting to be so petty. She rolled her eyes and looked at Sonia’s eyes. Despite cursing at her seniors, Sonia gave a rather pleasant smile and then burst into laughter with a loud voice.
“Whoops, whoops! Those bastards, that’s right… I want to show them a lesson…!”
Sonia, who brushed it off cheerfully with her typical drunken laugh, spoke to me in a bright voice as she patted me on the back.
“Thank you, thank you so much for listening to my story and talking with me…”
“No, it’s not that there’s no connection, it’s just that they’re intertwined with interrogations.”
“Puhyuk, what does that matter…”
– Jeolgeureok
Standing quietly on her feet, Sonia put her helm on her side, brushed her hips, and looked down at me.
“I chatted with you on my own, but these days I feel like I’m laughing more than ever.”
“Maybe it’s because you’ve been drinking.”
“What a wicked joke. Whoa, to have been receiving help since daytime… Only then will you be disqualified as a knight.”
-Cheolkeong
“Thank you Cassano, then see you tomorrow.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Um, I’ll have to patrol the camp a bit and then go back to my inn… I think I’ve gotten a little bit more energetic thanks to you. Thank you again.”
“No, what did I do…”
“That… If there is no problem… I’d like to talk like this sometimes…”
With her back to the moon, Sonia scratched her own cheek with her free hand and pursed her lips, avoiding my gaze. Are you shy? Seeing Sonia like that, I laughed at her, then got up from her seat and brushed her butt and said to her.
“Anytime if a mercenary brat like me is enough.”
“Okay, then we’ll see you again tomorrow. Good night, Cassano.”
-Cheolgreok irongreok
Watching Sonia walking with a refreshing smile, her back as she called and left as she pleased, I still thought that Sonia, the knight walking with her back straight like that, looked better than her gloomy face.
After parting with Sonia, I led her languid body to the tent and quietly entered the cold space where there was no sign of anyone. Because it was left open, the cool night air lingered inside the tent, so I thought that falling asleep like this would be no different from sleeping outside.
Officers and knights will sleep comfortably in the village, only those who have it wherever they go, thinking sadly for no reason, tossed and fell asleep.
And the next day, the good-voiced seniors were waking up the sleeping mercenaries one by one, breaking the tent, and I was no exception. Cold hands invading the sleeping bag and a sharp voice piercing my ears made me toss and turn and quietly get out of the bag.
“Get up quickly! Selling is good too! What the.”
There was only one female mercenary with a sharp and harsh voice. I raised my hand to Ronda and shook her hand lightly, and I apologized quietly for not disturbing her feeling of being in a bad mood this morning.
“Sorry, should I prepare dinner?”
“The meal is done, you want to tear down the tent, I heard you are camping under the mountains?”
“Fuck, you just have to go back and forth here.”
“After subjugating the plains, they said they would camp under the mountain range and finish it right away.”
-Charak!
“Cancel tent demolition! The knights want to rest comfortably in the village.”
Screams of sighing erupted from the outside at the words of the senior, who opened the tent one by one to deliver the news. Convinced that it was the screams of those who were quickly demolishing the tent, I smiled and patted Ronda on the shoulder as I stood up.
“I got up late, so I missed training my mutt.”
“Iknow, right.”
Widely! Having removed my hand, Rhonda glanced at me with her narrow eyes, sniffed her, and walked out of the tent. It’s been a while since I’ve known her, but I shrugged her shoulders at her unchanging appearance. I took off her overcoat, changed into her underwear, put on her leather armor, and went out.
“Fuck you, you fucking knights!”
“Hey, listen, shut your mouth and hit it again.”
“Will it be soup this morning too? Please, if I had even a piece of meat, I would have no wish.”
Looking at the seniors who were having a simple and friendly conversation, I relaxed and headed to the meeting place. I had no intention of eating, so I was thinking of waiting for the subjugation order while warming up.
“Ka~ sa~ no!”
– Perok!
I forcibly opened my closed eyes and turned my head as it was at the slight impact of hitting my back while I was walking. Remia, who is one head shorter than me, moistened her lips with her tongue, hugging the scruff of my neck and hanging on to it.
“Good morning.”
“Hey, did you sleep well? I couldn’t sleep because Cassano took care of it…”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“What a joke~”
Remia, who was beating her thighs with her wobbly legs, was still on her back, and she moved on. Remia, who was hanging around her neck while singing her hum song, saw that she was heading to the rendezvous point instead of her eating place.
“What, are you not eating?”
“Yes, I have no idea.”
“What am I going to do when there’s no one there, so I’m going alone.”
“Well, he’s just swinging a sword.”
-Widely
Remia, who landed lightly, stroked her smooth belly, glanced at me, and licked her lips.
“I am hungry, so I will eat. Playing alone Will your sister come soon?”
“Yes, yes, please eat slowly.”
Watching Remia run to the dining area, where the scent of soup wafted through the end of her robe, I sniffed at her and turned around again. Since it was early in the morning, no one was in the empty lot, the meeting place. As if someone was giving a speech before the subjugation, only a podium in the center was adorning the empty space.
“Huh?”
Having nothing to do, I glanced at the empty lot and headed for a corner when I found someone familiar under a tree. The woman who put her white helm down beside her and nibbled with her spoon, with her bowl resting on her lap, turned her head in amazement as if she had heard my footsteps.
“Ah! Cassano!”
Sonia, who was trying to hide her bowl like a child caught stealing, confirmed that it was me, put her bowl down next to her helmet and stood up. Sonia came up to me with bits of grass scattering like snow from her fallen hips, and spoke to me with a little of her white soup smeared on her lips.
“What are you doing at this early hour? This is not the place to eat…”
“Ah… I’m not particularly hungry. If you eat it unnecessarily, it will get in the way when you fight.”
“I see, he said he was a rookie, but his own subjectivity is clear. Sit next to me.”
Sonia, who sat down on her flop-floor, quickly reached out and put her hand away, patting herself on the side. It’s not like this … I refused for nothing, so I sat down next to Sonia and asked Sonia, who was diligently scooping her soup while glancing at her.
“Sonia-sama, why are you eating here?”
“Um, Jem Simm…”
-Gulp
“Paha, Sir Ronald told me to find out the condition of the mercenaries gathering at the rendezvous point. So I came early and was waiting for you guys.”
Sonia pushed her shoulder blades proudly. Her meal time was still long, but she came early and waited.
“So I was eating alone and you came, so I won’t be bored.”
“I guess you were lonely?
“Lonely! It’s not really like that, but…”
Heh, heh… Sonia, who made an incomprehensible sound like a weeping cow, continued her words, but soon lowered her head and accepted her obediently.
“Yeah, I thought she got used to it, but after talking to you last night, she hated being alone a little bit.”
“Well, few people like to be alone. I thought the driver had a very cold personality.”
“You can just call me Sonia-sama. I see… I’m a bit shy, but you’re…”
– Anger
Did he remember what happened at the inn? Sonia’s face flushed red and even her ears were dyed to the point that she thought they might be on fire.
“Done! Me, I’ll return the bowl and come back. Excuse me.”
I watched Sonia’s back as she hurriedly moved her steps, forgetting her helmet. You’re a disingenuous knight.
A moment later, after returning her bowl, Sonia, still with her face dyed red, put on her helmet and silently headed for the podium. Standing proudly in front of her podium, Sonia scolded the wandering mercenaries and began to organize their ranks.
“Owa line up! There! Stay upright and wait!”
Thinking that I’m not flexible enough to have the angles already set even though they haven’t been properly assembled yet, I grumbled and entered the ranks of the mercenaries and began to wait in a straight posture.
“Oh, what a struggle! Sir Sonia.”
As the mercenaries grumbling and expressing their dissatisfaction increased one by one and almost filled the vacant lot, knights and officers roaming from afar were approaching. As knights without helmets approached her, dragging their steps like squeamish courtiers, Sonia flinched and remained silent for a moment, but bowed her head in greeting as if she had finally resigned herself.
“No. Then I’m done.”
“Yes, yes, my lord is busy and can’t come, so I’ll just finish my speech and leave.”
No, you say you don’t come after collecting them? Nobles are busy, how busy they are. Annoyed sighs leaked out here and there, but all of them closed their mouths and looked at the front as the leader stood behind the knights and glared at them.
“Hey, you’ve been through a lot since early morning. I am Ronald, the Count’s faithful knight. As much as you are forced to subjugate under the command of the gracious Count, do your best to subjugate without sacrificing yourself. Then.”
There was nothing in Ronald’s speech. He didn’t say anything to boost the morale of the mercenaries, and he didn’t say anything that was formally concerned about our well-being. Only selfish speeches to follow the lord’s command with all his might spread throughout the clearing.
“Now- have you heard Sir Ronald? Let’s go!”
“””Yes.”””
With the answer of the powerless mercenaries, we left the clearing, raising dust. At the back of the ranks, only the voices of the laughing and chattering knights spread, the procession slumped and did not feel any pressure.
-Chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk
We walked in a daze, listening to the sound of iron boots ringing in a steady rhythm and the sound of stones bouncing.
“Arrived! Organize the ranks!”
We split into two lines and started to spread out and pair up with the people behind us. There was no problem with goblins, but if there were orcs who boasted ignorant strength, it was better to be careful. I also spoke to Rhonda who was standing behind me and teased her tongue to benefit from her shield.
“Stand with me. Are you sure?”
“Kek, yes or so.”
It was Rhonda who was disgusted with her tongue sticking out, but she looked around and glared at me to see if there were any proper guys around, and grabbed my outstretched hand tightly. Ronda’s skills after watching for a year were enough to entrust her back.
“Ruler!!! Survive on your own, avoid dog death! If you shout my name out loud, I’ll save one guy, so hold on to your butthole and shout!!!”
“Kuh…”
Laughing at the unfamiliar words of encouragement no matter how many times I heard them, I grabbed the handle and looked straight ahead. Orcs roaming the vast plains have already noticed our presence and are ready to attack. The frail orcs that looked like scouts were running behind the plains, and the warriors began threatening us by swinging their weapons in their hands.
“Charge!!!”
“””Waaaaa!!!”””