Chapter 121 – Extraversion. Sonia, the Proud Knight of Rondella

“Oh! Aren’t you our hero Cassano!”

A man with his face buried in a bowl of soup next to Rhonda noticed me and smiled and reached out his hand. It was a friend named Lane who joined after receiving a request from another region, and he was Ronda’s motive who could be seen as Han Ki-soo’s senior than me.

“A bowl of soup, please.”

Still awkward with him, I didn’t stop talking, so I politely asked him to eat while sitting next to the bubbling pot. With a shrug of his shoulder, Lane placed the generous amount of soup in front of me and put his arm around my shoulder and clung to it.

“You still talk so hard, do you mean to speak comfortably?”

“Yeah, are you going to fuck with formality only to Rain while spitting out nonsensical words at me?”

Ronda, who had spat out thick curse words without saying hello as soon as she saw them, was rubbing the bottom of a wooden bowl with a spoon and massaging her eyes. Laughing at her tired look, I pushed Lane’s arm as it was and scooped out a spoonful and said,

“It means friendly~ Mr. Rain is an older brother than me, so it’s a bit difficult to talk to him.”

“Oh! You have a heroic attitude, it would be nice to see and learn from our stubborn Miss Ronda.”

– Pleasant!

“Keep, uh…!”

Her table rattled, and Lane, who looked like she had been beaten, pursed her lips and grabbed her shin. Ronda, with an angry expression, put the spoon down as it was, snorted at her, and stood up from her seat and spoke to me.

“If you look at that idiot and get tired of it, come out. In the morning, the leader called everyone except you and ordered you to organize your supplies.”

“Apart from me? Did you say that outright?”

“I heard that you shouldn’t treat me like a hero? Anyway, take a break and come back.”

“Yeah, thank you. I’ll take a break while watching and sneakily go help.”

I feel like I want to go back to the tent and rest, but the seniors come out and work, and they told me to rest. It was clear that he would eat all kinds of swear words after being called out. I patted the tearful Lane on the back and raised him up.

“Please leave quickly so that I can have a leisurely meal by myself.”

“If that’s what the hero wants, then it must be so. Oh! Hero, I hope you enjoy the sweet rest given by the leader!”

Lane, who had teased him in a comical theatrical tone until the end, limped on his leg and started following Ronda’s tail. I laughed and ate the soup that was cooling down and rolled my throbbing head, unable to understand the captain’s intentions.

“Oh fuck…”

After the drinking party of the knights and officers, I couldn’t watch Ronald’s behavior, so I went to see the leader in place of Remia, who was lying on the floor drunk. With a drunken face, he hiccups and shouts, “A hero has arrived!” As soon as the captain heard my opinion, he swung his palm the size of a cap and hit me in the bone.

Then, the words he spat in his face and said were spectacle.

“You only put the tip of the knife on the thing that lady caught~ Please listen to me~ Countess, will you listen? Huh?”

– Thump thump thump

The head of the cock, which lashes out at the honey chestnuts with blood vessels in its neck, gave off the smell of alcohol and spoke to me with serious eyes.

“We know, but it’s true that you helped, and they announced that you subjugated them, but if we do it, can’t you imagine how Ronald, who promised to put them in and give you a reward, will come out?”

“But, that’s not it. I didn’t do anything, but I’m taking other people’s credit!”

-Kwaak

My face contorted as a large hand began to massage my shoulder and apply pressure. I resisted by pushing the leader’s arm away from the grip that was too painful, but I couldn’t overcome the arm strength of the leader who was swinging a huge axe.

“I know that lady is unfair, and I know that you are disrespectful, but we can’t handle the aftermath? Just accept it and do something else for her. Because I can help with that.”

“Ai is really sick!”

“It’s half the word to be sick, you bastard!”

I pushed my arm away roughly, and then the leader released his hand and looked at me for a long time, clenching and opening his fists, then sighed, patted my shoulder, and apologized.

“I’m sorry I hit you, let’s end the story here. Since the knights have already offered to reward you, there is nothing we can do.”

“Okay, it’s all because of that fucking mustache.”

“What if someone hears it, you bastard!”

-Fuck!

“Ah, my head is really going bad!”

“It’s bad enough, you bastard, I’m going anyway, so give up. By any chance, just in case, don’t do stupid things like talking about it when you’re alone with the Count.”

I pouted my lips, avoiding the captain’s glare. The more I remembered the memory of last night, the more my head felt pounding. I looked at the half-remaining soup and stood up. While I was organizing my thoughts, thinking that I should sneak in and help with my work, someone was running at me in a hurry.

“Casano! You were here!”

After passing by a few times, the senior, sweaty, ran to me and hehestarted to catch his breath. I was puzzled by his incomprehensible behavior and asked what was going on when I caught my breath and calmed down.

“Why are you like this, did something happen?”

“No, that… Should I consider it an accident? Follow me anyway He was looking for you?”

“Who? Me?”

Is it the leader or Remia? Other than that, the senior’s reaction was tepid. Seeing the quivering mouth and lost eyes, he seemed very surprised. So are those knights? I sighed and started running, matching his stride.

“Is that a knight? I mean a woman.”

“Ah, Sonia-sama?”

Only then did I notice the senior’s tension. I was nervous when the pretty female knight went all the way to the end and asked me to bring me. Recalling the calm conversation we had under the shade of a tree last night, I roughly guessed why Sonia had come to visit me, so I smiled and tapped the senior’s shoulder.

“He is a good man. Aren’t you too scared?”

“No, not scared, but nice? I heard you dressed up in armor from head to toe and approached me with a menacing appearance from morning?”

“Is it so? Are you going to scout somewhere?”

I ran and exchanged nonsensical conversations, and when I came to the place where the crowd gathered, I caught my breath and looked at Sonia. I laughed bitterly at the seniors leaning on supplies or chatting while watching Sonia standing in the middle of the plain, and the subordinates carrying luggage.

“What are you doing this morning?”

The appearance of Sonia standing inflexible like when she was waiting was very Sonia-like. After laughing at her, I approached the hot-looking woman and lightly stretched out her hand to shake her hand, but soon her heavy glove brushed off her hand.

“You are late.”

The moment I tried to grasp the situation while stroking the back of my tingling hand, the kung-gauntlet fell to the floor. Watching the gauntlet crushing the green grass, I opened my mouth at an incomprehensible action, but was struck by something flying in front of my eyes.

– Damn!

“Town!”

I grabbed the piece of cloth that had hit my forehead, nose, and mouth, and pulled it off while caressing my throbbing face. As I tightly gripped the luxurious embroidered cloth gloves, Sonia in front of her glared at me with invisible eyes beyond her helmet and murmured quietly.

“I challenge you to a duel, the time is noon. Finish all preparations and come Cassano.”

As Sonia’s calm voice spread across the plains, silence fell among the crowds surrounding us. I tried to say something, but Sonia, who informed me, picked up her gauntlet without hesitation and ran through the crowd.

– Jeop-bu, Je-beok, Je-beok

When Sonia left, the crowd around me started to make a deafening noise. There were people who were conversing with each other, and there were many people who came up to me and leaned over and chatted. The more their noise knocked on my ears, the more I fell into the abyss of thought, feeling embarrassed and trembling in an incomprehensible situation, but then I felt unfamiliar yet familiar emotions bloom.

It was anger

I thought he was a victim because he was inflexible and so upright and honest. I had been close to that kind of person before, so Sonia took care of her and treated her well.

This time the knight named Ronald was embarrassed. Even though I was shy, I thought that it shouldn’t be like this, so I thought I went to Sonia, the person in charge, and talked amicably. I was grateful to Sonia for accepting my position despite being indignant. I was ridiculed even though I didn’t know the subject and took care of my back, but she thought that Sonia, who accepted it straight and smiled, was cool.

Was that my own idea? I thought that the dispute over merit was settled by a pleasant farewell, but suddenly he came to me in the morning and had a duel. I couldn’t get out of the knights’ drinking party last night and bowed my head to their demons and handed them over. What should I do if it comes out like this?

You just, you just have to accept it. How can a mercenary fight against a knight and a count? You have no choice but to think that you have stepped on shit and receive what you deserve and share it. Does anyone have to do that? Why do you hate me like a renegade? Why are you glaring at me like you would kill me with sad eyes that hurt from being betrayed?

I wanted to give everything to you too, you saved me. You helped me Why don’t you listen to my story and come right away and do useless things? Like yesterday, where we always met, we were able to resolve misunderstandings and old feelings and solve them in a good way.

Why are you trying to make everything right? I know you’re upset about cheating, but this, this was irresistible! What am I supposed to do

Even thinking about it, I endlessly spit out disgusting self-justification, and I pushed the crowds around me and escaped as it was. I just wanted to organize my thoughts.

The more I ran through the buzzing crowd, the more tangled and complicated my mind became. In Sonia’s situation, I guess I look like a traitor who swears with her and says she will help, then slaps her head and swallows her credit? It was not wrong. I was a powerless mercenary who had only been in a fucking different world for two years. I couldn’t overcome the pressure from my superiors.

Okay, let’s talk. There is no choice but to talk again and mend the relationship. Convince Sonia and get her knee down before Ronald. If the person concerned refuses, he may also reap his thoughts.
The more I ran like crazy, my heart throbbed and it hurt like it would break, but I forcibly endured it and ran and ran again. By the time I finally reached a familiar landscape after enduring the pain of being pricked by a needle, I finally admitted it.

It must have been my mistake to feel that we had become closer through the short conversation we had. Haunting characters were deeply engraved on the wooden pillars that could be glimpsed among the leaves falling in the flowing wind.

[I can’t forgive]

He stroked the crude yet honest letters with his fingertips and bit his lip. I gave up at the feeling that the rising waves of emotions swept over me and drowned me as a human being.

In the end, if you don’t forgive, then you have to become a wicked person as you wish. If you fight a duel as you like and kneel before me, you’ll break that proud stubbornness and listen to me, right? The fact that you didn’t even think about listening to my point of view and left a cursing letter along with an application for a duel right away is what you want.

As I grabbed the thick bark, a chunk of wood fell from the crack. Watching the crumbled debris fall to the floor, I shook my refreshed head and returned to the tent.

**

“Really? Are they dueling?”

Ronald, who was discussing the subjugation of the remnants of the orcs in the mountains with the mercenary leader, looked at Radel, whose thick chin fluttered, breathing heavily. The news he delivered, who was making a fuss about something big, was very interesting but dumbfounded.

“Heh heh, this is really difficult.”

“I mean.”

Glancing at the leader, who clenched his fists on the table and answered in a soft voice, Ronald stood up from his seat and placed his hand on Radell’s shoulder, ordering him to guide him.

“As a knight serving the same lord, I should look at the situation and the dynamics. Let me guide you.”

“Yes, yes!”

Heheh-heheh-poodle, with his jawline catching his breath, Radel hurriedly ran and started to lead. Ttsk, to think that the person who was articled didn’t even take care of himself and showed such an inelegant appearance. Ronald, thinking that he should suggest training for the knights to the earl when he returned, stroked his mustache and started walking side by side with the captain.

“Anyway, the duel between Sir Sonia and the hero is interesting.”

“Haha, I never dreamed that something like this would happen…”

“It would be very difficult for Sir Sonia to beat him and ask for credit at least.”

Ronald, who was stroking his stiff beard with his fingertips, swallowed his saliva and fell into agony. It’s true that Sonia’s behavior, running around her rondella with her womanly body like a colt with her ass on fire, didn’t like Sonia’s behavior, so he ostracized her, but that didn’t mean her skills were messed up.

Rather, with his physical abilities alone, he could be regarded as the best among the knights under the count, but because he was from a rural estate, he could not handle mana, so he was treated worse than Radel, who was running in front of him.

“That won’t happen.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Kang Da-gu Hana is a great guy, so he’ll do anything he can.”

“Hmm, is that so… Well, they say all of their children look pretty.”

Ronald threw a joke, but the captain didn’t answer and just looked at the crowd in a circle in the distance. At noon, when her sun hung in the middle of the sky, her knight, all clad in her heavy armor, stood firmly in her place, and in front of her was her flirtatious Cassano, with her mating leg, her clenched-her He planted her sword in the ground and started glaring at her.

“Looks like it’s about to start.”

When Ronald and the leader reached the crowd, the mercenaries, who had noticed, naturally withdrew and made room for themselves. As if it was natural, the two of them passed the crowd and arrived at the front, silently watching Cassano and Sonia glaring at each other with ferocious spirit.

– Kwaaak!

Cassano, who grabbed the handle of the sword stuck in the ground to crush it, pulled it out and aimed it at Sonia. Sonia was stunned for a moment by her unhesitating action, but she drew her sword in the same way, and Sonia similarly aimed her sword at Cassano.

“Have you seen it?”

“…I saw it.”

“I will take it back.”

“Let’s step back now.”

– Huung!

Sonia silently swung her sword at Cassano’s resolute reply. Then, along with a loud bang, the wind blew Cassano’s bangs and disturbed his vision.

“You know it’s late, don’t you?”

“…Couldn’t you just wait a little bit and listen to me?”

Seeing the two of them licking their lips while aiming their swords, the mercenaries booed, mocked, and yelled at them to join them quickly, but the two focused on each other’s answers and didn’t care if they didn’t hear at all, and they continued to talk.

“Even if the answer came back, it was already too late. Since you took my rights, I have no choice but to take them back…”

“You’re really stubborn…”

“What, what?”

“Can’t you just lower your head? Do as you are told, and no matter how unfair it is, don’t fight back and just move on.”

“You are taking away my legitimate rights, so you just have to wait? Why should I do such a stupid thing?”

“It’s an opponent you can’t win no matter what you do. The more you fight, the more you lose. Is it that hard to just bend over once?”

“Have you shown your true colors? Heh, whatever you say, I won’t listen. I will take back the right you took, which you wanted and did not want.”

“Ha! Crazy, yes Take it if you win. But what if I win? What if I win?”

Cassano wins? Sonia, who had only thought of defeating him as a mercenary and getting her credit back, pondered over his answer for a while. Seeing him so confidently asking what he would do if he won, Sonia, who only had a fighting spirit for no reason, could not stand it and spit it out at will.

“Do as you like, if you win, bake or boil me as you like!”

“Okay, let’s see.”

[Stop it and fight!]

[What are you talking about mumbling like a girl!!]

As the conversation between the two came to an end, curses and ridicule from the impatient spectators thundered down. Among the dogs, there were even vicious mercenaries who would pick up scraps of toilet paper and throw garbage, so Cassano, who was beaten up, shouted at Sonia as he gritted his teeth.

“Quaaaaagh!”

The shouts of anger and annoyance fell straight into Sonia. Sonia, who frowned at the sound of screaming in her ears and watched the blade being stabbed with honesty, swung her arm as it was, and received Cassano’s sword strike with her weight on it.

– Kaang!

The cheers of the spectators resonated across the plains along with the crackling sparks. As the duel with their own thoughts and concerns began, the knights and mercenary officers who were watching watched with their eyes wide open to organize their thoughts and not to miss the duel.