Chapter 434 – On the Scar.

Usher made his way down the street, led by Rachel arm in arm with him. It was true that she felt a bit of an annoyance, but she had no reason to throw out otherwise, so as she walked in line with her stride, she could see a grinning Rachel.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been together like this?”
“You weren’t always busy.”

In particular, since she was in charge of the heavy duty of being the vice-captain of the newly formed Knights Order, which was mainly composed of paladins, she had nothing to spare. She must have taken a few vacations or not.

“Can I spend my vacation like this?”

She said that Usher was a paladin, but now she was in a position where she might leave the knights and return or not. He spoke with concern because he had heard that there were many people who were dissatisfied with his precious power, he leaving the knights without permission.

“It’s my vacation. It’s up to me who to spend it with and how to spend it.”

Rachel didn’t care and looked up at Usher, holding his arm.

“And even if I quit the Knights, Usher would still be my priest?”
“…Is that so.”

She often affectionately referred to Usher as her priest. In the past, he was afraid that he might be nice to him because of a sense of guilt, but he didn’t care much now because some paladins, including Kayaba, also treated him friendly.

‘Uncle Krikaliev.’

That’s because they all had the same teacher in common. His shadow, who planted the dream of being a knight in himself and left first, still remains by his side and protects him. How long to walk like that.

“Rev? Is there Rev?”

The place Rachel stopped by was a flower shop. This place, where colorful flowers bloomed splendidly, was quite familiar to Usher as well. She used to come here often with him.

“Are Usher and Rachel here? Flowers as always?”
“Yes, I’ll choose myself.”

She was watching as she familiarly greeted her florist and inspected the flowers.

“I, Mr. Usher.”
“What are you doing?”

Usher looked curiously at the flower shop owner who approached him as he stood still. Although he usually came here often with Rachel, it was quite rare for the flower shop owner to talk to him about how difficult it was to deal with him.

“Hey, are the rumors true?”
“What rumors are you talking about?”

Even if you blindly ask about rumors, Usher knows very little. Because he was on the dark side of rumors.

“That’s why you quit being a knight…”
“It is true.”

He had no intention of quitting the knights at all, but at least he needed to leave the knights for his job, so he wasn’t wrong. He wondered if the fact that he was leaving the Knights would be something that would spread even rumors.

“Such! Is it also true that he leaves Parz?!”

Rebekah seemed surprised and couldn’t understand the way she shouted at him. Looking at her, she hurriedly lowered her head as if she had finally realized what she was doing.

“I’m sorry! I’m just.”
“I picked them all.”

The flower shop owner tried to say something, but soon Rachel returned.

“I’ll take two songs with this. It’s five fairy tales, right?”
“Ah, yes, yes!”

As she finished her checkout and left the store, Rachel glanced at Rebekah, who was sitting in her chair helplessly, and asked Usher.

“Usher, do you remember who he is?”
“…Aren’t you the flower shop owner?”

Usher couldn’t understand why she asked such a thing. Wasn’t he the same person she used to meet every time she came to the flower shop?

“That Usher saved me before.”

He pondered over his memories, but in his memory, Rebekah was only Rachel and the owner of the flower shop he frequented.

“Aren’t you mistaken for another knight?”

Besides, Usher had saved many women from monsters in the meantime, but at that time Rebekah was already running a flower shop. When he said that, Rachel smiled bitterly.

“Usher is a sinful man.”

Even so, she continued to lead him without telling him why Rebekah was doing that. Rachel walked around the city holding the two lightly wrapped flowers in her arms so that they wouldn’t get hurt.

“Usher, why don’t you get some new clothes before you go? I’ll buy them for you.”
“I won’t wear it anyway.”

Sometimes Rachel begging her to buy her new clothes from him in front of her clothing store. It wasn’t that I didn’t change clothes, but I had thought that an undergarment worn under the armor was enough to change into.

“You can take off armor or something except when you’re working, right?”
“I’m more comfortable in armor.”

Although knights wear armor in normal times, they usually wore light leather clothes as uniforms, unless they were on duty. But Usher was known for wearing armor, even a helmet, on and off duty.

“Do you think people will ask if it’s not a golem with nothing inside?”
“I still hate it.”
“I ask you to understand the feelings of those who you meet often but have difficulty seeing their faces.”

Usher’s heart was stabbed in his heart, but he didn’t show it and just looked away.

“Haa, you stubborn. Nausicaa and Helena are having a hard time too.”

Rachel, who grumbled while leading him around, bruised her eyes, but he did not want to show her face to others. It was a habit I developed after becoming a knight and wearing a helmet.

“Is that because of that too?”
“…”

He didn’t answer, but Rachel sighed as if that was enough. That was when Usher was living in the same room with other apprentice knights as an apprentice knight before he became a paladin. Apprentice knights were treated almost the same as soldiers, so they needed to live like that. That day too, when everyone fell asleep after training.

– Swish
-Brush

Usher was suddenly awakened by a strange presence around him. He didn’t know why, but he knew what had happened was luck to him. The moment he made eye contact with someone, but when Usher stood blankly, not understanding the situation.

“Gag it!”
“Eup!? Eww?!”

As he quietly shouted, someone immediately tied a piece of cloth around Usher’s mouth. Looking around, he was surrounded by three apprentice knights who shared a room with him, so he couldn’t understand it even more.

“Can we really be like this? No matter how pretty we are.”
“Why, you agreed.”
“But he’s a man.”
“Fuck. A man with this face? And he’s too embarrassed to tell anyone. Don’t worry.”

The whispers in his ears and the weight of the person climbing behind him gave Usher goosebumps. Instinctively realizing what was about to happen, he immediately shook off the guy who was trying to get on top of him and ran out of his room.

If Boas, who was on duty at the time, found it and didn’t help, he didn’t know what would have happened. Fortunately, they were later disqualified with a penalty, but Usher continued to wear the helmet.

“I don’t think it matters much now. You can take off the helmet, right?”
“…”

Still, Usher didn’t take off his helmet, so Rachel shook her head and seemed to give up.

“Look over there.”
“Rachel-sama and Usher-sama, right? Are you out on a date?”
“Dating is like a close brother.”
“Then why does Rachel-sama dress up like that only when she’s with Usher-sama?”

Then, when he found them walking down the street, Usher looked down at Rachel for a moment at the whispers of people whispering. She originally insisted on conquest, just like the other knights, but today she was wearing a dress shirt, skirt, and stockings, as well as a robe of conquest.

“I can’t believe we’re not dating. You have to be able to believe it.”
“Aren’t you just grabbing it? You don’t seem to have any intention of hiding it.”

She was Rachel, who wasn’t even good at simple makeup, so she put a lot of effort into following today, and her white powder, cheeks with a light blush, and lips that sparkled in pink stood out. Was

But Usher knew it wasn’t especially for him.

After wandering around the city, they finally arrived at a tomb on the outskirts. It was a good place to see that this city was created at the same time as it was created. Since there is no proper stone here, the tombstones are made by baking and stacking bricks.

It was a story known to those in the know that most of them had no bodies buried beneath them. They stood in front of an exceptionally large tombstone among many tombstones. Rachel placed a flower in front of the tombstone.

“Master, we are here.”

There, the words ‘Yakaf = Krikaliev’ were inscribed on it. It was a little strange, but I couldn’t help it. Their master had different names in Rak Saria and Parz. The tombstone was engraved in this way so that everyone could recognize it.

“I came a little early today because Usher is leaving. Is that okay?”

Rachel leaned against the tombstone, talking about her longing in her young voice. Even though he’s not below it. Usher watched her and saw the flower she handed him. It was a blue rose.

“Do you have any thoughts even though today is the last day?”

Rachel looked to her side, wiping the traces of sadness from her eyes. There was an exceptionally empty space apart from other tombstones.

“Yes, I’m going to pick you up. I promised.”

Usher had put a blue rose there. It was the girl’s seat, but there was no monument erected. The flower, resembling the still-crying Rachel, brushed its petals as it passed by.