218 – Yuria and Olivia -1-

The Imperial Army is coming.

With swords and shields in hand, accompanied by mages and healers, the Imperial Army’s march was loud and powerful.

-Guk guk guk.

Somehow, the Imperial Army had discovered the Saint’s presence and was approaching the northern snowy plain with around 300 troops.

I had anticipated the information leak, but the Imperial Army’s swift arrival left me sighing in frustration.

“Fast, aren’t they?”

It would have been better if they had arrived a bit sooner, but since they were already here, I knew we would be doomed anyway, so I tucked away my regret.

I’ll just give a rough explanation.

Why they came here.

How they ended up staying here.

I thought I’d just give a rough explanation and leave, not wanting to get entangled in complicated matters.

Although it was a thin thread, having Deesmont as a reliable backup meant I could avoid excessive questioning, and with Yuri’s father as a witness, I thought I could avoid a difficult situation.

I peeked out from behind the wall to find Yuri’s father.

“Hmm?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“This is troublesome.”

Yuri’s father was unconscious, leaning against the wall with a vacant expression. It seemed like it would take some time to recover, and our meeting with the imperial army would be delayed.

“Ugh…”

I scrunched up my face and roughly ran my hand through my hair.

Thanks to Hans’ emergency treatment, James’ life was no longer in danger. His abdomen was bandaged, and the bleeding had stopped. However, it would take about a day or two for him to regain consciousness. It was a difficult task for a retired adventurer to handle.

I let out a deep sigh, thinking that things were getting complicated.

“Whatever, it’ll be fine.”

-Clang.

The imperial army was approaching. Those guys who always arrived late were finally here.

Thinking that I needed to clear up any misunderstandings, I looked at the girl who was poking Yuri’s father’s cheek and asked.

“Miss.”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing?”

“Checking if he’s alive or dead.”

“What if he’s dead?”

“I’ll bury him.”

“You’re kind.”

“Yes.”

The girl seemed kind, as usual.

I walked to the center of the ruined inn and carefully put the photos found on Orlaf’s clothes and his daughter’s body into my pocket.

It seemed wrong to leave the body as it was, so I decided to make a grave for her at least.

Fortunately, there was no evidence that the girl had used dark magic. Orlaf’s body, which had repeatedly regenerated, was relatively clean, so it seemed I could avoid the unpleasant situation of taking the girl away.

“It’s all done, I suppose.”

I calmly gathered everything and waited for the imperial army to arrive. I just wanted to get this over with quickly.

“I want to rest soon.”

-Dada…

A loud, urgent voice pierced through the air, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps. A woman with a desperate voice was pushing her way through the crowd of soldiers.

“Who is it?”

It was a familiar voice.

-Move aside, please.

The woman was shouting, her voice full of anxiety, as she pushed through the crowd.

-This is a restricted area. Leave…

-But my family is over there…

-It’s dangerous. Leave it to the imperial army and…

-Please, move aside!

I could see a pink-haired woman in the distance.

With hair that resembled the sky and a voice that carried the scent of spring, I could immediately tell the identity of the person approaching me.

“Yuria.”

The protagonist of the novel was running towards me to confirm a changed future.

“Daddy!!”

Yuria, who had burst out from among the soldiers, saw the ruined hotel and started running towards it like a mad person.

I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her, thinking that she had avoided the future she had imagined.

“I guess I made a good choice.”

I was relieved that I didn’t see her crying, thinking that I could make her laugh properly at least once.

I reached out to stop Yuria, who was running towards the hotel ruins. I wanted to tell her that her father was behind the collapsed stone wall.

“Over there, Yuria.”

But…

“…”

Yuria ignored my outstretched hand and passed by me with a cold gaze, then turned back to dig through the hotel ruins with her bare hands.

“Daddy…!”

“Cough… Daddy…!”

“Daady!!”

Yuria’s voice was heartbreakingly torn apart. She was crying desperately like someone who had lost the world, digging through the hotel ruins with her bare hands.

“…Hmm.”

I didn’t expect to be treated like this, and I felt a bit flustered. I didn’t want to be treated like a hero, but this was a wound that couldn’t be ignored.

I looked down at my bleeding hand with a bitter smile.

“This is bitter.”

I let out a sigh and slowly walked towards Yuria. I was used to being hated, but I didn’t want to see my friend crying like this. I thought I had to tell her quickly.

“Whoa.”

I let out a sigh and forced a smile. It would be better to deliver the good news with a smile, after all.

-Thud.

“There…”

-Thud.

“Yuria.”

-Hmm.

Yuria, who had been digging through the ruins with her bare hands, stopped moving and glared at me. Her eyes, filled with tears, glared at me fiercely, and I felt my body stiffen as well.

I had to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

It was as if Olaf’s revival was less intimidating than Yuria’s cold gaze, which made my mouth stiffen.

I took a deep breath and spoke to Yuria. I had to say what I had to say.

“Yuria.”

Yuria cut me off and spoke, her shoulders trembling.

“I…!”

She spoke to me, suppressing the anger boiling up inside her like someone who had experienced a great betrayal.

“How could I have trusted you so much.”

“Even if I have strange thoughts, I believe it’s not true, and I believed it again…”

Yuria repeated the same words. She believed it, but why didn’t she receive an answer? Her resentful tone was filled with frustration as she spoke to me.

It’s obvious that the target of her belief is me, but I don’t need to think about it.

Yuria’s words, filled with frustration, poured out towards me, blaming me for not being able to protect her father.

I awkwardly stretched out my hand, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, but…

“Wait, just listen to me…”

Yuria’s emotions were on the verge of exploding, and she didn’t give me a chance to explain. She shouted at me again, this time with her face buried in the floor, her voice trembling with despair.

“Why do problems always arise when you’re around?”

“…”

“For a while, I was calm, and I promised myself I wouldn’t hate you again. Why…!”

“…”

“Why do I always get swept away by the unhappiness brought by Ricardo?”

Yuria clenched her fist and shouted.

How should I take this?

Honestly, I don’t know. Is Yuria speaking from her heart, or is she saying this because of her anxiety and misunderstanding? I couldn’t tell.

“But…”

Yuria spoke, tears streaming down her face.

“I…”

She patted her chest, trying to reassure me, and I was relieved.

“I still believe in Ricardo.”

“I know. I’m strange. I always get disappointed and frustrated by myself… I know I’m too strange.”

Yuria wiped away her tears and spoke.

“I can’t hate Ricardo.”

A smile finally appeared on her stiff lips. Maybe I felt good because I received a bigger trust than I expected.

Personally, I thought she would say, “You shouldn’t have trusted me,” “I was a fool for believing in you,” or “Why do I always get hurt because of you?” But even in the midst of anxiety, Yuria’s trust in me made me feel grateful.

So, as I always did, I smiled and spoke to Yuria, hiding my bleeding arm behind my back.

“I’m sorry.”

In the distance, the sound of the imperial army finding James could be heard. The aristocratic lady’s displeased expression was also visible.

-We found him!

Yuria looked at me.

Her wavering eyes gazed at me, murmuring “Thank goodness…”

I chuckled and bowed my head.

Hiding my injured hand behind my back, I bowed my head again and said.

“I tried to protect you without a single scratch, but my body didn’t cooperate. I’m sorry.”

Yuria stared at me blankly.

And so did the aristocratic lady.

The army was approaching.

The commander of the army, wearing enormous armor, walked towards me, pulling out a scroll from his bosom and reciting its contents.

Roughly, it said that I had the right to exercise my privilege.

I nodded in response to the man’s words, preparing to surrender to the soldier’s hand that was approaching me without handcuffs.

Just as the soldier’s hand was about to grab my shoulder.

-Clang!

The sound of kicking echoed.

The sound of kicking off armor.

I looked down and smiled at the brave girl who kicked the man’s shin with her leg.

“Miss.”

The miss had her arms crossed, looking quite arrogant. It was like seeing her from back when she lived in the slums, saying “I’m someone special.” The miss looked up at the man wearing armor, her eyebrows raised, and said:

“Do you know who I am?!”

I tried to hold back my laughter at the miss’s scrunched-up face as she rubbed her aching toe. I patted her head, implying that it was okay.

It didn’t matter anyway.

I watched as the miss was dragged away by the imperial army, saying it was okay with my eyes.

“Let go! Ricardo, just stay still.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just talk for a bit and come back.”

“No way. I’ll show you the difference in our social status.”

“That’s something that’s socially buried, though.”

“…Then what’s the difference in our ranks?”

“That’s also kind of…yeah.”

I patted the miss’s head, who was deep in thought, and looked at the representative leading the army.

“Please make it quick.”

The representative let out a dry laugh and took off his helmet. Then, he scolded the soldiers who approached me, speaking sharply.

“Do you all want to write a confession statement, or do you not know that punishing an innocent civilian is against the rules?”

The man who took off his helmet smiled and came to my side. The handsome man with brown hair patted my shoulder and opened his mouth.

“What’s with you, always causing trouble and running around?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to teach me a new recipe before you die?”

Malik smiled and looked at me.

“I knew this would happen, so I didn’t submit my resignation to the knight’s order.”

In my eyes, this person was the protagonist.