TEB Ch 37
by STAR“That’s not something I should be praised so much for.”
“No! It’s entirely thanks to Sir Liev, the reason that Renard decided to help us was because he was confident that Sir Liev must still be alive somewhere in this country.”
“……”
When Liev fell speechless again and couldn’t say anything, Sigrid spoke with a wide smile.
“Although Renard’s way of expressing things is strange, I just wanted to say that it is true that Renard really likes you.”
The moment Liev heard that affectionate and kind sentence, he felt bad, as if a bad button had been pressed. Why did Sigrid have to say that? Speaking as if he knew Renard better than him, as if he were Renard’s spokesperson, suddenly bothered him.
What am I thinking?
As soon as he realized the discomfort, Liev was surprised by his own reaction and started to hiccup.
When Liev covered his mouth with both hands to suppress the hiccups, Sigrid, sensing something was wrong, leaned his head closer to Liev and asked.
“Sir Liev, what are you worried about?”
Liev’s heart seemed to drop to the floor at the sudden question. Liev stammered.
“What do you mean?”
“In reality, you don’t dislike Renard either. But I was wondering why you’re drawing the line so firmly.”
At the teasing expression that even seemed a bit mischievous, Liev’s face heated up. Sigrid Eiler, the beloved protagonist of this world, might be overly kind, but he was no fool. He had keen instincts, and while he might play along, he never fell for tricks. The fact that he was asking a straightforward question meant he wasn’t just making a guess.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Pretending not to understand on purpose, Liev mumbled, and Sigrid grinned and asked directly.
“You like him, right? Renard. It seems like you’ve both missed each other for a long time. I’m just curious why you can’t be honest about it. That’s all.”
What kind of talk is this? Liev screamed inwardly. Trying to dismiss it casually, Liev raised his voice before his head started throbbing even more and released a long sigh.
“The worlds we live in are too different. Renard will continue to roam the country as a hero, protecting Airen. But wouldn’t it be a hindrance to have a knight whose job it is to only feed warhorses by his side?
Sigrid immediately refuted
“Is Sir Liev really concerned about that?”
“I am concerned!”
“That’s why I’m asking. Why do you care about that, Mr. Liev?
Liev was now stunned. Sigrid was a hero and protagonist who effortlessly handled everything he touched. However, Liev had experienced profound helplessness. He couldn’t assist Renard with his own strength, only being a hindrance or a spectator at best. Even if Renard faced any trouble or issue, Liev had nothing to do to help him solve it. Those who hadn’t experienced such powerlessness wouldn’t understand.
“You wouldn’t understand. It’s a terrible feeling to know that when there is nothing, I do nothing when something happens to someone so precious to me.”
At that moment, Sigrid responded with an expression that showed he still didn’t understand.
“No, why do you think you can’t do anything? Sir Liev. Renard has survived all this time to meet you. He lent his strength to this country to protect you. Sir Liev, just by existing, is someone Renard aims for.”
“…….”
“No matter what crisis Renard faces in the future, he will survive to return to you. But still, don’t you realize how important of a presence you are to Renard?”
No, in truth, Liev knew. The reason he blames himself and the reason he pours out so many hateful words all stem from affection. If Renard didn’t have any lingering emotions for Liev, he wouldn’t have searched for Liev in the first place. Even if he found him, he might have simply trampled him under his foot. Revenge would have been enough. Renard’s feelings for Liev are closer to attachment than anger.
“……”
But even though Renard had good feelings for him, he was the one who ruined this relationship in such a cruel way. As soon as they met again, the first thing I said wasn’t even “I’m sorry. Leaving a scar on Renard.
Liev couldn’t bring himself to respond and chose to avoid the conversation.
“It’s getting cold, perhaps because I’ve been out for too long. I’ll go in first.”
With a sudden excuse, Liev fled from Sigrid with an excuse out of the blue that turned his cheeks bright red. It was a pitiful sight. Even after reaching the room, his heart continued to pound as if he had been caught stealing.
As soon as Liev entered the room, he didn’t even want to see his own face reflected in the glass window. He closed the curtains, and the room instantly immersed itself in darkness. In that pitch-black darkness, it felt as if Renard was watching him from a corner, just like when they first met, in the form of a baby dragon the size of an ostrich egg.
***
Afterwards, members of the White Eagle Knights began to return one after another, but Renard did not. The members who returned early were those who had been deployed to regions different from Renard. The only companion who had traveled with Renard was Palvin, a taciturn gladiator with a bear-like appearance. Both of them had lost contact, and there was no news of their return.
When I asked the steward if there were any other circumstances, he simply told me not to worry too much, as it was not uncommon for news to be cut off in areas where commuter ports were unavailable. What could be done? It seemed like there was no choice but to sit quietly and wait. However, an ominous sense of foreboding began to rise from the tips of Liev’s toes, wondering if something had gone wrong.
“…..”
In this world where dragons were believed to possess powers and strengths similar to those of gods, there were countless individuals who coveted the title of dragon slayer. For centuries, dragons were often hunted by those seeking the title.
In order to earn the title of a strong man who could slay even a god, sometimes those went beyond the norms of hunting dragons. Knowing the value of their lives, dragon hunters primarily targeted young or old dragons that were losing their strength.
Basically, dragons became stronger as they aged and gained better control over their natural powers. However, when a dragon loses its will to live, it begins to age rapidly. From that point on, the aged dragon body slowly becomes one with nature, disappearing or being killed. One of the two was the end of an old dragon.
“What are you going to do if something goes wrong with Renard or if he gets targeted by dragon hunters?!”
Liev expressed his concerns to Reinhart, who seemed quite calm, only responding in a calm tone.
“I understand your concerns, but Renard is not someone that dragon hunters can easily handle. Don’t worry too much.”
I know Renard is strong. However, right here, there was a “human” who defeated Renard, who had become stronger due to his berserk in the original. If there is another person whose skills are comparable to those of the main character, Liev felt like his stomach was sinking from all his imagination.
Liev felt like he was the only one worrying about Renard in this vast world. As if he were treating him like a delicate item, as if he were still a child who was in his arms.
