A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive - Chapter 83

• Chapter 83 : Hydra’s way forward

Hydra and Ryodou went to the village mayor’s house and showed Scarlett and Gendar the treasured sword “Tecumseh”, the testament of her victory over the trial.

According to Gendar, this sword was made from a meteorite that fell to earth during ancient times.

It appeared that the special properties of the meteorite had imbued the sword with the power of exorcism, causing the blade to glow purple from time to time.

Now that Hydra had become even stronger both physically and mentally after completing the trial, she tried to leave the village immediately.

Everybody told her to rest first, but she shook her head.

[You seem really determined. Are you sure, though? This is going to be a tough journey.] (Scarlett)

[Yes, I’m sure. And if I meet Seto on the way… I want to apologize to him for everything. Well, from his point of view, I will probably be nothing more than a nuisance, but I must apologize nonetheless.] (Hydra)

[Hydra-san, you shouldn’t blame yourself so much.] (Scarlett)

[No, it’s only natural considering what has happened so far. But regardless of the outcome, I still wish to apologize. Although, I have to find him first for that.] (Hydra)

[I think you will find him relatively soon.] (Gendar)

[Eh? Is that true, Gendar-dono?!] (Hydra)

[Go to the royal capital. All your answers will be there.] (Gendar)

[My answers?] (Hydra)

[Remember what you said this morning? about feeling things as they are with your own eyes, ears. and skin. Don’t be afraid. Your path is already open for you. —And may the blessing of the Great Totem be with you.] (Gendar)

Gendar’s wrinkled face broke into a smile as he supported Hydra’s decision.

Hydra thanked Scarlett and Gendar once again.

When she went outside, she found Ryodou waiting for her.

Apparently, he knew that Hydra was going to leave the village, and had already made the necessary preparations.

[Ryodou-dono, thank you very much for everything.] (Hydra)

[Don’t mention it. More importantly, there’s a horse ready for you. Go meet up with Grido asap. His horse is hella fast, y’know?] (Ryodou)

[R-Right. But… Grido-dono, huh… I’m still not fond of him.] (Hydra)

[Yeah, figured. His training messed you up real bad, after all.] (Ryodou)

During her time in the village, she was mentored by all sorts of masters, and even among them, training under Grido was the most excruciating experience of her life.

Word had it that he hailed from a family of renowned knights, but he nearly killed her several times with his fighting techniques.

Although she was frightened on the inside, she headed to his house.

[Grido-dono! It’s me, Hydra!] (Hydra)

[…Come in. I’ll hear you out.] (Grido)

Hydra did as she was told, and Grido, sitting in his chair, was glaring at her with a surly expression.

[Sit down.] (Grido)

[Y-Yessir.] (Hydra)

The interior of his house was so lacking in furniture that it was hard to believe someone was living in it.

A chair and a table stood alone in the living room, which was so small that it could not even be called the bare minimum.

There were no paintings or anything else on the walls, save for an old sword and a shield covered in scratches leaning against one of them.

She thought the interior of a former knight’s house would be appropriately furnished, but instead, it was the complete opposite of that.

[What’re you darting your eyes around for? Got a problem with my house?] (Grido)

[My apologies! I have no problem with it. It’s simply that… I heard that you used to be a knight, Grido-dono, so… Um, I am sorry.] (Hydra)

[Don’t apologize, you moron. …I’m gonna make some tea. One cup for you too.] (Grido)

[Ah, please don’t mind me. I’m already about to leave the village, so…] (Hydra)

[You sayin’ you don’t wanna drink my tea?] (Grido)

Eeep! (Hydra)

Thus, Hydra was so nervous and afraid that she drank her tea without knowing the taste.

While savoring his tea and staring at Hydra, Grido finally spoke up.

[So, I heard you’re gonna resume your journey to defeat the Demon King, huh? Why not just let the Hero’s party or the government take care of that instead?] (Grido)

[Eh?] (Hydra)

[What I’m saying is there’s no need for you to put your life on the line.] (Grido)

Grido was basically a military man so harsh he was considered a devil.

At the very least, he did not seem like the sort of man who would tell someone else to abandon their role like that.

[Um, Grido-dono. Why are you… telling me such a thing? This is my duty. And I wish to fulfill it. Therefore…] (Hydra)

[Your duty, huh… Now that’s a word that takes me back. …A long time ago, I had a daughter about your age. She’d say the same thing. That it’s her duty.] (Grido)

[A daughter…?] (Hydra)

The nation he served was not a good one by any standards, and Grido hailed from a family line of bloodthirsty knights who would even turn on their own people at the behest of their king.

Like his father and grandfather, Grido wielded his blade both on the battlefield and in his own nation, getting wounded over and over again under the king’s command.

Although he felt a growing sense of guilt and doubt about this deep in his heart, he continued to hide them day after day behind his glittering helmet.

——Then he thought to himself, “This way of doing things won’t make anyone happy.”

But he could not think of any other way to live.

Devoting himself to others and his superiors, even if it meant sacrificing his own body and mind.

Neither he nor anyone else could think of any other form of “justice” or “goodness.”

Which is why his grandfather, his father, and his mother always told him the same thing.

That the physical scars and emotional pain he suffered while serving others were his pride as a human being, and a part of a knight’s way of life.

While suffering from the discrepancy and the contradiction between his ideals and reality, Grido grew older and had a child.

However, as his only daughter, who was supposed to succeed him, grew up, she began to question the king’s tyranny and her family’s actions, and eventually decided to rebel.

Grido still remembered the contents of their conversation at that time.

[…She’d been admonishing what I told her ever since she was little. I think she was about your age when she suddenly started rebelling. And saying stuff like “What good is a knight who doesn’t advise his king and save his people?” Real noble what she said there, right? But the thing is, it wasn’t considered as such back in our days. Putting your personal will before that of your superiors, especially the king, was just unthinkable. In a disparaging manner, I objected to her ideas. I denied everything about her. Her entire existence. And now, I regret it…] (Grido)

[I can’t believe it…] (Hydra)

[She was so shocked by my attitude that she eventually took action. She led the oppressed citizens, the knights and soldiers who agreed with her, and stood up to the king. So what do you think I did?] (Grido)

[…Did you fight them?] (Hydra)

When she asked that, Grido let out an uncanny laugh while shaking his shoulders sadly.

[I ran away.] (Grido)

[Eh!?] (Hydra)

[Funny, ain’t it? Now that my daughter had rebelled against our nation, my household was bound to fall to ruin. The moment I thought that everyone around me had become my enemy, I felt like I couldn’t stand still and do nothing anymore. All those feelings I’ve kept bottled up inside me exploded. I grabbed all the gold, swords, and shields I could carry, and ran away with my wife… Her mother, that is.] (Grido)

[Um, when you and your wife ran away, what did your daughter think…?] (Hydra)

[No idea. She was seriously trying to change the country… to save the people she was meant to protect, so she might’ve been prepared to cross swords with me. But since the reality of it was that I ran away… I can only wonder what she thought of it.] (Grido)

Grido drank tea the same way anyone else would drown in alcohol.

It was as if what he was pouring into his empty cup along with the now cold black tea was his own despondency.

As for what happened to that country and his daughter afterwards, Grido had no idea.

Or rather, he was afraid to learn anything about it, so he deliberately cut himself off from them.

Even after his wife died of a broken heart during their life on the run and after he came to live in this village.

Grido had lived on his own in solitude in this village ever since, burdened by a past that would never disappear.

[I gave my daughter a strict education so she would live the same way I did. I was so convinced that this was the best I could do for her. But look how this turned out instead. A parent’s few words can become a lasting curse on their kid for the rest of their life. I never wanted mine to be a curse. I just… wanted my kid to take over as head of the house the way I did… so that she could lead our family and support our kingdom after I retired… I thought… that would be the honorable path to walk. But instead… She questioned all of it… and confronted me head on, telling me I was in the wrong…] (Grido)

He shared with Hydra all these unbearable feelings he had been harboring.

His eyes were moist with sadness and tears, imbued with the sort of heartrending brilliance that no one would expect from someone as harsh as he was.

[After living in this village, I came to realize that… maybe I had just been putting up with things that I didn’t want to do, and by doing so, I was just fooling myself into thinking that I was living a noble life. I thought that if I remained patient and kept things in perspective, I would be able to live my life somehow… I suppressed my own feelings and desperately tried to suit the wishes of others… and called it “loyalty”… I tried to make my daughter follow the same path. I thought that was the norm, just common sense. But it wasn’t. By thinking that way, I was running away from the real problem. I stopped myself from thinking… that I was only maintaining the status quo… Tell me, Hydra, what do you think?] (Grido)

[What do I… think?] (Hydra)]

[You said it was your duty to defeat the Demon King. Do you really mean that? You sure it’s not actually just a goal that you encourage yourself to do because your parents and other adults you know told you to?] (Grido)

[N-Not at all. I’m serious about this.] (Hydra)

[Are you worried about stuff like what everyone would think if you refused or stopped midway? Are you sure you haven’t been suppressing your own feelings by using the word “mission” precisely because you worry about that? If that’s the case, then you better quit. I’m not belittling you or anything. There’s no need for you to put your life on the line for that kinda crap. Living a happy life doing something you like is much better than obsessing over something like that.] (Grido)

[Grido-dono…] (Hydra)

[The value of sacrificing one’s own happiness for the sake of others only belongs to old-fashioned generations like mine. It’s not for the younger generations like yours! You youngsters shouldn’t make yourselves miserable for the sake of others! No matter how hard you try to imitate what we old-timers have accomplished, it’ll never make you happy!!] (Grido)

Grido’s gaze was like that of a father worried about his daughter.

This made Hydra’s heart tighten.

[Now listen. There is no one who can put up with everything from birth to death just to live up to the expectations of their parents and the adults around them. There’s no such individual. So if that’s the kinda person you wanna be, give it up right now. Youngsters like you… must never become like me!! This way of life brings no happiness!] (Grido)

Behind this face of a stern military man was the face of a father with an only daughter.

It overlapped with the figure of Hydra’s own father.

Suddenly, she felt a breeze blow through the gap.

This cool, refreshing breeze caressed Hydra’s cheeks and neck, calming her down.

She took a deep breath, looked into Grido’s eyes, and answered clearly.

[Grido-dono. I joined the Hero’s party and set out on a journey to defeat the Demon King of my own volition. Since then, I haven’t changed my mind. However, it is also a fact that I made a huge mistake along the way. The memory of it will remain a sore spot for me. But even so, I don’t want to run away.] (Hydra)

[Looks like… you’re serious.] (Grido)

[I am.] (Hydra)

The two looked at each other in silence for a while.

Then Grido sighed in resignation and smiled awkwardly.

[Fine, then. But if you ever have to, then run away. Only look out for your own happiness. Never mind whatever happens around you. Discard your duty, your responsibilities, and everything else… You’re a member of the Hero’s party second, and a human being capable of loving those around you first and foremost. Unlike me… you’re strong enough to want to sincerely apologize to that Seto kid. …And that’s a strength I don’t have. I’m a foolish man, a former knight of great renown who still can’t build a decent grave for his wife after she passed away and won’t even check to see if his daughter is alive or dead.] (Grido)

[Grido-dono, you’re not foolish by any means. You are one of my proud teachers who taught me the ways of martial arts and humanity. …To be honest, I found you very intimidating, but that was also a learning experience for me. I will never forget what I learned in Benjamin Village.] (Hydra)

[Hydra… Heh. And to think you were just a little greenhorn who would be close to dying only after basic training not so long ago.] (Grido)

Grido has a cheerful expression on his face, as if he had been relieved of a mental blockage.

Hydra also replied with a big smile.

The two of them walked out of the house.

There, a white horse enveloped in a gentle white light was waiting for them.

[Preparations for your trip are… Well, complete. This horse is called a “holy horse”, and it’s much faster than any other horse.] (Grido)

[A holy horse!? You mean as in… the one from the legends!?] (Hydra)

[Hey, you forgotten we’re in Benjamin Village or what? There’s nothing but freaks and weirdos here, so of course you’d find one or two of those around here.] (Grido)

[W-Whaaaa…?] (Hydra)

[C’mon, get on quickly. It’ll take you to the royal capital. After that, it can come back on its own.] (Grido)

[Th-Thank you very much. Well then…] (Hydra)

After thanking him, Hydra mounted the horse.

The holy horse greeted her with a gentle neigh.

[…Now go. I’ll let the others know of your departure.] (Grido)

[Yessir! I’m off! ——YAAH!!] (Hydra)

Thus, Hydra ran across the land on the back of the holy horse.

Although she was surprised to see how much faster it was than a regular horse, she kept her eyes straight ahead.