BKSL CH 36

Chapter 36

Leo’s Point of View

Today was the day of my regularly scheduled meeting with the local lord.

Milko and I set out immediately after breakfast, but soon realized we had forgotten some necessary documents, so we decided to turn back.

“—What? Rick did?”

“Yes. He said he would deliver the commander’s forgotten items and went out. Shibel-chan went with him.”

“…What did you say?”

The moment I heard that from one of my subordinates after returning for the documents, a sense of unease churned in my chest.

Rick was most likely one of Markus’s spies.

The fact that he went out alone with Shibel-chan worried me greatly. On top of that, he claimed he was going to deliver the documents to me, yet we never ran into him on the way.

There is only one road leading into town.

If he had truly followed after us, there’s no way we wouldn’t have crossed paths.

“Leo…”

“Yeah… this could turn bad.”

It seemed Milko had come to the same conclusion.

Rick’s true objective wasn’t clear, but if he was a spy sent by Markus, then he was probably here to investigate whether Shibel-chan was the true Saint.

I had also heard rumors about monsters appearing in the capital, and about my stepsister not actually fulfilling the role of a Saint.

It wasn’t hard to imagine Markus growing desperate.

“Damn it… if only I’d been more cautious…!”

I had been careful to make sure Rick and Shibel-chan were never alone together.

I was supposed to be away from the dormitory today, but I planned to return by early afternoon, and Shibel-chan was working with Elga, so I thought everything would be fine.

But if they weren’t heading toward town, then… had they gone into the forest?

Since Shibel-chan arrived, the monsters had been unusually quiet—but deeper in the forest lay their nests.

If provoked, they wouldn’t stay docile. And if Shibel-chan were forced to use her Saintly power there, it would make everything clear.

But surely they wouldn’t do something that reckless…!

“Leo, that way!”

“Yeah!”

Milko and I immediately spurred our horses forward.

Milko had an exceptional ability to sense monsters. I could feel them too, to some extent, but Milko could detect them even from far away.

As we rode deeper into the forest following him, I began to sense the monsters as well.

They were close…!

Shibel-chan, please be safe…!!

Before long, the two of them came into view.

Rick stood in front of Shibel-chan, protecting her as he hurled fireballs and swung his sword.

Relief washed over me when I saw that Shibel-chan didn’t seem injured—but the next moment, as distance opened between her and Rick, a wolf leapt straight at her.

By then, my body was already moving.

Without hesitation, I threw the knife I had prepared straight at the wolf.

“Shibel-chan!!”

“Leo… san…?”

The knife struck true, killing the wolf mid-leap and keeping Shibel-chan safe.

Milko and I were here now. Everything would be all right.

With that thought, I leapt from my horse and ran toward her—
but—

The instant Shibel-chan met my eyes, smiled in relief, and closed them…

A brilliant light burst forth from her body.

“!!?”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening—but when I saw the wolves struck by the light collapse one after another, I understood.

She had used the power of a Saint.

“Shibel-chan…!!”

Then, as if all her strength had left her, her body tilted—and I hurriedly caught her.

“Shibel-chan, Shibel-chan!”

“Suu…”

“…Did she fall asleep?”

In my arms, Shibel-chan breathed softly, fast asleep. Her body felt a little warm.

Did she have a fever?

“Leo.”

“She’s fine. It looks like she’s just sleeping.”

“I see…”

After answering Milko, who approached us with worry etched on his face, we turned our gaze toward Rick.

“…So she really was the Saint.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Since I was holding Shibel-chan, Milko grabbed Rick by the collar and snarled at him instead.

“Of course I do. I’m sure you both understand too—I was sent by Prince Markus to confirm whether she was the Saint.”

“Did Prince Markus say it was acceptable to put her in danger!?”

“Well… I mean, I was there. Against wolves like that, I had it handled.”

At those words, Milko clenched his fist and punched Rick hard across the cheek.

“What part of that was ‘handled’!? She was seconds away from being injured!”

“…I wouldn’t have let that happen. Even if it cost me my life, I would’ve protected her.”

Rick sat on the ground, wiping blood from his mouth with his thumb, still answering defiantly.

“If Leo hadn’t thrown that knife, what do you think would’ve happened?”

“I can use fire magic. Worst case, I’d have burned them all to ash.”

That might have set the forest ablaze—but I could tell his resolve to protect Shibel-chan hadn’t been a lie.

That said, his actions were still unforgivable.

“So what do you plan to do now?” I asked.

“Now that I know she’s the Saint, my mission’s over. I’ll return to the capital and report to Prince Markus. Leo-pold-sama.”

The name he spoke made me twitch.

“I thought so. There are only childhood portraits of you, so people don’t know your face—but black hair like that is rare. Shibel-chan doesn’t seem to realize her commander is a prince. Still, the First Knight Order really is the ultimate guard. In your case, facing monsters might actually be safer than staying in the capital.”

I glared at Rick for his excessive chatter and questioned him.

“Once Markus learns she’s the Saint, what does he intend to do?”

“Who knows? He didn’t tell me that much. But after exiling her once, things are going to get messy. His Majesty will definitely be furious.”

“…Then won’t they try to keep it from the king that she’s the Saint?”

“That’d be a problem too. And sooner or later, everyone will find out who the fake Saint is. By some stroke of fate, the real Saint is with the kingdom’s First Prince. Honestly, that might be convenient for His Majesty. I bet Prince Markus will be shocked to learn his brother was leading the First Knight Order.”

“……”

From Rick’s tone, it didn’t seem he was wholly loyal to Markus.

Perhaps he had simply been used because they were childhood friends…

“But wouldn’t that be better for you?” Rick continued. “If you inherit the throne, you can marry the real Saint, Shibel-chan.”

“I intend to respect her wishes.”

“Heh. You’re quite the gentleman—unlike your brother, Prince Leopold.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Shibel-chan was sleeping in my arms right now.

I didn’t know when she might wake up.

“…You’re not going to tell her, then?” Rick asked quietly.

“There’s no need. I am the commander of the First Knight Order.”

“You know that excuse won’t last forever, don’t you?”

“……”

“And you—don’t think you’ll just walk back to the capital freely.”

“…Yeah. I figured.”

Milko, who had been silently listening until then, finally spoke. Rick answered him with an exaggerated sigh.

After that, with Shibel-chan still unconscious, I mounted her onto my horse, holding her close, while Milko and I rode with Rick sandwiched between us so he couldn’t escape, and returned to the knight dormitory.

The meeting with the lord would have to be rescheduled.

Even so—

There was no doubt anymore.

Shibel-chan truly was the Saint.

Holding her against my chest so she wouldn’t fall from the horse, my heart wavered at just how dear she had become to me.

So… a lot of things have come to light now, haven’t they(?)

But more importantly—Shibel! Wake up!
You’re in Leo’s arms right now!!

If you kindly felt like telling her that, please consider bookmarking, rating ★★★★★, or leaving a like! (；ᵕ；)ｗ