Swamp Girl! Chapter 47

For now, the fortress remained on the lookout, but we idly continued our lives without Maddox returning for a second round.

Well, it was mostly just us three who were idle. Everyone else in the Elite Guard seemed to have their hands full.
‘Keep the troops busy,’ as they say, but at least Leopard, who was giving them directions, seemed to strictly adhere to the principle.
Even Irene seemed to be up to something; these last few days, I’d only seen her gazing far off in the distance. I mean, I’ve said it myself before, but just what kind of work is she doing?

On other fronts, Leon was the same as always, but now that I was back in a triple room, he didn’t barge in as he pleased.

This is coming a bit late, but Leon has apparently decided that he’ll be there when I wake up only when I’m sure to be by myself. Thing is, he came up with this rule based on his principles, so what about the part where he asks for my permission?

If I think about it, aside from me, Leon seems to have drawn a clear line between himself and other people. No matter how gentle or warm he is, there’s an absolute boundary that no one else can cross. I don’t know what made him that way, but maybe that’s just how it is in the world of the n.o.bility.
And yet, for some reason, I’m the only exception. Even when I think back, he’s been taking liberties with me since we first met.

Is that because I’m [Chris]?

It’s unclear, but I have no intention of asking him to make it clear either. Whatever the answer might be, it would obviously be better left unsaid.
Speaking of which, that was what we fought over in Brellwandy. Well, my mouth moved faster than my brain back then, and in the end, nothing came of it. So I think it’s fine not to count it.

While I had the time, I went to see the dragon.
It had rammed itself into the lowest floor of the control tower, where it died. Three or four days had pa.s.sed since then, but it had already been mostly stripped down, leaving part of its body bare bone. But it was still easy to see that the dragon had been a huge creature. Its lower leg, at least, was over ten meters long. There can’t be any monsters bigger than this one, right?

Several enormous arrows jutted out from the turquoise scales covering its entire body. They must have come from the giant crossbows Leon mentioned. But even if they were billed as ‘anti-dragon equipment’, whether they were effective was another story. In this case, power aside, targets in the sky were usually difficult to hit with conventional projectiles. Even something as big as a dragon.
And yet, even by a quick count, nearly ten of them had found their mark. Long story short, I could tell that the fortress’s overall ability was something to be reckoned with.

As I was thinking about such things, Palmira thrust her sword into the dragon.
When I asked her what she was doing, she replied, [We might enter combat with a dragon one of these days, so I wanted to check how hard they are.] Her ambition was commendable, but honestly, I’d be more than happy to never have the chance.

“Oh, if it isn’t the young ladies?”

Because Palmira was busy doing that sort of stuff, Aira and I couldn’t really do much but stand around, observing from a distance. As we watched the repairs going up around the dragon and the control tower, a voice spoke to us from the side.

“General, how do you do?”

Aira immediately returned the greeting with her best manners.
‘With the fortress in this condition, no one’s doing well,’ I thought, but contrary to my expectations, General Gary seemed to be in high spirits.

“Well, what perfect timing to meet you here! …The truth is, I felt that I had to apologize to you three.”

Apologize? What for?
I unconsciously did a double take when I saw this mountain bandit’s att.i.tude suddenly grow meek.

“Percival caused you young ladies such trouble… That’s inexcusable,”

he said, and lowered his head. He surprised me so much that I nearly jumped back.
Anyway, even though he was the one who chose to do it, he was commander of the fortress. For someone of such standing to lower his head in a place like this looked bad in all sorts of ways.

“N–No, uh, not at all, Ga — Lord Gary, I’m begging you, lift up your head, okay, please? We understand. We understand!”

Even I could tell how panicked I must have looked. And my formal speech was a mess.
In hindsight, I wish I’d left it to Aira. Times like this, it was her turn to s.h.i.+ne.

“…Then, I ask that you please forgive me.”

“Yeah — uh, of course!”

“Is that so!? I’m very grateful for your words, but it is my greatest joy to receive them!”

Seeing Gary’s villainous face contort into a bright smile, I let out a deep sigh. That’s bad for the heart. I can’t lie, I’d like to be spared the sight.
Of course, it’s not like I feel no anger toward Percival. But the time I spent with him was too short for me to feel betrayed, so I’m not especially torn up about it.
On the flip-side, wouldn’t Gary have been hit a lot harder by the betrayal of his adjutant? Honestly, I sympathize with the feeling.
Though I’m not sure how I should follow up now.

“Still… why did Lord Percival do it?”

Because I thought it was a delicate subject, I was thinking of ways to get through the conversation without broaching it, but Aira asked Gary straight-out. Aira, same as always and yet suddenly so b.a.l.l.sy. Inside, I broke out into a cold sweat.

“To tell you the truth, as shameful as it is, I don’t know… Involving you young ladies, to say nothing of Lord Leon, is on par with high treason. He was someone I personally promoted, but I never imagined in my wildest dreams that his true character could possibly be capable of such an act.”

As he spoke his mind, Gary’s expression was full of regret.
As a matter of fact, I’d even suspected the possibility that entire fortress was in on Percival’s betrayal. Given the various factors involved, the chance was close to zero, but considering that it wasn’t impossible, I’d kept my guard up for the time being.

But if that were true, then it was strange that there hadn’t been any other attempts by now, three days later.
Those vague suspicions made me a little wary, but now, with Gary’s words, I decided to set aside all those doubts.
It was just [for some reason], but Gary’s behavior really didn’t seem two-faced to me. Suddenly, I felt that my suspicions were absurd, and I stopped entertaining them.1
When I considered it some more, it occurred to me that if someone like me could think of such an idea, then there was no way that Leon and Regnum — though I didn’t know if he was still around — would have missed it.

And considering that we’d been allowed to move this freely, in short, Leon must have judged that that wasn’t the case. In that case, even if I did stay on alert, there was no longer any point to it.

“The truth is, although Lord Leon would be fully justified in doubting every one of us, he stayed here and even offered his a.s.sistance… We are wholly indebted to him.”

As it turned out, we weren’t the only ones to think that way — having shared the same suspicions himself, Gary let slip a relieved smile.

Although it largely seems that way, suspicion alone doesn’t make a commander.2 Naturally, a certain degree of thoughtfulness is also necessary, I think.

–

–

The arrival of the First Platoon, with Vyde at its head, came three days after I woke up in the sickroom. It went roughly as Leon had said earlier.
When Leon told me, all I thought was ‘You don’t say?’, but the truth is, they mobilized with terrifying speed. By my calculations, the platoon — as it was called, despite its fifty members — was moving with barely any time lag at all. Ordinarily, that would be impossible. The Elite Guard’s responsiveness was really something. They didn’t disappoint the impression I had of their ability.

Anyway, we ended up receiving that First Platoon Commander Vyde in Rupert’s hospital room.
Though he’d been defeated, it didn’t change the fact that Rupert had put his life on the line to protect us. Aira, Palmira, and I went to visit him every day. All wrapped up in bandages, he seemed subtly annoyed on the outside, but it wasn’t like we were strangers anymore. And I, at least, felt like taking some petty revenge, so against his will we crowded into his room every day. To tell you straight out, I had the time, and at least with Rupert, I could be myself, so it was actually pretty fun.

Spending almost every day drilling with her sword by herself, Palmira in particular actively wanted to go see him.
And it wasn’t because she was worried about him, but because, ever pragmatic, she was asking him for pointers on sword techniques. Though he seemed fed up with it, he went along with it surprisingly often. Actually, if anyone was worried, it was Aira. Every time she visited, she’d bring him some kind of fruit — probably swiped from somewhere. And typical of Rupert, it seemed to make him genuinely happy.

“You seem to be doing surprisingly well.”

“Yo, Vyde. Thanks for coming all the way out here.”

Seeing Rupert upon entering the sickroom, Vyde skipped the greetings for a brief, astonished observation. Rupert casually raised a hand to him.
Vyde had his usual grimace on, but I could kinda tell.
Although Rupert was lying in bed, drowning in bandages, Palmira was squeezed in close to his bedside, and beside her was Aira, personally peeling an apple for him to eat. I wasn’t doing anything but sitting in a chair behind them, but it was Rupert and three women crammed into a room that was narrow to begin with. Even if we looked like a harem to Vyde, well, what can you do?
As serious as his injuries were, they certainly hadn’t slowed him down.3 He had at least five bone fractures that I knew of. Plus he took countless blows and abrasions. You could even say that the only way he could be in worse condition was if his life or limbs were in danger. But he needed to be on complete bed rest all the same. Just bundled up in bandages.

“Good morning, Mister Vyde.”

“…Morning.”

“Been a while, huh?”

As a group of three, we also said h.e.l.lo, more or less. Though we’d made his acquaintance during the Guibenague incident, we’d hardly spoken to him since.
It was a byproduct of his personality, but as a result, I put him down as a man whose thoughts I couldn’t read.

“Now that he’s been reduced to such a pathetic state, I’ll be a.s.suming his duties starting today. It won’t be for long, but I look forward to working with you.”

Though business-like, there was a bitter edge in Vyde’s voice. A paper-thin veneer of courtesy over rudeness. Unable to fully pick apart what he said, we stiffened right on the spot.

“Wh–What is that supposed to mean! Mister Rupert s.h.i.+elded us…!”

“Whoa, Airi, hold your horses.”

The quickest to reboot and respond was Aira. Apple in hand, she was about to step up to Vyde when Rupert pulled on her clothes to stop her.
Although she didn’t approach Vyde, even Palmira was glaring at him with a fairly angry expression. The glint in her eye was sharper than usual.
The effect of being menaced by beautiful women was quite impressive, but Vyde, as expressionless as always, faced it head-on.

“But — ! It’s our fault that you ended up like this, Mister Rupert!”

Looks like the excitement’s over. Even with Rupert holding her back, Aira was still vigorously trying to shake him off in her anger, though.

“It was his duty.”

Standing in the doorway, Vyde spoke without a single change in expression, his voice subdued.

“…Eh — ”

“It was his duty to serve as a guard. This was the only possible outcome. There’s no need for you to concern yourself with it. But what I can say is that he opted to fight back then, isn’t that right? Look at the big picture. Wasn’t it more appropriate to withdraw, rather than initiate hostilities? If you consider that he lost as a result, and ultimately contributed nothing, it’s obvious.”

By the time he came here, he must have heard the full story from Leon or Leopard. That was what his words seemed to imply.
And those words were exceedingly ruthless, but they certainly weren’t wrong.

“You talk like you’ve heard all about it. Then, would you have been able to beat Maddox?”

But take it from me, Rupert picked the best option he could under the circ.u.mstances. Sure, he lost, but even so, laying all the responsibility at Rupert’s feet was a mistake.
Actually, we were the ones who couldn’t make the right choice back then.

Now that I think about it, since Rupert was buying us time, we should have put all our efforts into escaping.
Even I could have — should have used magic on the door to secure a path of retreat. In hindsight, there was no need to purposely take the huge risk of casting it on Maddox.

“No. But I could have gotten everyone to safety.”

“Right?”

Vyde flatly declared that he wouldn’t be able to win, and Rupert chimed in after.
From the beginning, it was surprisingly the target of the insults himself, Rupert, who stayed calmer than anyone else in the room.

“Alright, everyone calm down. He’s always like this, you know? Besides, it’s a fact that Maddox kicked my a.s.s, and it was Chris who somehow got rid of him in the end, right? So that’s that. Well, anyway, Vyde.”

“The rest is my responsibility.”

“Understood.”

In the end, that was their entire conversation.
There wasn’t even a ‘Watch out for Maddox’ or a ‘How’d you end up like this’.

Long story short, Rupert just trusted Vyde that much. Taking on the a.s.signment, Vyde said nothing more either and curtly acknowledged the handover. Even though his words said otherwise, Vyde approved of Rupert too. Looks like what we have here is just a difference in personality.

An angry Aira and Palmira could only stand there, dumbfounded by the speed of the process.
Anyway, since the two in question didn’t care, it would only be tasteless for us third, fourth, and fifth wheels to get any angrier.

“Ahhh, still, that’s the end of my harem, huh… I’ll be so lonely.”

With that, Rupert flopped back onto the bed, sinking deep into it.
I felt that following up with those words was a bit too quick of a turnaround.

“…Rupert.”

In an uncharacteristic move, Palmira took the initiative to speak.
Even her expression had grown somewhat uneasy — anxious, even. It was a side of her that she rarely showed, and she looked like nothing so much as a cute girl.

“Don’t make that face… Ah, that’s right. Vyde.”

“What?”

“I want you to take care of this kid’s training. I’ve been doing it until now, but this is a good chance — I want you to teach her your straight sword.”

With Rupert’s hand resting on her head, Palmira was surprised by his words.
Looking back and forth between Vyde and Rupert, she seemed to be in quiet confusion.

“…That okay?”

Vyde’s curt response was just as unexpected.
I didn’t know who he was asking, but those two words alone somewhat improved my opinion of him.
In a surprising twist, he might be the type to worry for others.

“Yeah, ‘preciate it.”

“Got it.”

In the end, it was settled without Palmira’s input. Whether it was because Rupert didn’t care or if Vyde came to a clean decision, I couldn’t tell.
However, Rupert had fulfilled his responsibility, and Vyde had thought it through.
Though she wasn’t completely satisfied, Palmira glanced at Rupert before lowering her head to Vyde.

“Please take care of me.”

“Okay then! You guys are leaving tomorrow, right? Vyde, go away. My harem’s full today! Airi, apple!”

“Y–Yessir!”

“That’s not how you ask for an apple.”

What I had to applaud was that it really only took one moment for Rupert to fall into the role of a spoiled n.o.ble. I couldn’t help but interject. And I wanted to tell Aira not to indulge his whims with such enthusiasm.
As Aira held out the apple, I swiped it from her and stuck it in my own mouth.

“Ah–, Chris, what’re you doing? You’re a pest too! Go hang out at the boss’s place, will ya!”

“Are you stupid? If I leave these two behind, they’ll be in danger!”

“‘the h.e.l.l can I even do!? Can’t you tell what condition I’m in just by looking!?”

Despite what Vyde said, one way or another, it didn’t change the fact that this guy protected us.
I’m sure we won’t be able to see him for a while.
In that case, maybe it’ll be okay to be nice to him, just for today.

Author’s Notes
Before I knew it, the chapter was longer than usual.
That’s rare.

Footnotes
1. それはあくまで『なんとなく』ではあるが、ゲイリーの如何にも裏表なさそうなその所為に、ふと疑うことの馬鹿馬鹿しさを感じて考えるのを止めた、というのが正解だ ↵
2. 大雑把そうに見えても、それだけでは司令官は務まらない ↵
3. 重傷といっても差し支えない状態である事は間違いなかった ↵

I thought this back at the banquet, when Chris thought that Rupert would crack up if he saw Chris acting like a lady, but I really dig the vibe they have going sometimes.