“Oh yes. She’s an outstanding girl.”
—It was happening. It had already begun.
Pavel paid no heed to Olrand's regret and continued speaking.
“That said, I honestly have no idea why she wants to become a paladin. She’s weak little girl, certainly not the type who thinks of fighting power as everything — honestly, she’s even been scared to tears by caterpillars in the past — and while I did say that might was everything just now, that doesn’t extend to my wife… although my wife does seem like that in some ways — and she’s adorable because she grew up like me, no, I should say that it’s a pity she ended up growing up to look like me — but the true shame is that she doesn’t have any talent for using swords. However, she’s adept with the bow. If only she could hone her skills in that respect, but then here she is wanting to be a paladin and whatnot—”
He let the meandering monologue flow in one ear and out the other, making the appropriate noises in response when they were needed, but it would seem he had still been found out.
“Oi, are you listening to me?”
That question was only to be expected.
No, I wasn’t listening. I think I stopped after the third time.
After hearing the same thing about five or six times, under normal circumstances Olrand would have unhappily retorted “Hell no.” However, taking that tone with Pavel would be a terrible mistake. That was because he knew that he would surely reply, “Then I’ll tell you again.”
This was the right answer:
“Of course I did. What a lovely girl she is!”
Pavel’s face changed dramatically. While it was an ugly, fiendish expression that put Olrand on his guard, the fact was that the other man was simply embarrassed.
If he did not capitalize on the way Pavel’s mind was savoring the joy of hearing his daughter being praised by others and overcome Pavel’s desire to praise his daughter, he would be plunged into that hell once more.
“Also—”
Only one thing could trump the topic of his daughter. That was work.
“Doesn’t night work mess with your biological clock? Won’t your body get weird?”
The butcher’s expression on Pavel’s face returned to his usual killer’s expression.
“...How many times have you asked that question already? The answer’s the same as always; it’s nothing to be concerned about. Still, why do you keep asking that question? What are you really getting at?”
He knew the cause for it, but he still stared at his rapid shift in attitude.
Where did the you from just now go, he wanted to say, but Olrand did not want that hell to return once more.
“...Hah. What I really want to say? Well, that’s a surprising question… I was just thinking that it’d cause a lot of trouble for me if the man who beat me ruined his body and ended up having to retire over a trivial thing. Of course, once I win, such minor things won’t matter any more.”
In the past, Olrand had been full of himself when he was first assigned to this strongpoint, and thinking back to those days embarrassed him. Skilled soldiers gathered around him in admiration, fuelling his ego ever further, and somehow, he had ended up fighting a mock battle with Pavel.
Olrand favored the sword — close combat. In contrast, Pavel favored the bow — ranged combat.
If the two of them clashed, the question of engagement range would be extremely important. However, Pavel declared that he was fine with close combat.
And then, Olrand lost.
Olrand respected Pavel for that reason. At the same time, he harbored the desire to beat him next time. This time, he would fight Pavel in his field of expertise, ranged combat, and emerge the victor there.
“Is that so? You want to fight me, then? While I’m at peak physical condition, with no handicaps on my part.”
A bestial smile crossed Pavel’s face as he said so, and it made Olrand’s chest heat up.
Oh yes, definitely. Isn’t that obvious? I want to fight you. I want to put my life on the line against you. However, that won’t be allowed, will it? Even so, if possible, I’d like us to have a battle where both of us could die at any moment. That’s how I want to fight you.
However, Olrand remained silent. That was because his instincts said there was no telling where the beast before his eyes would go. And in fact, what Pavel said after that confirmed those instincts.
“Still, I have to apologize. You should know why too.There’s very few people who can beat you as you are now in melee combat, and I’m not one of them.”
Then let’s settle it with ranged combat. Those words did not issue from Olrand’s mouth. That was because he knew it would only be an insult to a worthy opponent.
He recalled Pavel’s bow skills. He was still not confident that he could evade his attacks and close the distance at the same time.
—No, not yet.
“Well, if that’s all, time to make your report.”
“No need to rush, boss. It’s not time for the shift change yet, right? Look, the bell hasn’t rung yet.”
Indeed, the chime that signalled a shift change had not yet sounded.
“You still need to prepare to change shifts, right? There’s things to do before the bell goes. You ought to be getting yourself ready so you can change over the moment the bell rings.”
“It’s still too early even for that, right boss? Come talk with us for a bit.”
“Then, may I make a report to the Platoon Sergeant’s second-in-command?”
The person who spoke was one of his men.
“Oh, that’s a great idea. Excellent job, you. How about that, boss?”
“...Hah. You’re being really persistent today. You want to say something, right? Good grief... if you want to say something, come out and say it.”
But of course, he could not.
While he had acknowledged the other man as someone he could talk with because he respected him, Olrand was the type who did not speak to people precisely because he respected them. That was because he wanted to be seen as a man who could stand on his own.
“Well, that’s why you’re the boss. You get it, don’t you?”
“...Hahhh. So, what is it? I won’t let you off lightly if it’s some trivial nonsense.”
“Well, about that...” Olrand took off his helmet and scratched his head. The cool air felt strangely comfortable on his heated scalp.
“The truth is I want to go on a warrior’s pilgrimage. So can I leave this place?”
He could hear the gasps of surprise from all around him. However, the expression on the slender man in front of him remained unmoved.
“Why tell me?”
“That’s because you’re the man I respect the most in this nation, boss. If you won’t stop me either, then I won’t have any more doubts.”
“...Aren’t you an NCO? If you’ve finished your conscription period, I can’t possibly stop you.”
The Holy Kingdom practiced conscription. Therefore, they sometimes called those people who chose to be career soldiers noncommissioned officers, in order to differentiate them from those people who had been conscripted. Pavel and all his men were NCOs, while Olrand had some NCOs and conscripts under his command.
“In that case, you don’t mind if I quit, right?”
Being asked that question marked the first time Pavel’s face had changed apart from when the topic of his wife and daughter had come up. Olrand had barely managed to discover it by dint of his extraordinary powers of perception gained from being a warrior. Nobody else around them had noticed it.
He was someone that Olrand acknowledged as a man of steel, but he was actually perturbed by the question of his staying or departure. His heart swirled with a mix of delight and sorrow.