Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 40 - Awakening

Despite the blood that soiled her hands, the girl was gripping them tightly. She smiled as if to forgive Medrauta despite her sins.

"Thank you for saving me!"

Those five simple words were all it took to wipe away the fear and guilt that had taken root in Medrauta's heart.

That's right... I saved her. I saved her like a real knight, so it's okay! Medrauta smiled back. It was so simple. The knights in the stories vanquished all manner of beasts, and sometimes, they were even forced to fight against other knights. As long as you were killing for the sake of justice, it was fine!

"You can call me Gwen! What's yours?"

"O-Oh! Um, I'm Medrauta..."

"Wow!" Gwen's eyes sparkled with joy. "What a pretty name!"

"A-Ahaha... You really think so?" Medrauta blushed. It was the first time she'd ever received a compliment.

"Mhm! You're a knight, right?"

"H-Huh? I'm... not a knight."

"Really? But you were so fast and so strong! There's no way you're not a knight!"

"No, I'm really not..."

As the two of them continued this back and forth, minutes flew by, and before they knew it, the sound of hoofbeats were traveling through the air once more.

"Shh. Be quiet, Gwen," Medrauta frowned. Her enhanced senses allowed her to hear the galloping horses from far away.

"Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Go hide in one of the bushes. I can hear someone coming."

"Hm... Really? I don't hear anything! Maybe it's 'cause you're a knight?"

"I said I'm not a knight! Now go hide!"

Gwen pouted, but she obeyed. Her bright pink hair and flashy dress stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark green foliage, causing Medrauta to grimace. Even so, Gwen had done her best.

Around a minute later, twelve horses thundered onto the road, their riders all armed and armored. Most of them carried immense greatswords on their back, but some carried lighter longswords that hung by their hips. Their gilded armor was scratched and bloody, and some of them looked to be injured.

Medrauta faced them as she stood in front of the bush that Gwen hid behind. She had recovered one of the undamaged swords and brandished it in front of herself even as the armored men reined in their horses.

One of the riders dismounted and began striding toward Medrauta.

"S-Stay back! I'm warning you! I'm really strong!" Medrauta said, doing her best to appear frightening. Even if she hadn't been bluffing, there probably wasn't a soul who'd be intimidated. The sword that she held looked comically large in her hands, and her thin frame certainly wasn't doing her any favors.

"Is that so?" The armored man removed his helmet, raising an eyebrow. Even though he wasn't giving orders, his voice had a certain ring of authority that marked him as a man who was used to being in a position of command.

"Y-Yeah!"

"I see. You're protecting someone, aren't you?"

Medrauta didn't answer. She only kept the tip of her sword pointed at the man.

"Commander! There's four dead men here!" One of the riders in the rear called out.

The armored man raised a hand in response, a signal for silence.