It had been one week since the clash between Commander Bolton and Leobolt, during which nothing much of note had happened.
One evening, I ended up going out to the pub with Leobolt after our guard duties were finished. We were seated across from each other at a table in the back.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Sergeant Sieg,” Leobolt said with a smile.
“It’s not often you ask someone to go out for a drink,” I replied. “You always turn down the other guards when they ask—something about needing to attend to training, they said.”
“I thought it might be wise for squad sergeants to forge deeper bonds with each other,” he replied.
Just then, we were interrupted.
“Hey, it’s Leobolt!”
“You’re lookin’ cool as ever today!”
“Thanks so much for always protecting our capital! You’ve got our support!”
The other patrons had noticed Leobolt and come by to say a few words of gratitude.
“The people really seem to adore you,” I pointed out.
“It’s something I am grateful for,” Leobolt responded.
Leobolt had gained a great deal of backing from the people of the royal capital. They likely appreciated his sincerity and his straightforward attitude toward his job. Apparently, he also had quite a few women as fans, perhaps due to his good looks.
There were a sizable number of Guard Corps members who hadn’t approved of him at first, but once they had seen that he toiled harder at his work than anyone else, their impressions of him changed. The Ninth Squadron in particular idolized him especially. That was the level of charisma Leobolt had.
“I’ve brought your drinks!”
Right at an appropriate stopping point in the conversation, one of the wait staff came by with our drinks. My eyes landed on the contents of the mugs that had been placed on the table.
“Is that...milk?”
“Yes.”
“You have trouble drinking alcohol, then?”
“No, nothing of the sort. I have no issue drinking when the mood strikes me—I simply choose not to. I don’t want anything interfering with work tomorrow,” Leobolt stated. “Besides, drinking clouds one’s judgment. As defenders of the Orb of Light, we must be in the proper state of mind to do battle at all times.”
“You really take this seriously,” I said. “I wish I could get Spinoza to take a page out of your book.”
“She really does seem to love her liquor. I’ve heard she even drinks during work sometimes.”
“Yeah. It’s a huge mess.”
“From my point of view, drinking alcohol on the job is behavior that cannot possibly be overlooked. Have you given her any guidance on the matter?”
“I have, but she’s not exactly the type to follow other people’s guidance.”
“The woman with the silver hair—I believe her name was Fam. I understand she sometimes abandons her patrols to focus on stalking you instead?”
“Yeah, she does.”
“They both sound dreadful to deal with.”
“Well, they’re also amazing at what they do. Despite the fact that they’re constant pains in the butt, more often than not they end up saving our butts instead.”
Spinoza ranked among the Guard Corps’s heaviest damage dealers—I could never hope to duplicate the absolute devastation she could dole out with her war hammer. And there was nobody I knew of who could match Fam’s range and accuracy with the bow and arrow.
“I believe both of them are essential to the Guard Corps, which is why I’m pretty forgiving of their petty offenses. Of course, I still give them a stern talking-to if they cross a certain line.”
“Well, if that is your belief, Sieg, I won’t press the matter any further,” Leobolt said. “It is indeed true that the Fifth Squadron is the most valuable of all assets in the Guard Corps. I experienced that fact personally during our battle together today.”
Earlier that day, a group of monsters had attacked the capital. That in itself wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence, but that particular group had been unusually large in number. To counter that, the Fifth and Ninth squadrons had been deployed jointly.
“Especially you, Sieg. Your abilities are truly magnificent!” Leobolt went on, heightening his tone in excitement. “Your defensive power is robust enough for one man to attract and withstand every attack from every monster! Thanks to your efforts, the rest of us didn’t suffer a single scratch!”
“Well, that’s my role, after all.”
“I can scarcely imagine how much training you must’ve endured to obtain such stellar defense power... It must have been quite a grueling endeavor.”
“I can’t say for sure, since I’ve never really tried to compare notes with people...but yeah, I put reasonable effort into it.”
“I have encountered many warriors in my time, but never have I seen one with defensive capabilities as transcendent as yours.”
“Come on, now. You’re giving me too much credit.” I couldn’t help but give an uncomfortable smile. “Are you sure they didn’t spike your milk?”
“No, I do not give meritless praise. Those are my honest feelings.” Leobolt had taken my joke at face value. “All warriors have a natural craving within them to be the center of attention. They desire to be on the front lines, slaying their enemies, winning fame and glory. But even though you stand on the front lines, you make no effort to attack, choosing instead to focus solely on being a shield for your allies. There are not many who can boast that ability. I find it magnificent that you are able to carry out your role for the sake of the organization as a whole, rather than merely for your own benefit.”
“It’s really embarrassing to hear that said directly to my face. I still don’t think I’m doing anything particularly amazing, though.”
Leobolt seemed to hold me in quite high esteem. However, it made me feel uncomfortable to be showered with so much praise for just silently performing my duty, which was to keep my comrades protected.
“Believe me, you’re far more amazing than you think. The reason the rest of us are able to put all of our focus into attacking is because you are there on the front line, soaking up all of the enemies’ attacks. That action is most certainly worthy of praise,” Leobolt said. “After sparring against you during the entry exam, then battling alongside you earlier today, I’ve found myself utterly smitten with you, Sieg.”
Just then, we heard a low chuckle pipe up from behind us.
“You know nothing at all.”
Turning around, we were greeted by a woman who was quite familiar to me.
“I believe I know you...” Leobolt began.
“I am Eleanor Reinbold, Commander of the Knight Corps of the Royal Capital.” She swiped her bangs out of the way as she introduced herself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is...”
“Leobolt Alexandre, is it not?” Eleanor interrupted. “I’ve heard the tales about you—the hero who absconded from his noble house and rushed to our capital so he could protect the Orb of Light.”
“I’m quite honored that you already know of me,” Leobolt said with a bow. “Though just a moment ago, you told me that I ‘know nothing at all,’ did you not?”
“Indeed. It sounds as though you hold a deep reverence for Sieg, but you know nothing at all about him.”
“Are you trying to tell me that the high esteem I hold him in is unmerited? If so, I would simply have to beg to differ.” Leobolt showed he was more than willing to argue his point.
However, Eleanor brushed his response off with a smile.
“Not at all—quite the opposite, in fact. I hold Sieg in quite high esteem myself. I am merely trying to tell you that you don’t know his true splendor.”
“His true splendor...?”
As Leobolt stared blankly at her, Eleanor began to explain.
“Yes. Not once in my life had I ever been defeated in battle—until Sieg handed me my very first loss. He took the full force of every technique I unleashed and succeeded in defending against them all. Before I even realized what was happening, my heart had been stolen by his overwhelmingly superior power.”