One day, in the early afternoon.
When I returned to home after secretly going outside to practice, I caught sight of Nervisan’s figure silently crying inside the house.
I, who was surprised, shouted「Onee-chan ! ? 」, immediately rushing over to her.
The quivering shoulders of Nervisan turned around hearing my voice, surprised.
Nervisan with swollen eyes murmured 「Sefi-sama…」 when she saw my face, then lifted me up and tightly hugged me.
And just like a baby, she started to cry.
… I can feel my soft fair skin hurting because of the gloves and the elbow pads, but I won’t get angry over that kind of thing. [1]
I said 「There, there. It is okay now.」in as gentle voice as I could while trying to pat her head… but, because I couldn’t reach it, I ended up patting her cheeks.[2]
Having done that for a while, her crying finally started to sobbing it seems that she has calmed down a little.
Not to overlook this opportunity, I tried to question her what had really happened.
「Onee-chan, don’t cry. Some sad things happened? Maybe I can help? 」
「No… sob… it’s because, I am weak, I can’t do it…」
「Onee-chan can’t be weak, you know? After all, Onee-chan is a “knight.” 」
「N-no… I… I am such a failure… I can’t even fight, how can I be called a knight…」
Can’t fight?
I shifted my gaze towards the long sword which was always hanging on her hips.
Can’t fight, I wonder what was meant by that?
I was very curious, but I think that it will sadden her if I ask her straight away, so for now, I will leave that question alone.
「I love you Onee-chan, so don’t say that, it makes me sad…」[3]
I said those words with the intention of comforting her, but when Nervisan heard that, she once again bursts into tears.
I was panicking because I thought I had stepped onto land mine or something, but when I heard Nervisan whispering words of thanks while crying, it seems those were tears of joy. Tha, that was bad for heart…
After more time passed, Nervisan seemed to finally calm down.
It was painful to look at her swollen eyes, but her usual sparkling sky-blue eyes returned.
And at the same time, it looked like she had finally realized that she was hugging me tightly with full armor equipped. She said 「Pie~!? I, I am sorry Sefi-sama!!」 and released me. [4]
What would you do if you left a bruise there. If that happens, mother will become very angry you know? [5]
Now that Nervisan has finally returned to normal, I asked 「So, what really happened?」
If someone really bullied her, I will do “this” to them and give them “that”, you know? [6]
but it doesn’t seem so. After Nervisan become in a good enough condition to said it, finally she confessed.
「… the, the chicken.. strangle… I couldn’t.」
What? A chicken?
I widely opened my mouth with a dumb look and couldn’t do anything but stare at Nervisan face.
「About that… Could it be, that was about, the chicken in Beramu-san place?」
「Ye, yes, that is right…」
From what I had listened from her, today, as part of helping with the work of the villager, Nervisan went toward the one who was in charge of livestock, Beramu-san, an aunty with a good physique.
Over there, probably, Beramu-san considered giving Nervisan the newcomer some personal experience and suggested her strangle a chicken for that. Why that though of all things? [7]
Though it would be quite harsh to a normal girl, I’m sure she thought something like 『Since it is Knight-sama, this kind of thing should be okay』inside her mind.
Certainly that is true, if she really is a Knight-sama, someone who used to killing monsters, or maybe humans in some cases. What’s one or two chickens to that sort of person?[8]
But then we have Nervisan, who was different from a normal knight.
First, she got cold feet already when capturing the chicken. Beramu-san who couldn’t bear watching it anymore caught it while she stood frozen there.
Then Beramu-san said something like “I will do it for you,” and the next thing the chicken was hung and Nervisan broke down crying in that place seeing the chicken hanging down and struggling.
Since it would be cruel to keep the chicken hanging upside down, Beramu-san chopped off the chicken neck just like that. As for Nervisan who saw the chicken die while blood dripped out, she vomited at that place.
Then, she was immediately taken by the neighboring people and carried back home.
Somehow, that would probably be hugely traumatic to a vegetarian…
It seemed that Beramu-san has always been a heroic person, which was why she couldn’t imagine the delicate heart of Nervisan who had been raised in the city like a princess.[9]
But slaughtering was something that I could do in my previous life and I still find it contradicting, but I don’t think it is at the level one should be depressed for…
After experiencing something that was quite shocking, I guess she’s feeling depressed.
「It is okay. Onee~chan is not weak, you know.」
「No… I am, such a weak, human… That was why, they expelled me from imperial capital…」
「… What happened in the imperial capital?」
When I asked that, Nervisan’s face once again looked like it would burst into tears.
Even so, I continued to fix my gaze onto her eyes and Nervisan timidly nodded, looking like she built up her resolve.
As I held her hand, I sincerely listened to her story.
「… The reason… why I was treated as a『Knight failure』in the capital…」
Nervisan with a voice that almost vanishing ….. She confessed.
「was because I couldn’t… kill, a monster…」
[1] (ED: well, flag over fair skin…)
[2] (TL : I find this cute! TLC: Somehow the roles are reversed…)
[3] (TLC: This English version doesn’t quite carry the Japanese cuteness of children talk. But essentially Sefi here is telling Nervia he’s sad that she’s insulting herself since to him she’s the best etc… No English equivalent, I mean we don’t say: Don’t insult yourself, it makes me sad.)
[4] (TLC: The Pie here is not pie-pie rather a slightly different but similar sound as the Fueeee.)
[5] (ED : I thought that you didn’t mind about your skin before)
[6] (TL : first victim: Bash— * cough * cough *) (ED: Behold!! With this I declare “friendly discussion” activated, all of the perpetrators will succumb before me! Ku ku ku ku~~)
[7] (TLC: blood and gore on 1st day of work? I think most would faint lol.)
[8] (TL: why would you even imagining a knight chopping a chicken?) (ED: She, a chick, was chickening before a chicken, eh?) (TLC: Your puns aren’t very punny.)
[9] (TLC: As in beasts? Raaargh!!!!)
But, the topic of animal slaughter is complex at best, therefore I hesitated to pose any complaints toward Beramu-san.