Chapter 66 The Protagonists' Hustle
"Ha ha, that's ridiculous. The punishment for taking on a request is serious, but there's no way they would take the title. You're joking, right?"
"You can't think this is a joke..."
Even standing felt unsteady.
Shura's announcement about Hiiro's punishment was hard for Quollio to accept.
It had to be some kind of joke. It just had to be.
But Shura's downcast expression in front of him was too dark to hope for a twist.
"Is it really... a removal? That's way too harsh! Is there some kind of mistake...? If Hiiro was punished, then why are you the only one here...?"
"I want to know that too!! He's being made the main culprit, and I'm just being dragged into this? So I get a slap on the wrist!? How can the head assistant commander just accept such a ridiculous punishment...? I don't get it!"
"........."
Quollio wished it was a joke. But Shura's heartbreaking cry showed that she was crushed by the truth.
More than wanting to believe it was a lie, his smart mind was figuring it out.
Hiiro was being expelled from the knight order.
The warm breeze of May, just starting to feel nice, felt strangely cold against his skin.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. But, just... leave me alone for a bit."
"Ah...?"
The shock and confusion filled Quollio's brilliant mind. Before he could recover, the ash girl walked away. His outstretched arm, reaching for her, only grasped at the air.
"......Removal of the title?"
Quollio muttered to himself, left alone. Hiiro's punishment was way too heavy. But it raised many questions for Quollio.
(This is strange... Getting your title removed for taking on a request is a silly punishment unless something really bad happened. And they decided on it the same day? Plus, the head assistant's commander... "that person" accepted it?)
If there was enough damage to get a removal, then Shura's attitude was odd. She seemed more confused about the unfair treatment than regretful.
Also, the process was too smooth. The more serious the crime, the more fact-checking and investigation should be needed. Yet, the removal was decided on the spot. This smoothness felt really off to him.
(...I have to find out)
With a sense of mission, Quollio ran towards the knight order Headquarters, Valhalla.
(How can he just apologize, make his own decisions, and then disappear like that...? I absolutely won't forgive that!)
He picked up the thick book that had been forced on him one night and hugged it tightly to his chest.
* * *
"That's the worst."
As soon as Shura got back to her dorm room, she flopped onto her bed.
There was no hard floor of the Punishment Room, no dirty smell, and no darkness here. But she felt way worse than when she was there.
"......They say I should repay a favor. But the first person I should repay isn't Hiiro."
It's not that she didn't owe him anything. But the first person she thought of repaying was still locked away in that dark cell. And now he wasn't a knight anymore. The man who had worked so hard had to give up on his dream.
"Then why can't I do anything...!?"
Meanwhile, she was the only one who got to be free.
For Shura, this was the worst and most cruel reality. But she couldn't think of a way to change this unfairness.
All she had was the power to fight. Even the authority she had once despised was something she wanted now.
"......I won't let you be the only one to quit."
So she was determined.
She would leave the knight position and chase after Hiiro. She might be seen as a bad omen because of this incident, but she was going to stick with him no matter what.
Becoming a knight would give her more information about beasts and more chances to fight them. She became a knight to gather more fuel for her revenge, so she didn't care about that now.
"I won't let you be alone."
More than anything, she didn't want to leave him alone.
No, maybe she didn't want to be alone herself.
The fiery will she saw during the entrance exam,
The weight she felt on her back when leaving the House of Prayer.
She didn't want things to end like this, just drifting apart.
So if Hiiro is quitting being a knight, then she will too. Even though she felt powerless, she was determined to stick to her decision.
That's when it happened.
"Hey, Sister Shura, are you back?"
"...Sham?"
Before she could even answer, the door to her dorm room swung open.
It was a girl with blue hair that had just the tips dyed pink. She wore a red choker around her neck, and her eyes were a mix of pink and blue, giving her a lively look.
"Yay! Welcome back! It's been a while, Sister Shura!"
"Wait, wait, Sham... don't just jump on me like that."
"Sorry, sorry! I just got so excited!"
"It's not just 'excited'..."
With no hesitation, Sham hugged her tightly, and she sighed. Sham Neshana.
She always acted so distant, but she still came close to me. At first, she found her energy annoying, but by the time she started calling her 'Sister Shura,' she had gotten used to her.
"Hey, hey, want to go eat? I have so much to tell you since you've been gone, Sister Shura!"
"...Sorry. I'm not feeling great right now. Can you give me a little space?"
"Really...?"
Sham's sad face made her feel guilty, but she just wasn't in the mood to enjoy a meal.
Her blue-pink eyes were watery as she tried to express her feelings, but she didn't change her mind. Reluctantly, Sham stepped back, but then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! I almost forgot, Sister Shura! I have something to give you from the dorm mother!"
"...For me?"
"Yeah! She asked me to give it to you, and I was the one chosen to do it! Here you go!"
"...A letter?"
She handed her a letter. It was a bit wrinkled because Sham had stuffed it carelessly.
But it was still readable. Curious, she opened the letter.
"────Huh?"
There was no name on it. The content was brief.
But one line in it made time stop for her.
'Do you want to help Hiiro Merifar?'
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