Chapter 51

Now then, what happened next. Members of the White-winged Knights, including Rei, started to collect materials from the monsters and clean up their corpses. Leon seems to have something to discuss with Felix and they are facing each other with serious expressions at a spot slightly apart from the rest. I felt reluctant to interrupt them. So, I decided to help Rei clean up the monsters’ corpses.

I need to bring back my sword that got stuck in the Great Wolf’s neck, after all!

By the way, Gazelle is with me. When I asked him why he didn’t go to talk with Leon and Felix, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Leon will probably find it easier to talk if I’m not there. I’ll leave it to Felix.”

Hmm? Does Leon want to talk only with Felix…? Perhaps it’s because Felix is also an aristocrat son. Well, even though they are both sons of nobles, the paths they’ve chosen are quite different; Leon is the captain of the White-winged Knights, while Felix is the vice-captain of the Black-winged Knights. But it’s good that Leon and Felix get along.

At one point, there seemed to be a lot of friction between Leon and Felix, but recently those issues seem to have been mostly resolved. As a friend and ally of Felix, I am happy about that. But…wait a minute? 

The reason for the friction between Leon and Felix was because Felix declined the invitation to join the White-winged Knights and instead joined the Black-winged Knights. What would Leon want to talk about alone with Felix…? Don’t tell me…Leon hasn’t given up on getting Felix to join the White-winged Knights!!!! What should I do!!! If that’s the case, while I’m standing here, Leon might be pressuring Felix by saying,

“If you join the White-winged Knights now, I’ll give you a year’s supply of toilet paper and dish soap, Felix…”

“A year’s supply of toilet paper and dish soap…?”

“Heh, and I’ll even throw in fabric softener if you join now!”

[T/N: I’m dying here ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ]

I might be losing Felix to that deal!

“Takumi? What’s wrong? You seem odd.”

“Gazelle…..”

After we finished cleaning up the Great Wolf’s corpse, the White-winged Knights started to gather and prepare to leave. Contrary to them, Gazelle came over to where I was standing still, looking flabbergasted.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking.”

“Huh… well, if you say so. By the way, your sword is really something. You threw it from horseback and it didn’t even chip, right?”

“Ah, I’m glad it didn’t break.” I nodded.

Indeed, my Japanese sword – this sword didn’t even have a single scratch or chip even after I threw it from horseback. But this sword isn’t just any sword. It’s one of the weapons known as the “Cursed Collection” in “Change the World,” which gives various benefits to its user in exchange for a price. Probably for that reason, it’s more durable than normal swords. By the way, the benefit of this sword is that it increases the user’s attack power and speed.

The downsides are two-fold. One is that during combat, the owner cannot act on their own until either the enemies are annihilated or the sword is released. The second is that after the battle, it afflicts the user with abnormal conditions. Luckily, this time I only threw the sword, and since I didn’t actually use it to fight, the downsides didn’t occur. Lucky me!

“Gazelle, I’m going to call Felix. Their conversation should have finished by now.”

“Got it, sorry to trouble you. It seems like the guys from the White-winged Knights are also getting restless. It’s best if you go get him, Takumi.”

“Alright, I’ll go then.”

“We’re on vacation after all, we need to enjoy the rest of it.”

Surprisingly, my own control wasn’t as bad as I thought, and with a cheery mood, I started walking towards Leon and Felix. The cold wind blowing across the field covered with a carpet of green felt good. It seemed like a dream that we were just engaged in a fierce battle here. With a refreshing scenery in front of me, a humming song rose in my heart. But thinking it would be embarrassing if everyone heard, I suppressed the urge and walked quietly. And then, I arrived where Leon and Felix were.

As I approached the two, who were still talking seriously under the trees, I suddenly remembered. That’s right…I was just thinking about what if Leon was trying to recruit Felix to the White-winged Knights!

I was distracted when Gazelle called out to me afterwards. The two of them still didn’t seem to notice me and continued to talk with serious faces. 

Could it be…Leon is really trying to recruit Felix to the White-winged Knights…!! No, no, no! Please don’t go to another Knights Order, Felix! I can afford to buy as much toilet paper and dish soap as you need from my salary!

“His way of fighting, without considering himself, is something I, too, certainly want to rectify,” a voice said.

“Then, is there nothing we can do? We could remove him from the frontline, you know..”

*Sigh*

“I find it hard to believe he would simply follow that order. You’ve seen it, right? Even if it’s not a mission for the Black-winged Knights, he’s the kind of person who rushes to aid someone in distress.”

―――But, the conversation I heard completely contradicted my expectations.

As much as I felt guilty about eavesdropping, my feet remained rooted to the ground. Leon continued with a furrowed brow, “But even though that’s the case…

“Lord Leon, are those words as the Captain of the White-winged Order? Or are they yours personally?”

Rarely did Felix confront Leon with such a stern attitude. At Felix’s words, Leon looked down as if ashamed. But immediately, he lifted his face, looking straight back at Felix. “……Both……no, that might be a lie. As you suspect, Felix, I am, as a man, in love with him.”

“Wha…”

Upon hearing Leon’s straightforward confession, Felix choked, as if pressured.

What the hell?!?!

A-a-a-a love story out of nowhere!!

Thank god it wasn’t Felix’s recruitment – no, that’s not good!

This is something I definitely shouldn’t be hearing!

“With his level of skill, it’s unlikely he’d fall behind any ordinary enemy. But–there’s always a chance of a worst-case scenario. Before that happens, the one who could stop him is certainly you. Not me.”

“Sir Leon…”

At Leon’s words, Felix’s stern air softened. And then, he stared intently at Leon with his amethyst-colored eyes.

Leon responded to Felix’s gaze with a silent nod, his expression was resolute, as if entrusting something important. The conversation seemed to end there. Leon turned on his heel and went back to the members of the White-winged Order. I quickly moved behind the trunk of the tree to stay out of Leon’s line of sight.

Although Felix continued to stare at Leon’s retreating figure, he didn’t seem to have any intention to follow or to continue the conversation. As I watched Felix, I became more unsure of what to say.

I-I’m shocked Σ(っ °Д °;)っ

I thought they were having some serious conversation, but it turned out to be a love story……

And moreover, Leon is in love with someone……!

Also, from the context of the conversation, the person Leon is in love with seems to be in the Black-winged Order!?!?!?!

Who could it be~~!!!

He mentioned, “he won’t lag behind any ordinary enemy,” so it must be someone really strong within the Black-winged Order, right?

A strong member of the Black-winged Order…and from the conversation, it seems like they’re on the frontline.

If they’re fighting on the frontline, they’re in the same squad as me!

Hmm……… Maybe it’s someone like Org-san or Varias-san? But I’ve never seen them talk with Leon. All the other guys are either married or have a girlfriend. Ugh……

“Hey, Takumi, Felix! What’s going on?”

Gazelle’s voice reached my ears as I was deeply thinking about who it could be. It seemed he thought it was strange that Leon had returned to the White-winged Order, but Felix and I hadn’t yet returned.

I quickly lifted my head. I then locked eyes with Felix, who had turned around with a surprised look.

Looks like Felix noticed me in his blind spot when Gazelle called out to us. I quickly raised my hand and smiled at Felix. “I just got here, and I didn’t hear anything,” I said, with an obvious denial.

…Was that a bit too much?

“Takumi, Felix. Let’s go.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Felix, I’m sorry. I was going to call you, but it seemed like the conversation was continuing, so I waited for you.”

“…I apologize for keeping you waiting.” Suppressing the surprise on his face, Felix smiled as usual.

Ugh…… I-I’m sorry Felix! I thought Felix was getting recruited by Leon, and if so, I thought I’d stop him… I didn’t expect that kind of topic! But I never expected Leon to talk about love… And moreover, it’s someone from our Black-winged Order! I’m curious……I wonder who it could be?

“What’s up, Takumi? You look troubled?”

“No, I’m fine. Sorry for being late, Gazelle.”

When I reached Gazelle’s side, I apologized for keeping him waiting. The moment I saw Gazelle looking at me curiously, everything connected in my mind. I-I see, I get it now!

The person Leon likes—-it’s Gazelle.

I recalled the conversation between Leon and Felix.

“Then, is there nothing we can do? We could remove him from the frontline, you know…”

“I find it hard to believe he would simply follow that order. You’ve seen it, right? Even if it’s not a mission for the Black-winged Knights, he’s the kind of person who rushes to aid someone in distress.”

Gazelle, despite holding the significant role of Knight Commander, is always at the forefront of battles. Even so, if Gazelle saw someone in trouble, he would undoubtedly rush to help, regardless of whether it’s an official mission or not.

“With his level of skill, it’s unlikely he’d fall behind any ordinary enemy. But–there’s always a chance of a worst-case scenario. Before that happens, the one who could stop him is certainly you. Not me.”

“Sir Leon…”

This was another case. Given Gazelle’s skill with the sword, he could instantly kill any monster. However, being a fellow commander, Leon must be feeling anxious about Gazelle, who recklessly charges forward to the front lines at every opportunity. Regardless, it might be difficult for Leon, who seems younger than Gazelle, to criticize the affairs of other knights. The phrase, “Only Felix can stop him” probably refers to Felix being the vice-captain of the Black-winged Knights. Those words meant, “As a direct subordinate, Felix might be able to put a stop to Gazelle’s way of fighting.”

“Hey, Takumi? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Seeing my unusual state, Gazelle peered into my face with concern.

I shook my head in response to Gazelle. What the heck… I had never noticed before that Leon was so fond of Gazelle! With his current state, Leon probably won’t confess his feelings to Gazelle anytime soon… but, what if, one day, Leon gathers his courage and confesses his feelings to Gazelle. And what if, just what if, Gazelle accepts Leon’s confession… What should I do then?

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