Kyle, who was pulling me by the waist and examining my face, frowned.
"It's impossible. It is the deepest part of the woodlands. It's different from the place I went to with you last time. No, even if it isn't, I don't want to take you to a dangerous place."
"Dangerous place?" I asked.
"Yes. You're already doing well enough. You also help me a lot with my work. Therefore, there is no need for you to go on this expedition. Stay in a safe place."
That gave me a certain sense of helplessness. Would I wait in a safe place and listen to his obituary?
"You like me and want to keep me in a safe place? Saving me like a valuable?" I grabbed Kyle's arm and asked sharply.
I knew it was an emotional reaction. But this time, I had to go. If I let him go like this, he would die as planned. I knew. In his eyes, I was just a small creature. So even though I knew I had to persuade him calmly, it was hard for me to find my composure. My heart was pounding uncomfortably.
"Is that strange?" Kyle asked, as if he truly didn't know, as if it was so obvious.
I shut my mouth for a moment, then lowered my hand a little and placed it on the back of his hand. After taking a deep breath, I calmed my tremors as much as I could.
"Of course it's strange. We went hunting together."
"Yes. That's why it's even more so," Kyle spoke as if he regretted his choice. "I saw with my own eyes how dangerous you could be there. It was a horrible experience. I don't want to put you in a precarious situation like that again. I like you, so it's natural to want to protect you."
"That's not protection."
"...."
"It just means that Your Highness is taking responsibility for his fate as well as mine."
There was no way to hide the frustration in my voice. The same was true of my distorted expression.
"You say 'community,' but what is the point of doing it all by yourself? What is the difference between me and the many burdens and duties on Your Highness's back?"
'You can't call it a community,' I thought. At least I didn't want to survive on his back, relying solely on his abilities. I continued in a firm voice. "If you need proof, I will prove it."
Perhaps the conversation between the two of us was a little loud, but the trained guards came up to the stairs in a murmur.
Kyle lowered his voice and whispered quickly. "Let's talk about it separately."
"No, please answer here."
"Shu."
"If you think I can't protect myself, you can leave me behind."
"...."
"Give me a chance to prove it."
He was right. It was foolish to throw myself into a danger that I couldn't handle. In the worst case, it might not end with me dying alone, but also the person who tried to protect me. So I practiced intensely. I wanted to help protect him as much as I wanted to help him with his work. Of course, it might not catch Kyle's eye. But now I was incomparably stronger than I was three months ago.
"Your Highness."
Was it because he read the earnestness in my voice? Kyle finally said yes, then grabbed my hand with a slightly troubled face.
"...I understand. I'll take it seriously. That's why..."
I couldn't hold on any longer. There was no reason for that. We went straight up the stairs and headed to the bedroom. The door closed with a squeaking hinge. He sat on the bed, placed me on his lap, looked up, and whispered.
"You're not going to back down this time, are you?"
"Yes."
"...."
"Am I being mean?"
His face looked like he was going to die, but he finally shook his head. I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder.
"It is my selfishness to take responsibility for everything, as you say. It doesn't make sense for you to do what I want."
"...."
"But as you say, I need proof."
"Don't worry. Perseverance is something I deserve to know."
"That's why I'm worried," he said lamentably and looked at me with a grim face. I laughed and touched his cheek affectionately.
"I know that I look very weak from Your Highness's point of view. But if you let go of being weak, nothing will change."
"...Yes."
"So, trust me. If you don't trust your companion, who are you going to trust?"
He laughed softly and hugged me tighter. I was pulled into his embrace, and I watched him rest his head on my chest, close his eyes, and carefully hold me.
'Transforming' was about thirty minutes away. So, a short break would be fine for my fated companion who had been busy all day.
[d=====(￣///￣*)b]
Of course, even in the midst of all this, I did not forget to push away the system that was setting itself up in a suggestive way.
The next day.
The place where I met him after 'transforming' was a corner of the training ground where five or six targets were lined up in a long row.
I pulled back the bowstring, focusing all my attention on the well-worn bow. A cool breeze blew through my hair, but my eyes were still fixed on the target. Soon, I let go of the bowstring, and behind the sound of the wind cutting through the air, I heard the sharp tip hit the wooden plank.
I was right. However, it was not central. If it had been a demonic beast instead of a bull's-eye, it would not have been able to cut off its breath at once. And that mistake could take my life.
I took a deep breath and focused again. Until the goal was gathered into one point. The arrow shot again, this time exactly in the center.
One more step, and then one more step. Seven of the eight shots flew into the center of the target. Thinking back to the first time I held a bow, it was a great improvement.
"Phew."
I had just shot my ninth arrow. Kyle, who was watching from the sidelines, gave the mage instructions, and soon the still targets began to move at an irregular speed.
"Huh?"
The arrow, aimed at the center, pierced the edge of the target. I looked blank for a moment, then looked at Kyle and expressed my dissatisfaction.
"It's too much!"
"So, did you think you would quietly wait for the demons to pull the bowstring?"
"...."
"But you definitely tried. You hit a moving target. Even if not in the center."
The last words might not have been just my misunderstanding. Holding the tenth arrow, I pulled the bowstring tighter than ever in protest. I was staring at the target with eyes burning with enthusiasm, but at some point, it stopped moving erratically. Was it because it even stopped moving uncontrollably? The final target was closer than before.
'This is enough to hit even with one eye closed.'
I smiled triumphantly and focused on the red part of the target again. And as I tried to loosen my grip on the bowstring...
"Wait, wait!"
Kyle casually walked towards the target. I was startled and missed the arrow. Sting! The sound of the arrow cutting through the wind and the sound of me calling Kyle's name intertwined to create a loud noise. At the same time, his sword was pulled from its sheath, and Kyle flicked the arrow as it flew at him.
I let go of my bow and hurried over to him. Then I said in a slightly raised voice. "What if you are pulling a bowstring and you are approaching the target? What if I get hurt?"
"What if I have to shoot an enemy who has captured my ally?" Kyle countered.
"...That's it."
"I admit that your skills have improved. Certainly, you grow quickly, and your archery skills are exquisite. If you get stronger and have a little more time, you might be able to join the Templars."
"...."
"But, Shu, the place I want to take you to is not a newly carved training ground. The actual battle is different from reality."
The content of his words was firm and sober. Advice from Kyle Blake, the leader of the Knights of Blake and the lord of a territory. It was a very rational and political statement.
Normally, I would have nodded. No, if I had just been a reader of print from the outside, I would surely have agreed with his judgment. But this was my life. Just as Belial, Sen, and Kyle all had their own lives, this was my life, Bae Su-hyun and Shuin.
"Then, will you wait until it's all forged? How much longer should there be? A year? Ten years? Twenty years? I don't want to just watch people dying behind me because I can't do my best."
"...."
"I... If a moment similar to the political battle comes, I will choose now."
I didn't make a choice at that time. I didn't have the confidence to take responsibility. Maybe I wanted to avoid it with the excuse that this was not reality, but a world in a novel. But not anymore. This wasn't just a simple process I went through to get back into my life. I genuinely liked the people here, I liked Kyle, and I wanted to be their companion and protect them. So, I can't give up.
Kyle looked at me for a long moment. He stared at me as if trying to read the determination in my eyes, and then he closed his lips tightly.
I knew. This was not Kyle's intention. As much as I wanted to help him, he wanted to protect me. However, that's not all about Kyle. He also wanted to respect my wishes as much as he wanted to protect me.
"Listen to the knights," Kyle finally declared.
"Ten days later, Shu joins the investigation of the new mine in the north. Prepare supplies for the Templar archers and have them participate in joint training. That's it!"
The answer was so loud that the entire training ground resounded.
"I obey the orders of His Highness the Grand Duke!"