The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent – 142
EP.142 Rival (4)
The masked woman had disappeared in front of me that day, but she was definitely still somewhere in this world. Even after that, whenever I tried to turn back time, I couldn't return to that moment.
And it was still the same now.
I could have tried again, but the risks were too high.
If I suddenly collapsed during training—especially without anyone seeing me fall and just being "suddenly" on the ground—wouldn’t that look suspicious?
Whether I could turn back time or not, it would probably be better to wait until after the training. I had been thinking that, but...
"Today seems especially tough for you."
It had only been a few days since the Sword Saint last saw me, yet he could already tell that something was different about my condition compared to yesterday. Well, given that he was a Sword Saint, it would be strange if he didn't notice.
And I hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, plagued by worries and nightmares. Though I woke up alert in the morning, my body didn’t lie. I was definitely more tired than I had been yesterday.
At least I was somewhat accustomed to the training grounds after repeatedly going back in time, so I was managing.
"Mm."
But that didn’t mean I hadn’t been trying my best.
I did my best in my own way.
It seemed that the Sword Saint appreciated my effort, as he wore a satisfied expression.
But that expression didn’t last long.
After the morning training, we all gathered in the training ground to eat.
That was when the training ground door suddenly swung open. If it hadn’t been the training ground door and had instead been someone’s personal door, it would have been appropriate to curse the person entering for their lack of manners.
And standing in the doorway was Jayden.
...Jayden?
As usual, his hair was neatly parted into a perfect 2:8 style, or it would have been, if not for the few strands of hair that had fallen out of place, as if he had rushed here. His shoulders were heaving with his rapid breathing, and his face was a little flushed from exertion.
When Jayden met our eyes, he quickly swept the stray hair back into place, readjusted his clothes, and straightened his posture. As his breath slowed to a more even rhythm while he walked toward us, I couldn’t help but think that indeed, the captain of the Knights was a man of discipline.
"What is it?"
The Sword Saint remained as dignified as ever, even in front of a prince. Honestly, I could easily imagine him acting the same way in front of the Emperor.
"I am Jayden, the captain of the Imperial Griffon Knights."
"I believe I heard that yesterday already?"
"Yes, but considering what I have to say now, I thought it would be better to formally introduce myself again."
The Sword Saint sighed heavily and then shot me a glance.
Well.
It was my fault for calling him over, but it was his fault for getting caught up in it. In any case, it wasn’t my fault.
...Wait a minute.
I can’t turn back time right now.
So how should I act when Lucas shows up? Wouldn’t I just die if I get hit by his sword?
Could it be that the masked woman had been laughing at me yesterday, imagining that I would die from a sword wound from Lucas?
This time, it wasn’t just a chill; it was a cold shiver that ran through me. It was a fleeting moment, but the bone-deep coldness swept over my body.
Fortunately, I didn’t let my expression give it away. Alice seemed to have noticed, though.
"I thought you had some matters to resolve there?"
That’s right. Jayden was the captain of the knights, and he was the type to be very straightforward and stubborn. That was why he often fought with Lucas.
So, it wasn’t impossible to imagine that Jayden had returned after disregarding the Emperor’s orders...
"I borrowed the air force to handle it."
"…..."
At those words, we all lost our ability to speak.
"Jayden."
I called out to Jayden.
But Jayden flinched, his shoulders trembling slightly, then glanced at me before quickly turning his gaze away.
It was as if he was refusing to answer me.
What’s with you now?
I resisted the urge to rub my face with my hand and instead looked over at Alice. She, in turn, turned her gaze away from me, as if sulking.
"Why don't you just do as you please?"
That was the look on her face.
...I had a feeling I knew what was going on.
It seemed Alice was furious because I had called Jayden "big brother,” and she had driven all night to find the Sword Saint’s hut. Even though I hadn't mentioned to Jayden that I was going to the Sword Saint, Alice had relentlessly tracked me down. Judging from her current attitude, it was obvious that this "big brother" thing was the root cause. It was probably Jayden's refusal to meet my gaze that indicated he wouldn't answer unless I called him "big brother."
I wanted to cradle my head in my hands... but I didn’t. I clenched my fists as hard as I could, trying to hold myself back.
Once I meet that masked woman, I won’t let her off easy.
If it’s in the future, I won’t kill her, but I’ll definitely slap her. For real.
"…I believe your forces are prohibited from sending any non-infantry support to the Autonomous State, is that not the case?"
"……"
But Jayden, childish as ever, refused to answer me.
I looked at Alice again.
It seemed like she wasn’t going to help me out.
At the sight of me, Alice, and Jayden, Leo had stiffened up again, while Claire, who hadn’t been privy to the situation, was looking flustered. And the Sword Saint...
—Was grinning.
No, if you start the conversation, at least take charge and finish it!
"……"
In the end, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and took a deep breath.
Well, whatever.
There was no place to retreat anymore.
The truth was, everything had been exposed to Leo because of Alice’s visit, and I had even called Alice "big sister" right in front of him.
Ah.
Thinking about it made me feel oddly at peace.
Once I got past the boiling point of frustration, I actually felt calm.
Maybe I had finally accepted that everything was my fault.
Was this what enlightenment felt like?
...Or maybe it was more like a "wise man’s time," but anyway.
"...big sis."
I said, looking at Alice.
I could hear Claire’s sharp intake of breath.
"Could you ask him for me instead? How exactly did he resolve the situation?"
"Ah..."
Alice, rather than looking satisfied, looked flustered.
And Jayden, too, had the same expression.
"Ah, uh, uh... Alright."
Alice nodded and turned to look at Jayden.
"How exactly did you manage to handle the situation? You couldn’t have brought in armored or air force equipment from across the border, could you?"
Alice's blunt question made Jayden furrow his brow.
"Isn’t it just a matter of us not crossing the line?"
And with that, Jayden dropped another bombshell.
"I don’t think the range of a fighter plane's machine guns would be enough to cross the border, would it?"
"Did I ever say I used a fighter plane?"
It was impressive, in a way, how they were arguing over such serious matters like siblings in a bitter quarrel. If it was a talent, it certainly was one.
"It's a monitor ship."
Ah.
Only after hearing that did I think I understood what they were talking about.
I knew that air force power had been stationed at Winterfield. That was part of the war preparations in the original work.
But rather than building expensive air battleships, the plan was to attach a single naval cannon to a cheap supply ship. No regard for defense whatsoever.
Supply ships didn’t have the advanced tech of battleships. They were much smaller in size compared to a battleship. Just attaching a single main gun from a two-barreled dreadnought would be burdensome enough.
But it was cheap. And the range was long.
...Right, the reason they were using supply ships instead of trains was because they needed to rush artillery shells. They were planning to decimate the enemy's forces across the border overnight.
"And then, in the morning, I rode behind a fighter and flew here. The monitor ship was just too slow."
"......"
Alice, placing her hand on her forehead, did what I wanted to do but couldn’t.
"What is Father thinking...?"
"He probably wants to show the whole world that the Empire is the greatest."
"......"
We were left speechless at Jayden's matter-of-fact declaration.
"....After seeing all that, do you still want to learn swordsmanship from me?"
"Of course!"
Jayden stood up straighter in response to the Sword Saint's question.
"No matter how advanced weapons become, in the end, it’s the infantry who occupy and defend the land! It’s the duty of the knights! Naturally, we should work to improve our personal skills as much as possible, right?"
"Huh..."
Seeing that admiration, I barely managed to hold back a sigh.