Elysia was heading toward the annex where the Holy Knights were temporarily stationed, carrying a large basket in her arms. On the surface, she was going there to deliver laundry, but her real purpose was Tristan.
Ever since he had stormed out of the infirmary that night, she had not heard a word from him.
‘…He must be really hurt.’
Thinking about it from Tristan’s perspective, she could understand why. He had gone so far as to use rather extreme methods just to see Elysia when she was avoiding him. Meanwhile, she had been preoccupied solely with making sure no misunderstandings arose, so it was only natural that his feelings would be hurt. That was why, rather than simply waiting, she decided to go to him first and make things right.
As she approached the annex where the knights were stationed, she spotted several knights gathered together, inspecting their equipment. This was the first time since entering the convent that she had gone before so many men. For no particular reason, she grew nervous, and her steps kept slowing down.
‘Don’t be afraid. Take the initiative.’
Repeating Madam Rosalie’s teachings to herself like a resolution, she steeled herself and strode forward.
“Hello.”
When Elysia greeted them first, the knights who had been chatting while tending to their armor all turned toward her at once. Their conversation abruptly stopped.
“I brought the laundry.”
“Ah!”
One of the knights belatedly came to his senses and sprang to his feet.
“You carried this heavy thing all the way here by yourself, Sister?”
“It’s fine. It’s bulky, but it isn’t actually that heavy.”
“No. From now on, we’ll send someone to the laundry room ourselves.”
The knight hurriedly took the basket from her and gave an awkward smile.
“You really don’t have to….”
She did not want to lose such a valuable excuse to come here. Elysia consciously pulled up the corners of her lips as she looked around, but Tristan was nowhere to be seen.
“Are you looking for someone?”
“By any chance, where is Sir Loch…?”
Only one knight had asked, but every single one of them was staring at her. The attention was so overwhelming that she felt strangely suffocated. She needed to come up with an excuse that sounded as convincing as possible. After thinking for a moment, Elysia slowly opened her mouth.
“Ah, I work in the infirmary. Sir Loch hasn’t come back since receiving treatment there. His wound needs to be disinfected, so I came to check on him. If it isn’t treated in time, it could get worse.”
“Ahh. That. Right. Of course.”
For some reason, the knight looked troubled.
“He does need to have it disinfected, but what should we do…. Hmm…. Please wait here for a moment.”
Judging by how he was dragging out his words, there seemed to be some reason that was difficult to explain. As soon as the knight hurried back to the group, Elysia heard them whispering among themselves.
“He told us not to bother him. What do we do?”
“I heard he smashed another training dummy today. Isn’t it pretty serious if he’s gotten that bad?”
“Shh. She’ll hear you. Still, surely he wouldn’t get angry at a nun too.”
From what she overheard, it seemed certain that he was still in a terrible mood. After whispering among themselves for a while, they apparently reached a conclusion, and the knight returned.
“This way, Sister.”
Elysia swallowed dryly.
***
The knight led Elysia to an open area behind the stables. He explained that it was a temporary training ground set up so the knights could continue training while staying at the convent.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dull sound of swords striking something grew steadily louder. Just before rounding the corner into the clearing, the knight suddenly stopped. Elysia, who had been following behind him, widened her eyes.
“Um… I’m not sure I should be saying this, but.”
“…Yes?”
“The Commander has been quite sensitive ever since he was injured. You should be careful too, Sister.”
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
Leaving her with that brief warning, the knight disappeared like an arrow. Apparently, knowing Tristan’s fiery temper, he wanted no part in this.
“…Don’t be nervous. This is something I was going to have to confront sooner or later anyway.”
Elysia muttered to herself as if making a resolution, then checked the disinfectant, gauze, bandages, and other supplies she had packed separately in her bag. After taking a small, deep breath, she headed toward the training ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tristan was violently striking a wooden post with a wooden sword. His momentum was so fierce that it looked as though he had no intention of stopping until it shattered.
A training dummy already lay sprawled across the dirt, smashed so badly that its original shape was barely recognizable. The harsh sound of wood being struck was mixed with his ragged breathing.
“Um… Tristan.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thinking perhaps he had not heard her, she moved around where he could see her, but Tristan did not even glance her way.
“Your wound needs to be disinfected. You didn’t come, so I came to see you.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even after she explained why she was there, he remained completely silent.
“I was worried your wound might get worse….”
Bang—!
The tip of the wooden sword shook violently as it came to an abrupt stop, embedded against the post. Startled, Elysia’s shoulders flinched.
“Worried?”
Even as he breathed heavily, his voice remained low and subdued. His gaze was still fixed on the wooden sword.
“Coming from someone who said she didn’t want people getting the wrong idea because of me?”
“That’s….”
“Forget it.”
Tristan cut her off sharply, speaking as though he were suppressing his anger.
“Go. I’ll take care of it myself.”
Just how long had he been swinging that thing?
His shirt was soaked through with sweat and clinging to his body, while angry veins and taut muscles stood out beneath his rolled-up sleeves. His bandages had loosened, and red bloodstains were seeping through them.
Bang! Bang!
Tristan began swinging his sword again as though he did not care whether his wound tore open or not. She felt like she had to stop him.
“You’re going to make your wound worse. Okay? Stop.”
At Elysia’s attempt to dissuade him, Tristan threw the sword onto the ground and breathed heavily.
“I’ll go to the infirmary myself, so don’t worry about me.”
“…Tristan.”
“I don’t want to see you right now. Just go.”
The moment he turned away, Elysia quickly stepped in front of him.
“Do you really want me to leave?”
Perhaps he was clenching his teeth. His jaw had gone rigid.
“Yeah. Go.”
His reply was curt. Even then, he refused to meet her eyes. Elysia faltered in confusion, and the instant she stopped moving, Tristan simply walked past her.
He went that far to say it. Was he really that angry?
Maybe it would be better to just leave him alone for now…. She was wavering as she watched Tristan’s retreating back when it happened.
[He tells you to go and you’re actually going?]
At first, she thought she had misheard.
[How are you going to tame a beast if you back off just because it bares its teeth a little?]
“What?”
[Wounded beasts always run away. Because they’re afraid of being abandoned.]
Elysia looked around at the familiar voice coming from somewhere. It was Madam Rosalie’s voice. But Madam Rosalie was nowhere to be seen.
[Of course you won’t find me. I’m not there in the first place. I’m in my room.]
“Then how….”
[That’s not important right now. I saw everything, so stop talking nonsense and hurry up and follow him.]
Elysia had no idea how it worked, but Madam Rosalie seemed to have already seen everything. Following her instructions, Elysia quietly went after Tristan. Whether Tristan knew she was following him or not, he still did not look back.
Just then, the System chimed.
[System]
Quest: The Untamed Beast
Strategy Target ‘Tristan Loch’ is currently in an extremely sensitive state.
Lower ‘Tristan Loch’s’ guard and treat his wound.
[!] If approached incorrectly, the Strategy Target may go berserk.
[!] If you refuse, your guilt will surge due to ‘Elysia Gray’s’ traits.
[Expected Ending Upon Refusing Acceptance]
<Tristan Loch Route> - Ending 13: Love Born from Guilt
‘…A Holy Knight losing an arm. I’ll take responsibility for you, at least.’
She had been wondering when that ending would show up. Elysia immediately accepted the quest.
Having the System point her in a direction was a relief, but the problem was how to do it.
“I’m following him for now. What do I do next?”
Elysia whispered to Madam Rosalie.
[I don’t know. Just keep following him for now.]
“…You don’t know either, Teacher.”
[We follow him, see what happens, and decide from there. Do you think I have nothing better to do than sit around watching this?]
She had been relying entirely on Madam Rosalie. Apparently, Madam Rosalie did not have any particular plan either.
Tristan’s steps led toward the bathing area temporarily being used by the knights. Faint sounds of water could be heard through the gap in the door, along with wisps of hazy steam.
Elysia bit her lip tightly and stopped.
[Why did you stop?]
“It’s the bathhouse.”
[So?]
“What do you mean, ‘so’?”
Surely following him this far was too much. Just as she hesitated, the System chimed once again.
[System]
A wounded beast has the instinct to hide in its den.
You must follow it in order to provide treatment.
[Current ‘Tristan Loch’ Den: Holy Knights’ Bathhouse]