Please Kill Me - Chapter 43
There were many guesses, but only one question emerged.
“Who usually leads when Rositslav’s troops are mobilized?”
Such an abrupt and seemingly out-of-nowhere question cooled Leonid down from simmering to utterly cold.
“…If I’m leading, then it’s me. If not, it’s Vasily here.”
“Is that so, the one next to you?”
As Yekaterina’s gaze shifted to Leonid’s side, Vasily nodded lightly in response.
“Yes, that’s correct. Is that suddenly of interest to you?”
She didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, Yekaterina looked at them silently with those deep black eyes, then after a moment of silence, she averted her gaze and replied.
“I think that knight should be cautious for a while. It would be better not to use him if there’s a mobilization.”
At those words, both Leonid and Vasily’s expressions hardened.
“What do you mean, is there a problem with me?”
Vasily responded to Yekaterina’s words in anger. He was generally a good person and a knight, but he was not saintly enough to remain unbothered by suggestions of being unfit for duty.
“You broke a wooden sword earlier. If you can’t control your strength, you can’t be entrusted with important tasks.”
“That was a mistake!”
Yekaterina calmly recollected and Vasily nearly shouted in frustration.
“A mistake that seems to have left many scars on your body.”
“…Body?”
This time, it was Leonid.
“You’ve seen Vasily’s body?”
“He showed it himself.”
“What?”
“When? I never-“
“If you’re undressed, isn’t that the same as showing?”
Well, I never took it off myself. Yekaterina’s blunt statement turned Vasily’s face embarrassingly red, and his expression became rigid. It seemed like he would silence Yekaterina immediately if Leonid permitted.
However, Leonid’s face was set in a hard expression for a different reason. He found himself feeling quite displeased that Yekaterina seemed to be taking an interest in Vasily.
His voice came out more rigid than usual.
“I didn’t know you were someone who could show concern for others, Yekaterina.”
“It’s rare, I admit. I didn’t expect it of myself either.”
“…Huh.”
So you do care about someone. Then what about me?
A question that seemed too petty even for a three-year-old almost slipped out. It was a narrow-minded and petty thought, the likes of which Leonid hardly ever entertained in his life.
‘She takes care of him, but says nothing to me?’
Especially when his shoulder that was injured by Yekaterina’s blade, was still throbbing.
Suddenly she’s concerned about Vasily?
Thinking back, it was just the two of them before Leonid arrived. What could have possibly happened between them to make the typically indifferent Yekaterina show concern?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Leonid’s tone sharpened.
“I’ll consider it.”
His voice was so sharp that it would make anyone doubt his sincerity.
With that, the three people left, leaving Yekaterina alone.
But even after the commotion had died down and she was left by herself, Yekaterina stood in place for a while, mulling over her actions.
‘That was unlike me.’
Just like when she first met Leonid in the interrogation room, she pondered over one thought.
* * *
The news of a messenger from the imperial palace brought a particular memory to Yekaterina’s mind.
‘I had forgotten, but now that I think about it, it was around this time.’
The abnormal appearance of monsters in the imperial hunting ground, located near the palace.
Although the occasional emergence of monsters wasn’t unheard of, this incident was a bit different.
A group was assembled to deal with what was reported to be a mid-grade monster, but upon arrival, they found several high-grade monsters instead.
As soon as the high-grade monster appeared, the dispatched personnel immediately called for reinforcements.
Consequently, even Yekaterina, who initially wasn’t drafted, had to be called to action. However, by the time Yekaterina arrived at the scene, a significant number had already lost their lives.
– We were lucky to have survived this much. When the monster that seemed to be of the 2nd grade appeared, we thought we were done for. But thanks to a knight from Rostislav who threw himself in harm’s way, we managed to survive like this.
Yekaterina, receiving the situation report from Offenbach, had unusually asked.
– What happened to that knight?
– Unfortunately… he fell in battle. It’s uncertain if we’ll even be able to find his body.
– What was his name?
– He was called Sir Vasily Arkady.
That was the only conversation she had with anyone at the hunting ground that day. Afterward, it was merely a one-sided massacre by Yekaterina, with no need for further words.
At the time, Yekaterina did not feel much compassion for the dead. It was natural to die if one was weak. She even thought that kind of sacrifice was foolish.
‘Such a pointless sacrifice.’
If he was skilled enough to buy time for others by facing a 2nd grade monster alone, he must have been a formidable fighter.
To die saving such a rabble instead seemed like a foolish act to her.
