The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War ~And Thus, I Became The Strongest Knight Disciple (♀) in The World~

"!? Nah, what?!?"

That was Plum's voice...

"Something's wrong, let's go, Chris!"

Mm-hmm!

Ingris and Raffinia stop eating snow and head towards the voice.

It was a stone church building on the corner of a quiet city.

There was no one inside, but I could only hear Plum sobbing.

"Plum...!? Where!?"

"There's a basement!Get in the back room on your right! "

It was the voice of Rezelotte, not Plum, who responded to Raffinia's call.

Apparently, they were rushing ahead of us.

Proceeding as told, the entrance to the hidden staircase leading to the basement was open.

Running down the dark stairs - there were already Leone, Latty and Ian, all but Ingris and Raffinia.

But that's not all.

"Uhh...!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Many children lay down on the floor, leaning against each other.

Everyone was unnaturally thin and found to be in poor nutritional status at a glance.

And there was no obvious trauma, so it was easy to imagine that everyone would have starved to death.

"It's probably nice to hide these kids from the Heavenly Man raid - no one came to rescue them afterwards... that's why..."

They are still less than ten children.Adults in the city must have desperately hidden these children.

Unfortunately, there was no reward.

"I didn't see the adults... where are they?"

"Maybe Ricole took me, or even if I fell outside, I was buried in the snow...."

Ingris answers Ian's words.

Maybe if we dig back into the snow, we'll find some bodies.

"The closer we get to Ricole, the more damage our villages and cities are getting.As it stands, the villages and towns that we came through... "

"... we have to hurry! Don't let this continue, absolutely...!"

There was a strong determination in Raffinia's eyes.

"Oh, oniichan - Halim oniichan did this - I... I don't know what to tell you... oh, I'm sorry - I'm sorry...!"

The impact on Harrim's sister, Plum, did not seem viable.

It collapsed on the spot and seemed unable to stand up.

His voice trembled and his big eyes were dripping with tears.

"Plum...!"

Raffinia tried to speak to her.

Someone stopped pushing it.

Of course, it wasn't Ingris - it was Leone.

Your eyes seem to be telling me to leave it to me.

When Raffinia was taken over, Leone knelt down beside Plum.

"Plum - I know it's painful, I know it's sad... but your family feels responsible for what oniisan did...?I thought maybe I could do something - but I can't do anything anymore, and there's nothing I can do... "

"Uuuu...! Ha, yes... I don't... what am I supposed to do now - this is happening...!"

Plum was squeezing out his voice as he swallowed.

"... I'm going to understand how you feel. After Oniisama, who was also a Holy Knight, abandoned the country and ran to the Blood Chain Brigade - everyone around me told me that I was a family of traitors... but if I was just sad, sorry, and crying all the time - I realized that everything was gone, and I was alone... but that's not regrettable...!That's why I thought it was me.I'm going to catch oniisama with my own hands and bring back the stigma of the house - you too, oniisan, you are you! "

While looking at Plum with her hot eyes, Leone grabbed her trembling shoulders and strongly supported her.

"Nku... nnhh... Leonard..."

"Just crying doesn't change anything, and I can't.Let's just cry today and do what we can from tomorrow.Stop this as soon as you can, and make sure your brother doesn't get any more guilty.It's okay, you're not alone yet.I have someone on my side to support me. "

And it was Latty that Leone turned his gaze.

"Uhh...? Eh...?"

"What are you doing?My precious child is so sad, so stay by your side and hold him. "

"No, wait a minute, I'm..."

"Don't mess with me at a time like this! Hurry up!"

Leone dropped the caminari on Latty.

It is quite unusual for her to rough up her voice like this.

"Ha, yes...!"

Latty hugged the plum.

"Well, it's okay. Oh, because I'm with you...."

"Uwaaaaaahn! Latiiiiiiii...! I...! I-! Uwaaaaaaaaahn!"

Don't worry, Plum was crying loudly and clinging to Latty.

"Let's leave this to us, let's go find somewhere to rest?We're staying in this city tonight. "

When Leone says so, he goes up the stairs to the basement.

Your back is always in the right position and tight, but today it looks more vigorous than usual.Walking is a bit faster than usual.

As he walks a little behind him, Raffinia groans.

"Leone, you're so strong... you were so powerful. And persuasive."

"... that's right."

Lizelotte also agreed.

"I'm sure it wasn't good for me... I've been struggling all this time, and niisama is Niisama Rafa, and whatever you say, it's not very convincing..."

Indeed Raphael, Raffinia's brother, is a holy knight who puts him in Carraria and gathers respect from thousands of people.It can be said to be the culmination of all the knights of the country.

Such a Raphael is nothing but Raffinia's proud brother.

Compared to that harim, it is the difference between clouds and mud.

Raffinia will never know how her sister feels when her brother's actions drive her destiny crazy.

Because Raphael never bothered Raffinia.

Leone's brother Leon is no bad man from Ingris's point of view, but it is true that he has driven the fate of his family and sister Leone mad.

After all, Leone is the one who knows how Plum feels best.

"Compared to Leone, I'm still a kid..."

Ingris strokes Raffinia's head.

"It's okay. If you know that, Lani's growing enough."

I don't know yet, but...

In a sense, the most painful feeling is that it can be Raffinia.

--As far as I can see, I'm going to crush everything that makes Raffinia cry.

"What are you doing, oneesan?You're the one who doesn't struggle to do what you like best, Chris. "

It seemed a little stubborn, but it was Raffinia smiling.

"Fufu, that's right."

Ingris hastened his steps and caught up with Leone as he ran away from Raffinia.

Then slip through the neighborhood and gently grip the handkerchief removed by Leone.

"... thank you. That's weird, Ingris."

I didn't see the expression, but Leone's voice was a little shaky.

Raffinia admitted to being an adult compared to herself, but Leone is still a fifteen-year-old girl.

If you reveal the memories of your painful past to others, they will remind you of the time and make you feel better.I felt deeply sympathetic to Plum today, but to encourage him, I decided to show him the wounds I didn't want to touch.

I suppose the encouraging side was desperately enduring tears.

"You're welcome. Come on, Lani. Let's find out. Let's go."

"Ah, wait, Chris!"

That night, as Leone suggested, I spent the night in an empty house in the city.