Chapter 312: A Certain Noble's Tyranny 4 (side Tolman)
312 – A Certain Noble’s Tyranny 4 (side Tolman)
A short while after Grodel and I convene with the fourth battalion, Azalea appears, covered in blood and carried on the back of a beastman brat shorter than himself, Nell. The clothes around his shoulder are torn, blood clinging to the scraps. The more I look at him, the more irate I grow.
“A-Azalea-sama wasm hurt by a monster. Umm, somebody, healing magic…”
Nell says as he lays Azalea on the ground. His inarticulate manner of speech further amplifies my irritation. I feel my head shaking in anger.
“Azalea! Explain yourself! Did you not boast that you would subjugate that dragon! To be wounded by a mere undead, what a pitiful state you are in! What happened to the two that were with you? Don’t tell me you let the undead slip away?!”
As I shout, I draw my sword on impulse and thrust it into the ground. A chime rings out, and fragments of broken rock scatter. Then with the blade of my sword exposed, I stride towards him. Nell reacts nervously to my approach, but, following an eye signal from Azalea, rests him on the ground.
“I cannot apologise enough. I have no excuses for my terrible blunder. Please allow me to make up for it through my actions…”
“And you’re asking me to leave the hunting of that dragon to you!? At this critical time, in this predicament, how could you… That arm of yours can’t swing a sword any longer, can it!? As you are now, what could you possibly do?! I was counting on you, and yet at the crucial moment, you allow yourself to be injured by a lesser monster! Do you understand?! This expedition, you see, is my route to becoming king! The honour of my Torvenits family is at stake here! I believed you when you said you would defeat the dragon, and yet… What have you done!?”
I abandon my body to my rage and swing my sword down. Nell, who was watching from a distance, braces himself to intervene. Azalea grabs a sword from a nearby soldier with his uninjured right hand and points it towards Nell to fend him off while, at the same time, catching my downward swing with his left hand.