Author: aji (あじ)
Translator: sleepingjay
Jill
“Once you’ve become interconnected, no matter how far you try to separate yourself from him, you won’t be able to return to the same state again.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Look, I’m talking to you as a friend right now. Even if you try to keep him away from you, your fates are already permanently entangled. What I’m saying is, you can’t just keep running away. It isn’t a solution.”
“Is that so? However, I’m not running away.”
“Really? Then why do you keep your soulmate at a distance? What, is it painful to have him around?”
“That is,”
It was because Jill realised that keeping Lilius around him brought too many dangers to Lilius.
“Hey, Jill. You are the strongest guy out of all the people I’ve known. Someone like you, is it even possible for you to not be able to protect those by your side? You should rethink whether sequestering your loved ones in a place out of your reach is really the way you want to protect them.”
“……No matter how strong someone is, there will always be something they can’t protect.”
“Isn’t it the same if you keep them away? No matter whether you keep them by your side or far away.”
Even without being told that, he knew that already. It wasn’t like he only acted like this on a whim. However, as long as Jill was in this position, there were things he had no choice but to prioritise.
No matter how strong his feelings for Lilius were, as a Magic Knight of the empire, he had a duty to fulfill from the day he picked up the sword.
If by some chance his circumstances affected Lilius, then he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. The form of a demon, who hated everything and completely destroyed everything it should have protected, came to mind.
His Majesty took one look at Jill, who had sunk into silence, and let out a derisive laugh.
“Or, could it be you’ve lost the will you had when you swore to protect to the end?”
“…….”
“You’ve fallen, Jill. You’re a pathetic man, you know that?”
“Hey, talking like that—”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Vfat kjr jybea ab rcjq yjmx ja Llr Zjpfrasr’ kbgvr, yea Alii gfjmtfv bea j tjcv ab gfragjlc tlw.
“Pa’r olcf.”
Vfat ujnf tlw j vlrrjalrolfv ibbx. Valii, Alii rtbbx tlr tfjv, wjxlcu Vfat mgbrr tlr tjcvr yftlcv tlr tfjv ilxf j mtliv, aegclcu jkjs ecmbbqfgjalnfis.
“‘—C qfgrbc ragbcufg atjc wf vbfr cba fzlra’. Ljnf sbe obgubaafc atfrf kbgvr?”
“No, I do remember.”
“Then, have you forgotten the anger that you felt back then?”
“……I remember.”
“You pointed your sword at me. And then you told me, ‘I don’t plan on serving someone weaker than I am.'”
Even now, he still remembered those things?
It all seemed like a terribly old story now. That was when he first met His Majesty.
That was what Jill said back then, when his immature body was bursting at the seams with pure anger.
“Because of your impudent words, I told you I might kill your whole clan for it. And what did you say then?”
“……If you can, then try it.”
“Right, right. You said that as a kid who was even stronger than I, a prince. You told me that nobody could take away anything from you. So don’t give me a boring show and throw those words away halfway through.”
“As usual, you are arrogant and self-centred.”
“Hah. That’s the hallmark of royalty, after all.”
It was difficult to say.
I will fulfill the vow I made when I took up the sword, and I won’t let go of my loved ones either.
Even though he was aware what an enormous task that was. “I just have to put in twice the effort”. The easier it was to say, the more difficult it was to put into practice.
However, this long-time friend of his was telling him to do better.
A cutting nature hidden behind a comedic personality.
At this glimpse of His Majesty’s true face, Jill sighed, then showed a ruthless smile.
“You too, have you forgotten what you just said? I don’t serve people weaker than I am. Even now, I’m still far stronger than you are—Oswald.”
“…..Keke.”
Upon seeing Jill’s arrogant smile, His Majesty—Oswald, laughed. The tension in the air was snapped as he guffawed, his mouth wide open and his eyes sparkling like a youth.
“You’re still entertaining after all, Jill.”
“……I see. However, you should be a little more mature, Oswald, or else I’ll be troubled.”
“What a pain in the ass. Ah— so troublesome, it’s your fault my shoulders are stiff. I think I’ll go to the harem~”
Rolling his shoulders, Oswald left his seat.
As if on cue, Jill also led Seth out of the room.
“Watching that made me lose years off my life!”
“Sorry about that.”
“But I’m pretty happy, it feels like I finally get to see Jill, not the Commander. His Majesty Oswald is really pretty amazing, huh?”
Jill had no reply to those words, which was spoken by Seth on their way back.
However—
“I suppose so. But if His Majesty is amazing, then so are you.”
“Me?”
“Even though you were bullied by me, didn’t you still cling to me while trying to hold in your tears? Even though I beat you up.”
“Geh! Digging up something that old is playing dirty!”
“……Belus and his lover were like that as well. I felt like I took your parents away from you when you were too young, so I tried to keep you away, but you were stubborn.”
He was truly troubled by it then. As those words rolled lightly off his tongue, Jill recalled the man’s back.
The three of them did not abandon Jill, who had lost his family in the blink of an eye.
The crybaby Seth, who kept tailing him no matter how coldly Jill treated him, used to be a source of aggravation. But before long, Jill noticed that Seth possessed the same Kakyou that he had and so started keeping him by his side. It was amusing how that little crybaby was now one of the Imperial Knights.
“……”
When he looked at Seth, who had gone silent, his ears were twitching in a rare embarrassment. His bushy tail was also animatedly swishing left and right.
“Fu. You’ve grown up.”
“—!”
Unconsciously, Jill’s true thoughts were leaked. Seth’s eyes widened.
Before Jill knew it, they were already at the same height, and their gazes were level with each other. When I placed my hand on that grown-up head and patted it, Seth’s eyes reddened.
“Geez, I ain’t a kid anymore, y’know?”
“I know.”
“……Ugh, go do this kind of thing with Lilius! Even if you pat me, I’m not Lilius. I’m not gonna be happy!”
Despite the crude language he spat out, Seth did not actually shake off Jill’s hand.
Nostalgia welled up, for something he would never come across again.
He felt as if he could hear it, carried by the wind — a man’s voice from his childhood days, calling out Jill’s name.
Sounds like Jill is finally gonna stop running away!
Thanks for the chapter <3
Jill should stop running, because it seems that his soulmate, Lilius, is ready for that, too. And, he should notice that Lilius is not that weak, he has his shortcomings, but his magic is strong.
Thank you for the chapter!!!
thanks for the chapter! ♡
Thanks for the chapter.
thanks for the chapter!