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\n\n\n\n\nKONNICHIWA!!! BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE HERE'S A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT!\n
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I CURRENTLY HAVE AN ONGOING ADVOCACY PROJECTĀ called: golden agers</u> AND ALL THE KO-FI, sponsored chapters AND AD. EARNINGS I'LL RECEIVE FOR THIS MONTH, (FEB) UNTIL MAY 2021 WILL BE USED FOR CELIA FLORENDO, A 60-YEAR OLD, JOBLESS AND NON PENSIONED LADY LIVING WITH HER HUSBAND WHO'S SUFFERING FROM ABYLOPIA. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RELATIVES NEAR THEM WHO CAN AID THEM FOR THEIR NEEDS. THINGS HAVE BEEN PRETTY ROUGH FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD, BUT ITs VERY MUCH APPRECIATED IF YOU CAN SPARE A DIME OR TWO for her and her husband.Ā \n
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my ko-fi button is down below and for more information on how you can help then please do not hesitate to contact me through my email: eunieberry@gmail.com\n
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that's all, enjoy the mini-mass release!! ^^\n
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āIntermission 7: Oath\n
\n\nedited by PARASCYTHEĀ \n
tl-ed by EUNIE\n
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WN STATUS: CHAPTER 44/1060 ONGOING.\n
āENJOY READING.\n\n\nTranslated by Eunie\n
Edited/Proofread by Para\n
ā\n
āIs it...okay? If I say something...as...wellā¦?ā\n
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I was feeling so nervous that I was having a hard time speaking.\n
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The person I'm currently speaking to is Pryde-sama. She is this countryās first princess and the one who will become the next Queen.\n
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Sheās definitely not someone a lowly person like me can talk to; that is something I am well aware of.Ā \n
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I even heard Dad say, āYouā¦ā but then Clark stepped in and stopped him.\n
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Well, not that I can blame him, but it wouldnāt be a surprise if I was dragged out of here.\n
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But...\n
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This could be the last chance Iāll ever get in this lifetime.\n
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Pryde-sama looked surprised, but she immediately said, āYes, I donāt mindā. She didnāt seem mad as she gave me permission.\n
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I can talk with her, with this person.\n
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ā...Dadā¦,...for saving my father...thank you so muchā¦.ā\n
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I immediately said the words I always wanted to tell her.\n
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Itās just that...Dad and Clark were still beside us, and I was so embarrassed while saying it to her. In the end, I wasnāt even able to look at her face.\n
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I always wanted to say it.\n
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Ever since she saved my dad, I always wanted to say these words to her.Ā \n
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Iām sure I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if Dad had died then.\n
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Whatsmore...I would have never realized these feelings.\n
The moment I was about to finally say it, my nerves suddenly got the better of me, and I couldnāt help but find it hard to speak.\n
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But when I heard Pryde-samaās voice, I told myself that I would say it this time, but I still couldnāt find the courage to look forward.\n
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Thatās why I remained looking down as I started long-windedly saying, āI... have a special abilityā¦. ...But...unlike my fatherās...itās not something suitable for a knight ...all it can do is raise plants well...but thatās about it.ā\n
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And then I looked at my hands that were placed on the floor. No matter how much I try, it wonāt wash off. These dirty hands of mine are forever stained with mud.\n
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These hands belong to a pathetic loser who hasnāt even touched a sword.\n
This made me fully realize the deplorable things I had been doing; it was so shameful that it made me want to kill myself, who had been living like this.\n
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āI!!... I can never be as great as my old man...Iām a useless piece of trashā¦ā\n
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And when I forcefully struck the floor with my fist, blood suddenly started seeping out.Ā \n
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Such weak hands. I only hit the floor, but they're already like this.\n
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The more I tried to voice my true feelings, the more distressed I felt. Iām so lame that even I wanted to look away from myself.\n
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I already know.\n
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Since Iām the one who knows and understands myself the best.Ā \n
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ā¦ For something like this, to hear these words from someone like me is nothing but trouble.Ā \n
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Thatās why I completely understand if she responds to me with āI donāt knowā or āItās impossibleā. But despite that, I still want to ask her.\n
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Right now, I might just seem like some weak-ass foot soldier who canāt do anything...a useless piece of garbage, but Iā¦\n
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ā...I...I will continue to become stronger...Iāll do whatever training my shitty dad has in mind...and train more...thatās why...ā\n
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Somehow, please answer me.\n
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It doesnāt have to be an answer that I would want to hear. Itās just that for someone like me, Dad has always been my hero. But during that moment, it wasnāt just Dad who she saved but also me.\n
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Because sheās the one who made me realizeā¦\n
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Thatās why this time around, I looked up and stared straight at Pryde-sama. She gazed at me with her round eyes, but despite that, I could still feel that she was seriously looking at me.\n
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Thatās right. Itās because sheās this kind of person that I...even if I bet the rest of my life, I still want to ask this personā¦!!\n
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ā Can I!! Can I do itā¦!? Can I be like my old manā¦.and become a splendid knight!!?āĀ \n
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When I came to, I realized that my field of vision had blurred. The faces of Pryde-sama, Dad, and the others that I used to vividly see were now blurry. But despite that, as if desperately wishing for it, I mumbled to myself in a hoarse and gruff voice. Even if itās nowā¦\n
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My appearance right now is totally lame and uncool. Itās just like how I was back then when I was crying and whining.Ā \n
Even though I was already prepared to be rejected, please, somehowā¦\n
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Please give me the courage to stand up once again, to have another chance. Because Iām a trashy person who canāt stand up on their own...but despite thatāit's because sheās the one who made me realize it, thatās why!!\n
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Itās because sheās the one who saved me from this shitty life that I had been livingā¦!!Ā \n
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Thatās whyā¦!!\n
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The one who can make me live or kill the me who once again desires to be a knight is only you.Ā \n
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āYou can.ā\n
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My thoughts suddenly froze.Ā \n
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Itās as if she said it without any hint of hesitation as she looked straight into my eyes. No matter how much I doubted it, those eyes of hers didnāt seem like she was saying it out of consideration, nor did it look like she was doing it just for appearance sakeā¦\n
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I wonder if Iām dreaming right now.\n
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The moment I blinked my eyes, large teardrops started spilling.Ā \n
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And within the small gaps of my tearful vision, I saw Pryde-sama smiling as she slowly opened her mouth.\n
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āEven if everyone else in the world tells you otherwise, I will always assure you that you can become a splendid knight like your father. As long as I am alive, I will be waiting for you to stand here in this room once again, where you will stand as a knight.ā\n
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I couldnāt help but doubt my own hearing.\n
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She said sheāll always assure me.\n
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That surely, I can become a splendid knight like my dad.Ā \n
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And that sheāll always wait for me until I become oneā¦!\n
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Something like this is just impossible.\n
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She is this countryās first princess, a person who lives in a completely different world than mines.\n
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Thereās no way a person of her status said that sheāll wait for a person like me*. (**whenever he says this, it is always in a negative way of demeaning himself.)\n
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But despite these thoughts of mine, I couldnāt tear my eyes away from Pryde-sama, who was gently smiling as she walked towards me.\n
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It was the first time I saw her this close, since that incident...that moment when she told me that āItās going to be alright.ā\n
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The very person who changed my life...was slowly coming closer to me.Ā \n
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I could feel my body tremble as I felt the tips of every hair on my body stand on end.\n
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āLet me take a closer look at your face.ā\n
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Pryde-sama said as she crouched down in front of me, peering over at my face. I couldnāt help but freeze on the spot due to the nervousness and the unbelievable fact that, right now, sheās this close to me. And then her beautiful fingers touched and brushed aside my dirty hair.Ā \n
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She must have seen the pathetic look on my face, which looks remarkably similar to my dadās. I always hated how my proud and amazing dadās face overlapped with my miserable self; thatās why I always hated showing my face to others.Ā \n
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But Pryde-sama just stared at me for quite some time, and then she gently patted my head.\n
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āThen letās both make a promise. No matter how long it takes, as long as Iām alive, I will wait for you to become a knight. Not just a knight like your father...but a knight who can protect...his fellow citizens and loved ones.ā\n
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Again, she said sheāll wait for me.Ā \n
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Itās not like I misheard, and I still canāt believe that she just made a promise to me.Ā \n
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On top of that, she didnāt say that Iāll be a knight like Dad but a knight I want to become. She said that while looking at my face that looks just like my dadās.\n
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Sheās affirming it to me as an individual person and that I should protect the citizens, my family...and everything I hold dear to me.Ā \n
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Itās not just any person, but for her to expect that much from someone like me, I couldnāt help but be happy and scared at the same time...scared that a miracle like this was actually happening to me right now.\n
And then I felt Pryde-samaās hand on my face. My face that I always, always hid was now feeling the soft sensation of her fingers.\n
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" ā¦ ā¦ protect ā¦can I do it? ā¦ a ā¦ person like meā¦.? "\n
Everything seemed so unreal right now that I couldnāt help but spill my weak-willed thoughts.\n
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I want to protect.Ā \n
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Not just the people I cherish but also this person, who placed her expectations on no other than a person like me. But can I do it?Ā \n
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Iām not even an apprentice knight or anything. Iām just some weak bug at the moment. Can I really do it? Can I even protect the things she deems precious?Ā \n
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I donāt have any confidence. In the corner of my heart, I can still hear a voice saying that itās impossible for me.Ā \n
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In this world, thereās no one else who doesnāt believe in me as I do.Ā \n
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āOf course you can, because you are always thinking about your loved ones and are kind enough to even shed tears for them. Besides, you have these capable hands. What's moreā¦āĀ \n
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Pryde-sama said as she held my hands. These hands of mine have been doing fieldwork, and they were stained with mud. Itās unreal that Pryde-sama didnāt hesitate to grasp these hands of mine as she earnestly looked me in the eyes.\n
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ā...Havenāt you already been...wanting and trying to become strong for a long time alreadyā¦?ā\n
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I canāt endure this anymore. Just how many hundreds or thousands of times did I wish for this? Iām sure that I always wanted someone to notice.Ā \n
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Notice that Iāve always wanted to become stronger.\n
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That I want to protect them.\n
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That I want to become a knight.\n
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These persistent feelings and thoughts of mine that I was desperately hiding in the darkest pits of myself.Ā \n
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These desires that I strongly wished for, much more than anyone. And yet, it was something I forced myself to bury away. She was able to realize and bring it out alive with her wordsā¦!!\n
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She gave me the words I always wanted to hear.\n
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If this isnāt salvation, then just what do you call this?\n
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ā...Uu...uuu...waaahā¦ā\n
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I wonder if itās alright for me to receive so much from this person, even though thereās nothing I can give back to her in return.Ā \n
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But, if...itās okay for me to receive this much, then is it alright for me to obtain just one more thing? I desireā¦. and wish for only one moreā¦.\n
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āIāll do itā¦!! Even if...it takes me years...no matter how long it takes...Iāll become a knightā¦!! And thenā¦āĀ \n
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Even if itās inappropriate and undeserving for me to do so, I still wished for it, much more than anyone else in this country.\n
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As if to cling to the person in front of me, I grasped back the soft hands that were holding mine.\n
āPleaseā¦! Allow me to protect you for as long as I liveā¦!! !!ā\n
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Because it is you, the person who gave everything to a nobody like me...I will wish for it.Ā \n
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I want to give you my everything.\n
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Even the crybaby me, every single part of me.\n
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If you say that you will wait for me, then I want to protect you and everything you hold dear for as long as I live.Ā \n
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I will fight for her, and I want to die as a knight for her sake.\n
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Pryde-sama froze as she seemed surprised by what I just said. I wonder if she felt perplexed by my words, but even so...my resolve will never waver.\n
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I know that it was shameless of me to act like this, but I still couldnāt help wishing for it, desiring for it. To protect this person, I want to protect Pryde-sama even at the cost of my life. This person, who is mightier, nobler; and just like her name, āPrydeā, she is prouder than anyone elseāāitās because itās this person, thatās why I want to serve her.\n
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I earnestly waited for her next words, and then after a while, Pryde-sama smiled as she looked at me and asked, āYou...whatās your name?ā\n
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With a smile on her face, she asked for my name. It suddenly felt like her words were of acceptance, and a sliver of hope suddenly appeared in front of me, and so I answered, āItās...Arthur.ā\n
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Itās the name given to me by my mom and dad.\n
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And also the name of the person who will give his all for you.\n
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Pryde-samaās expression suddenly turned stiff as she once again froze on the spot.\n
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It looked as if she was remembering something as her eyes seemed to be thinking of other things.\n
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I wonder whatās wrong, did we meet somewhere before?\n
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āPryde-samaā¦?ā\n
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I couldnāt help but call out to her, and then Pryde-sama seemed to have realized something as she looked at me anew and then smiled happily.Ā \n
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It was a smile that really came from the heart.\n
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ā...Arthur...Iām sure you will be able to fulfill our promise soon.ā\n
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It was a sudden revelation.Ā \n
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Pryde-sama, who called out my name a while ago, seemed like someone who was speaking as if they had seen the future.\n
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Soonā¦?\n
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I couldnāt fully understand the meaning behind Pryde-samaās words, so I just waited for her to continue.\n
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āJust now, I saw it. In the not so distant future, you will definitely become an amazing knight. You will be a strong knight, where itās not just me, but everyone else who will acknowledge your strength.ā\n
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Pryde-sama said as she firmly clasped my hands.Ā \n
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Her warm and gentle hands.\n
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āAnd youāll definitely be someone who I can trust to have my back."Ā \n
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She said she foresaw it.Ā \n
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These were words from Pryde-sama, who has the precognition ability.\n
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She said Iāll become a splendid knight. A knight that everyone will acknowledge.Ā \n
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And that...Iāll become a knight who can have this personās back.\n
Me? Pryde-sama said someone like me can become that. She said it with a smile on her face, which means it will be alright to leave her back to me.*\n
Ā \n
(*Para: I hope no one is confused about the back thing, but for anyone who hasn't heard of the saying, having someone's back means to be willing to defend and/or look out for them.)\n
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Thatās right...sheās acknowledging meā¦!!\n
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I couldnāt help but widen my eyes in surprise as tears of happiness suddenly came pouring out of my eyes.\n
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Me, someone like meā¦.with Pryde-samaās back...\n
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āIāll be waiting, Arthur. And thenā¦ā\n
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Suddenly, Pryde-sama pulled my hands towards her, closing the distance between us. With a resolved expression, she neared my ear and whispered to me, who was frozen in surprise,\n
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āThe moment youāve judged me as an enemy of the people and this country, do not hesitate to cut me down.ā\n
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It didnāt seem like I misheard her as her sharp words seemed to have pierced through my brain.\n
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I just couldnāt comprehend it.\n
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Itās as if she foresaw a future where I would be cutting her downā¦\n
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No. I donāt like this.\n
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For a second, an image of myself slicing off her head suddenly appeared in my head.\n
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No, no, no!!\n
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Only this person, this person is someone I will never be able to cutā¦!!\n
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Seeing that Pryde-sama was about to stand up, I couldnāt help but pull her close to me to stop her.Ā \n
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What, just what are you saying?!!\n
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Pryde-sama was surprised by my sudden actions, and as if to calm me down, she once again smiled at me and said, āItās alright, that last part...is not a premonition.ā\n
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I felt a little bit of relief wash over me upon hearing her words.\n
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But if that was the case, then why did you say something like that to meā¦?\n
Ā ļø\n
āItās just my wish thatā¦.you can become a knight who will use his sword to protect our loved ones.ā\n
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Pryde-sama said as if she had seen through my doubt.Ā \n
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Loved onesā¦?\n
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Then why did Prdye-sama tell me to basically slice her head off!?\n
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Even though the person I want to protect is you!!\n
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Thatās right, didnāt I properly convey it to you? And then Pryde-sama once again said that Iāll become someone who she can leave her back to.Ā \n
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āThe moment youāve judged me as an enemy of the people and this country, do not hesitate to cut me down.ā\n
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Is it really not a premonitionā¦?!.\n
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I feel like all these worries are one-sidedly creeping inā¦\n
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Even though thereās really no way of checking if itās true or not.\n
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But thatās why...since Iāve already decided to devote my entire being to you, I will always nod my head in agreement and promise to you.\n
āI understand!! I will definitely become a knight! Iāll become a knight who can protect you and everyone you love...my old man and my mother, as well as everyone in this country!ā\n
Ā I will always protect you, even if everyone in this world turned against you.\n
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Even though you said that you want me to kill you if, in the future, you become an enemy of the people, I will still protect you and everything you hold dear.Ā \n
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So that you wonāt take the wrong path.\n
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So that you wonāt experience oneās mistake.\n
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So that no one can dirty your noble heart.\n
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So that strength of yours will never dampen.\n
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And so that I wonāt also lose my way. To protect you and everyone I love, I will never let you take the wrong path.Ā \n
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If anyone tries to dirty the road that you are taking, if anyone tries to pull you down or hinder your way, I will definitely cut them all down with my own hands.\n
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And if despite all that, you...if you, who is mightier and nobler than others, feel like crumbling at any moment...\n
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āThe moment I learn that I can save them, then I must do so!!ā\n
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I will definitely be there to save you, just like how you were able to save me today.\n
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No matter what predicament you find yourself in the future, I will always extend my hand to you as you did for me.\n
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Arthur Beresford.\n
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I swear on my name that I will definitely protect you no matter what with everything that I have.\n