Starting Anew as the New Me - CHAPTER 6 – KNIGHT BERTRA TOAN, AT YOUR SERVICE!

“Achoo!!!”

Uuh, sniffle……The sun as risen. It’s morning, huh……?

Alumgam is usually warm and its temperature seems to be stable as well, but I felt cold as I slept on the floor made of stone after all.

So, why was I sleeping on the floor……?

“Ku~ ka~ ku~ ka~”

The spirit was sleeping on the warm bed I was supposed to lie on while drooling……Hah, I remembered!

“Hey, you! *******! Get up!”

I lifted the Spirit’s body and shook it strongly but she didn’t make any signs of waking up.

“Munya, munya I can’t eat any more……”

“Don’t spit out such classic sleep talk! About last night–”

――Knock, knock

Hm? Who on earth would come knocking the door this early in the morning?

“Good morning, Dale-dono, have you woken up?”

“Huh?”

Dale? Who’s that?

There are only me and that Spirit……Ehm, I think it was Erin. Anyway, there are only us two in this room.

“Dale-dono? Are you still asleep? I apologize for disturbing your sleep, but would you please wake up?”

“Hey~ Dale~? You’re getting called, you know~? If you’re awake shouldn’t you answer?”

The Spirit, who seemed to have woken up, looked at my face while rubbing her eyes. The one this fellow is looking at is me, no doubt about it, but I’m Dalewatts and not Dale…… Ah, right, the current me is [The Human called Dale]!

“How weird, I can hear voices from inside…… Dale-dono!? Did something happen?!”

That person knocked with such force that they could send the door flying. I have to quickly answer!

“N-no, there’s no problem. What is it?”

“My word, it’s good that nothing occurred. I would ask you to get ready in a timely manner, as the king is awaiting you”

“Ye……yeah, got it”

Telling me to bow down to the king…… and what’s more the Demon Lord you’re telling me to subjugate is right before your eyes, you know? There’s no way I can do this

“Crap, so I have to go meet the King with no way to escape, huh?…… If things continue like this I won’t have any other choice but to punish my people as the hero, no, for me to fight against my own people in the first place is– Mu~~~~n!!”

“Come on, Dale, what are you holding your head and grumbling for?……. Hm? Outside’s kind of noisy”

Even though I was suffering here and about to get a headache that Spirit went to look outside.

“Dale!! Outside! Look, look outside!!”

The Spirit, who seemed to have seen something outside, flew to my side in great excitement.

“Shut up! I’m thinking right now so –Listen to people when they talk! Hey!!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!”

I was forcefully brought to the window by the Spirit. What exactly is there outside…… Wait, isn’t it just the castle’s soldiers having their morning training?

“Amazing, right~? Though there are so many of them, they all move with their breaths synchronized, see~?”

Soldier……I see, there was that way as well!

“Hahaha, Chohahahaha!”

“Wai, Dale!? What’s the matter?! What’s with this bizarre laugh?! Do you feel sick?!…… I’ll go slightly further away”

That’s how it was. Humans are beings that work in groups. Even when we invaded we went up against such formations. So I’ll enter such a group as well.

So I can just pretend like I’m fighting, use the humans as my shields and join up with the demon’s side as soon as there’s a gap. That’s a good idea if I do say so myself!!

※

“Hah? What did you say just now……?”

What did that Riley say just now……? Did I mishear……? Or did Riley make a mistake……?

“Didn’t you hear? Erin-dono said that Dale and herself were enough and that the knights should return to defending against the Demon Lord’s army. It’s rather embarrassing, but I’d like to gratefully accept that offer…… I want to reserve some troops right now, I apologize”

When I turned my head towards the spirit like a rusty mechanical doll, she seemed to have noticed that I was looking at her and wore a proud expression on her face while giving me a thumbs-up.

“You *******, what did you……”

“However, I can’t just send you two out on your own, now.”

Riley lightly hit the stick he was holding on the floor and Devan nodded having seen the signal. What on earth is going on?

“Bertra Toan, step forward!!”

“Yes!”

One of the knights, who stood in rows to the left and right, stepped forward and walked before Riley.

That knight’s height was about the same as Erin’s. Over the silver armour, he wore a red cloak with the kingdom’s coat of arms on it. He had chestnut coloured hair and didn’t seem to be that old as his voice was still high, rather wasn’t he still a young brat? It’s probably the lack of people that made them hire such people.

However, what a weird knight having two swords hanging on his left side.

“Alumgam Knight Order’s Bertra Toan, at your service!”

“Umu. Dale, I want you to take her with you. She originally applied to be part of the subjugation party.”

“Her? Eh? Didn’t he mean him?”

I was convinced that was a boy knight. Anyone would think that if that person were to wear a full set of armour like that.

“Wha!?”

That fellow called Bertra vigorously turned his head and glared at me.

“Who is a man? I am a woman … Aah!?”

The eyes of the knight who turned his head and mine met, huh? Where have I seen that fellow before……?

――Ah! It’s that human who ran into me when I came to Alumgam and hit me in the face!

“You *******, you’re that boy from that time!!”

“You ******* are the one from that time…… Rather, as I said, I am a woman!!”

No, I mean, with the way you acted and spoke back then along with this perfectly flat armour it’s no wonder you’ll get mistaken as a man.

“Wai!? Where are you looking?! You pervert!!”

For her to possibly be part of Alumgam’s Knights…… Wait, who’s a pervert?!

“No, more importantly…… Crap. For him to be the hero…… I was so angry at that time, he might refuse to travel together with me…… I should have apologized properly, no, there’s no use in crying about spilt milk. I have to deceive him somehow……”

What? She’s mumbling about something…… Is that fellow really alright?

“Ooh, have you met each other before?”

What does he mean with “have you met each other before”?……

“No, this fellow ha–Iih!?”

That lass, she stepped on the back of my hand with all her might.

“Yes, shortly before the ceremony…… You’re Majesty, thank you for accepting my selfish request”

“Good, good, I was in the care or your father and grandfather, so this is the least I could do……”

“You have my full gratitude, this Bertra Toan will by all means–”

Eh, doesn’t it seem like this talk is progressing without my consent?

No, no I don’t want to accept this rowdy person as a companion!?