# 19
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"Do you really think I'm going to hit you? Why are you looking at me? If I'm going to hit a skinny little kid who has nowhere to hit, I'll hit you!"
Allen, who was blowing and mouthing the words, stared at me as if he wanted to kill me and then tried to pass by.
Me too.
“W-what!”
I must have the courage to catch Allen.
In fact, even for a day or two, I didn't feel uncomfortable when I saw a face similar to Diana looking at me.
“Besides, this is my fault now.”
I swallowed and said.
“It's not because I thought you were going to hit me, it's not because of you....It's because I got scared when I saw the hand suddenly rise.”
Even in my previous life, when a hand came in front of me, I would flinch because I was thinking: 'I'm going to get hit!'
It seemed to get better as I got older, but when I returned to my childhood at eight, I was back to square one.
As if I had prepared myf in advance, my body would move on its own in sudden situations.
Because it was the first time I had ever said something like that out of my mouth, including in my previous life, I was nervous for no reason.
‘If Allen stays angry, I think I’ll lose all my strength….’
When I raised my head in anticipation and fear, I saw Allen with a distorted face.
For a moment, I felt like my heart was beating painfully.
At this time, Allen trembled his hand and hid it behind his back.
“You have chocolate in your mouth.”
Oh!
I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and touched the corners of my lips.
The chocolate had hardened, probably since she had eaten the cake earlier.
As his face turned red with embarrassment, Allen burst into laughter.
Even though I looked away out of annoyance, I started laughing louder at what was so funny and was about to say something.
“Leah?”
When I heard a familiar voice in my ear, I turned my head and saw a boy just getting off the carriage.
“Jack!”
I ran to Jack in a happy mood.
"Are you okay? It doesn't hurt at all anymore, does it? Thanks for coming!"
When I asked, Jack looked all over my body, looking at me with a confused expression.
Well, Jack and I are nowhere near the beginning.
'Suddenly acting like we're friends seems ridiculous.'
However, considering that Jack was lying unconscious, this was a lot of restraint.
“Is this your friend?”
At that time, I heard Allen's voice right behind me.
The sound was much closer than I thought, so I looked up in surprise.
Then Allen grabbed my shoulder and said, “Chuck.”
'I almost fell.'
Allen clicked his tongue and immediately moved his hand away from my body.
You still find it unpleasant to touch me, and so do I!
I turned my head, frowning inwardly, and felt something strange.
Jack would have known everything that happened to us while he was recovering.
So he must have come all the way here to join the ducal knights.
You would have known that Diana who was with us was the only princess of the Duchy of Elad, and you would have also noticed that this silver-haired boy who looked like her was one of the two brothers Diana mentioned earlier.
But why was he staring at Allen with eyes full of hostility?
Perhaps because of Jack's outlook, Allen's spirit was unusual.
It was almost absurd that the two people, who had later become inseparable friends, had created an unpleasant atmosphere that made one's skin tingle.
'Hey, you'll be fine, right?'
I'm sure the relationship won't change because of me.
'First of all, children grow up fighting.'
I tried to ignore the bloody atmosphere and turned my head to see Sid with a pale face.
Looking at him standing next to the cart, it looked like he had brought Jack with him himf.
‘As expected, this is not an ordinary relationship.’
It was time to internally shake my head and calm my anxiety, believing that the relationship between Jack and Allen would finally become as good as it was in their previous lives.
“Ha, it's ridiculous.”
Allen looked at Tice and frowned.
“She couldn't even do a good job of protecting Diana, so she's thinking about joining the duchy again.”
“No matter how safe Diana returns, if you have a conscience, shouldn’t you just let it go? The teacher said that ordinary gossips are very shameless, and that is absolutely true.”
Allen cursed at Tice as sharply as if he had a knife in his mouth.
Even the surrounding air feels cold.
Allen, who had finished speaking, turned and looked at me in shock.
Looking at his red face, he looked like he was so angry that he forgot about my presence for a moment.
To be honest, his words were harsh, but I lowered my head because I knew how much he cared for his younger sister, Diana, and because it was true that Tice had done something wrong.
Avoid doing something stupid that will make the angry person even more angry.
Fortunately, she felt Allen walk away with the sound of footsteps.
'Hmm, I'm a little worried about Jack.'
For some reason, I felt confused from the first time we met.
Well, I'm sure you'll find out for yourf.
It was time for me to calmly turn my head and look at Jack's expression.
“Is this unfair?”
When one person left, another person appeared.
He was also as old as Guernsey, and was probably a knight.
I went out to meet Jack and wondered what was going on.
As I shook my head inwardly, thinking that Jack in his previous life had not always gone the flowery route, the man's sarcastic remarks continued.
“But there's nothing wrong with what I said, right? Since it's His Highness's will, I have no choice but to skip it, but amputating a limb won't be enough, and it's just a few days of testing. If you don't have shame, you have to be honest.”
“...Do you really think so?”
"What?"
“It's true that I didn't carry out my mission properly, but the Vice Commander wouldn't be too proud either.”
“You are so rude!”
said the man who grabbed Tess's collar, biting his lip.
“In the first place, Duke Elad and the Rexion Knights! It is not a place that commoners like you can set foot in.”
“Stop, you're fighting in front of the kids.”
Tez lowered his voice as if he was aware of our presence.
But the man looked even more upset and started mocking.
“It's really silly, it's not like it sticks when you try to take it off.”
Then he forcefully pushed Tess away and approached us.
As my body instinctively shook, Jack blocked my path.
The man said as he pushed his finger against Jack's forehead.
“Don't dream that you can become a knight just because you were lucky enough to join the Rexion Knights thanks to the grace of Your Highness, you are destined to end up being a servant for the rest of your life.”
“Deputy Commander!”
Tez urgently tried to stop him, but perhaps because his rank in the Knights was obvious, he couldn't actually touch his body.
Instead, when I confronted him by sending me and Jack backwards, the man laughed evilly and turned around.
Resentment and anger boil over that arrogant look.
To be honest, the comments made by common people were worse than the vitriolic comments I heard when I was living as a ar, so they didn't hurt me that much.
However, I was angry because I did not know why Jack had to listen to such words and be treated with unwarranted disdain.
Contrary to his infamous words, I know better than anyone else that Jack will become a famous knight on the continent in the future.
But the anger was fleeting.
Is it because I was trained to be a detective?
As I listened to the conversation between the man and Tice, I had a hunch that there was something off about them.
* * *
“Okay, so what? It’s not like you failed to protect Diana, or the young lady!”
After that, I insisted on roasting Sid and made him reveal the secret they were hiding.
The whole incident was truly shocking.
'I can't believe that the Deputy Commander of the Rexion Knights would lie like this!'
Syed, who innocently resigned from his position as guard after the deputy commander's orders, said he did not realize he had been tricked until after Diana disappeared.
At that time, Jack, who was listening to the context, suddenly asked.
“You really didn't do anything wrong, did you?”
It was as if he was wondering if he had misunderstood something and was ignoring responsibility.
How can you not trust the person who will become your adoptive father!
I clicked my tongue inward, but Tiz spoke with a stern expression.
“I swear no, Vice Commander I… It’s a bit embarrassing to say this to the juniors.”
He must have been very frustrated, so he grabbed us and started complaining.
“I participated in the war as a mercenary, and I happened to catch your attention.”
More preciy, it started when the master realized the enemy's trap during the battle.
I already knew how he joined the Rexion Knights through the stories of the knights who admired him, and I expected that the Vice Commander, who took pride in being a close associate of Duke Elad, would be extremely upset in the process.
Because he was accustomed to envy and hatred in this way.
“Joining the Rexion Knights was a unique opportunity for me. Becoming a knight has been my dream for a long time and my father’s dream as well.”
As he spoke, Syed bit his lip several times as if he was trying hard to keep from crying.
It was a bit embarrassing to see a grown man with tears in his eyes, but Jack looked very moved and was listening without blinking.
But these days, I wonder why I keep writing articles, as the Vice Commander said, I feel like I'm not fit to be an honorable knight. ….”
While I was listening to Tez's complaint, I couldn't take it anymore and screamed.
“Man, are you stupid? The person who is not fit to be a knight is not the man, but the scoundrel who is the deputy commander!”