Once the Curse of Reversed Likability Was Lifted, My Party Members Became Unbearably Heavy
The trading city of Oubur, a short distance from the royal capital.
Once a year, a martial tournament is held where knights, adventurers, and mercenaries from the surrounding areas compete to test their skills.
Having been assigned to this land for only half a year, I stood upon this stage as a young member of the Royal Knights, my heart filled with pride and responsibility.
Cheers echoed incessantly from the spectator stands. Clad in my rugged armor, I held my sword ready, awaiting the referee’s command as nobles who had traveled from the capital watched on.
โNext contestants Rina Bald vs. Amagi Ren!โ
The moment my name was called, light whistles rang out from various parts of the stands.
On one side, Iโa woman who had been knighted at an unprecedented age.
On the other, a vagabond adventurer of unknown origin.
An air of โthis match is already decidedโ hung among the spectators. But I immediately sensed that atmosphere and steeled my resolve.
โNo matter the opponent, once I draw my sword, I give my all.โ
That was my creed.
The man facing meโRenโwore crude leather armor, dusty from his travels, yet his bearing held a certain dignity and poise.
His eyes were clear as a sharpened blade, fixed directly upon me.
โLet’s get started, Rina-san.โ
โโฆNo need for pleasantries. There’s no place for them in practice.โ
I replied flatly, drawing my sword. The referee raised his hand.
โAnd the bell rang.
The moment it began, I closed the distance in one swift motion. A lunge, a diagonal slash.
I was confident in my speed. Before he could react, my blade would be at his throatโ
Clang. A crisp sound.
Out of the corner of my eye, a silver trail was deflected.
I couldn’t believe it.ใMy sword was lightly parried, its momentum sapped.
โโฆFast, but you’re putting too much force into it.โ
With a faint smile, Ren stepped forward lightly in return. I didn’t see it.
The next instant, I was leaping backward. My reflexively raised blade left an impact on my palm.
โDamnโฆ Hold onโฆ!โ
โThere’s no โwaitโ in combat, right?โ
His words made me grit my teeth involuntarily.
His gaze was simply direct. He didn’t look down on me or despise me because I was a woman; he saw me as โa knight, one of his own.โ
I reset my stance. Lowering my center of gravity, I sharpened my focus.
I attacked again. Speed, power, precisionโI poured everything I’d honed into it.ใBut he parried it like the wind, and with his final strike, he knocked my sword away.
Metal clanged. My sword rolled across the ground, kicking up dust. I gasped, dropping to one knee.
The crowd murmured.
โNo way, the Knights against some adventurer-turned-knightโฆโ
โWho is that young manโฆโ
ใ
Faster than the realization of defeat, something deep within me began to burn.
Thisโฆ is true strength.
I felt like I’d glimpsed what lay โabove.โ Though frustrated, my chest felt strangely clear.
โโฆWho are you?โ
At my question, Amagi Ren tilted his head and smiled.
โFor now, I’m just an adventurer. But I think I share the same desire to become stronger as you do.โ
In that instant, something ignited deep within my chest. Not humiliation, but a burning emotion.
The urge to catch up to that back was stronger than the pain of defeat.
Even after the bell rang and the match ended, I remained standing, sword in hand, staring at his retreating figure.
ใ
โAt that moment, I didn’t know yet. That this encounter would profoundly change my life.
One week after the martial arts tournament.
The air in Aubrey was thick with a gritty unease.
News had arrived of movement by the Demon King’s forces in the north, and the townspeople were preparing to evacuate.
ใ
As captain of the vanguard unit of the Royal Knights’ Aubur Garrison, I was entrusted with commanding the defensive line. While polishing my sword and adjusting my armor, a corner of my mind kept returning to that man from the tournamentโRen.
(Why were his sword strokes soโฆ beautiful?)
Just as I sheathed my sword, trying to shake off the thoughtโ
A messenger burst in.
โReport! The Demon King’s Army is advancing from the northern road! Numbersโฆ over a hundred!โ
โOver a hundredโฆ? That can’t beโโ
The sound of bells drowned out my voice.
The evacuation alarm. It heralded the start of battle.
Our knight division deployed at the East Gate.
But we immediately noticed something was wrong. There were no other knights besides our division. No reinforcements were coming. No contact. No messengers.
โโฆWhat’s going on? Why is there no support from the rear!?โ
My shout echoed.
ใ
The front line was slowly pushed back, and we were forced into a purely defensive stance.
Demon fireballs flew everywhere, the town’s walls collapsing one after another. The smell of charred wood stung my lungs like fire.
โRina Sama, no retreat order has come! Where are the messengers?โ
โThey won’t comeโฆโ
Something sank coldly deep within my chest. My mind had already grasped the truth.
โโPlace the Bald Unit on the front lines. Buying time is all that matters.โ
โโUntil the royal capitalโs main force arrives, that unit can serve as sacrificial pawns to buy time.โ
The rotten core of the knight order Iโd chosen to ignore until now. The words the higher-ups would utter floated into my mind.
We had likely been chosen as sacrificial lambs for โbuying time.โ
No one would come to help.
We, who fought in the name of the kingdom, had been abandoned by the kingdom itself.
โRina sama! The defensive lineโ!โ
My comrade’s cry cut off. An explosion’s blast tore through the air, slamming my body into the ground.
Ringing in my ears. My vision blurred red and swayed.
Still, thrusting my sword like a staff, I rose to my feet.
โEveryone, retreatโโ
No matter whom I commanded, no one moved anymore.
The fallen knights were comrades who bore the same oath engraved upon their hearts as I did.
โTo be the shield and spear of the kingdom, to protect its people.โ
That was our oath. Yet the knightly order we swore allegiance to abandoned us.
โWhyโฆ why?! Have you no pride as knights?!โ
Even as I screamed my hatred for the corrupt knights who weren’t here until my throat split, only flames and the roar of beasts answered me.
I stepped forward, one step, two steps, and stared at the horde of demons spreading beyond the flames.
Rage, tears, burned their way up inside me.
ใ
โWhat the hell is justiceโฆ!โ
Something inside me shattered with a loud crack. The โchivalryโ I believed in, the โjusticeโ I held dearโit was all a lie. Oaths and loyalty were nothing but disposable tools for the convenience of those above.
That was the moment my world shattered.
Thenโa thunderous roar echoed.
A flash of light streaked across the collapsed rubble. Flames were instantly torn apart, as if a storm had swept through.
Within the light flooding my vision, a voice called out.
โStill alive?!โ
I knew that voice. Unbelieving, I lifted my face.
ใ
โThere was Amagi Ren.
Flipping his scorched cloak, he swept aside the advancing demons one after another with his sword in one hand.
His back was brighter than the flames.
โโฆWhyโฆyouโฆโ
My throat trembled. My tears had long since dried.
Ren knelt beside me where I lay fallen and reached out his hand.
โI came to save the people of this town. Of course, you’re one of them.โ
Short words. But there was no falsehood in his eyes.
No calculation, no command, no obligation. Only the single-minded desire to help.
From behind him, white light poured down. The prayers of a woman dressed as a Sister fell like heavenly dew.ใMy scorched wounds healed, my breath returned.
โCan you move? The path to the shelter will be clear soon!โ
Her voice was gentle yet strong. It seeped into my shattered heart.
I stood up and picked up my sword once more.
โโฆI amโฆ a knight of the kingdom. Civilians should evacuateโโ
The words stopped in my throat.ใRen’s eyes were fixed directly on me.
โTitles, positionsโฆ none of that matters, does it? You don’t need permission to stand up for others.โ
The chains that had bound me for so long began to break. Tears spilled freely once more.
โWhyโฆ why can you fight for others?โ
โI don’t know. I just hate living knowing I could have saved someone.โ
โSo that’s why he came this far. Risking his life. Without anyone’s praise.
I finally understood. The โjusticeโ I believed in was a fake, made for someone else’s convenience. But the โjusticeโ within this man was genuine, through and through.
In the flames, I exhaled softly.
โI want to becomeโฆ someone like you.โ
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.
โThen let’s go together.โ
The moment I heard those words, a light ignited deep within my chest. My guiding beacon, found in this scorched world.
โโI will follow this person for the rest of my life.
โโI will protect this back until my life ends.
Yes, I silently vowed.