Seeker 239

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Chapter 239. Sermon

I headed towards the 2 Holy Knights. 

Even after the battle, Gerald-sam and Myarla were still bickering.

"Enough, beastman! It's because of you that things are like this!"

"Always calling me a beastman, beastman-nya! I have a name, you know-nya! Gerald-san can't even remember human names, can you-nya?"

"What did you say? You, a beastman..."

"Alright, stop! Stop!"

I intervened between them. 

Then, I turned to Myarla.

"Myarla, can you give us some space? I want to talk to Gerald-san alone for a bit."

"...Fine, I understand-nya."

With a disgruntled expression, Myarla reluctantly moved away. 

After confirming she was far enough not to hear us, I turned to Gerald.

The young knight spoke to me with a displeased tone. 

"You were talking with our partners. Seems like you have something to say."

"Yes, I do. The way the recent battle unfolded is quite concerning, so I'd like to address it."

"An adventurer lecturing a Holy Knight?"

"Yes, indeed. If this is how Holy Knights behave, adventurers seem far more honorable."

"What did you say?"

It had been a while since I felt this kind of tension when clashing with someone. 

I took a deep breath and said to Gerald-san.

"Reconcile with Myarla, please."

I straightforwardly conveyed my request. 

While it might seem like the two were at odds, the issue wasn't with Myarla; it was solely with Gerald-san.

However, his response was firm. 

"Declined. There was never any goodwill between us in the first place."

"Then start getting along now."

"Also declined. I won't get close to such a tainted beastman."

"Beastman, beastman, beastman—Myarla and Kazane-san said it too, but Myarla is Myarla. She's not just a person with the name 'beastman'."

"Names don't matter. The truth is that she's a tainted beastman, and that doesn't change."

"Myarla is Myarla. She's like me, Gerald-san, Kazane-san, and Yuzuki—a person, not just a member of the human race."

"..."

Gerald pursed his lips and fell silent for a moment. 

But from this point onward, the conversation took a slightly different turn than I had anticipated.

"Daichi-kun, I told you a childhood story about a boy earlier. Did you not feel anything about it?"

"Yes, I did. But that doesn't concern Myarla. That was the story of another cat-eared girl, right?"

"Sophistry. Even without that, that beastman is undoubtedly dangerous. I warned you to be careful, but have you already been deceived?"

"Myarla dangerous? Why do you say that?"

When I asked, Gerald sighed heavily.

And then...

"I didn't want to talk about this, but it can't be helped."

Saying that he began to reveal another tale from the past. Compared to his previous story, this one seemed more hesitant. 

But by piecing together his words, I could roughly imagine what had happened. 

It was likely a scene similar to the current one.

***

Gerald, a young man who lost his mother, awakened as an Awakened One at 18.

After he became an adventurer and gained several years of experience, he eventually qualified to take the Holy Knight exam. 

He challenged the exam, passed it, and became a Holy Knight.

However, in that year's Holy Knight exam, a peculiar individual had also succeeded in becoming a Holy Knight.

She's a beastman woman, specifically, a cat-eared girl. 

It was an uncommon occurrence for a beastman to become a Holy Knight. 

Gerald heard rumors that Saint King Eldrick had exceptionally approved her qualification.

Gerald thought to himself that a beastman, a cat-eared girl, was inherently impure. 

Infiltrating the pure Holy Knight order, she might corrupt, destroy, and bring about its collapse. 

He couldn't fathom the king's reasoning for approving the qualification of a beastman girl.

However, after meeting the cat-eared girl, he understood everything.

"Oh, um...! You're the one who passed the exam with me, right-nya? I'm Myarla! As fellow Holy Knights, nice to meet you, nya!"

The beastman girl, whom he met for the first time in the castle corridor, bowed her head and spoke. 

Despite being around 15 years old, she exuded an irresistible charm that captivated men.

Adorable round eyes, plump lips, a slight peek of fangs when she smiled, cat ears that twitched, and a tail that swayed invitingly—her short, well-maintained chestnut hair was fluffy, and her figure, though retaining some youthfulness, was well-developed and enticing in every aspect.

Neck, chest, waist, hips, thighs—everything about her seemed perfectly crafted to bewitch men. 

Moreover, the beastman girl, bowing to Gerald, had a straightforward gaze that didn't resemble that of a promiscuous woman. 

Her somewhat timid, small-animal-like gestures irresistibly stirred protective instincts.

Ah, at that moment, Gerald realized everything. 

His father, and the Saint King, all fell prey to this bewitching force.

—This beastman girl was undoubtedly dangerous. 

He believed that she, this wicked being capable of beguiling even the Saint King, must be expelled from the sacred Holy Knight order.

Gerald glared at the beastman girl and declared war.

"Hmph, I'll introduce myself. I'm Gerald. A prostitute who deceived the Saint King to become a Holy Knight. Don't get carried away."

"Huh...?"

Leaving the bewildered beastman girl behind, Gerald walked away, desperately suppressing the emotions stirred within him by this dangerous girl.

****

By the time the conversation had concluded, Gerald seemed quite worked up.

"Daichi-kun, as a fellow man, you should understand! That beastman girl is especially dangerous! Among cat-eared girls, her bewitching power is extraordinary! I can't afford to lose to the power of such a beastman girl!"

"Sigh..."

On the other hand, I could only respond with a nonchalant sigh.

Even if he said, "You should understand," I didn't really understand. 

While I did find Myarla cute and thought she was a genuinely nice girl, that was about it. 

Unlike Kazane-san or Yuzuki, she didn't stir my emotions strongly. Perhaps it was a matter of the length of our acquaintance.

But at least for now, that was the case.

So, what did this all mean?

"Um, Gerald-san, may I ask a probing question?"

"What is it? I've laid it all out, so go ahead."

"Yes. I think it's simply that—"

I proceeded to articulate one possible conclusion drawn from the current conversation.

Above us, the small-sized Griffin was flying around, emitting chirping sounds.