--This one. He's the only one I have to take care of here.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
The joints in her arms and legs are screaming, and her body is at the end of its rope after a great battle against the demon monkey.
It's not something I can fight. This must be what it means to have wounds all over your body, I thought to myself.
But still, Kalia couldn't break those two legs. Here, she thinks, is a duty born in her. Now, with her will alone, she is supporting her slender body.
That's right. As long as that fierce beast is roaring in front of her, there is no way she can fall.
While raising her spear on her horse, she does not try to hide her ferocious eyes and attitude. I'm not sure what to make of that.
Garrus Gargantia, Knight of the Sacred Hall. A man who has both the title of Knight of Honor and the derogatory name of Beast of Prey with Spear. One look at his maniacal ways and you'll understand what I mean.
The way he bites off the neck of any prey he sees in his eyes. It's no longer about the strong or the weak. It's just a vicious beast. It's out of control.
And that's why. That's why we have to stop Garrus right here.
Kalia let out a deep sigh of relief. Her beloved silver long sword had already lost its blade in the battle with the great ape. It can no longer be used to cut off anything.
Then shatter it, not slash it. Crush the skull of the man who is the embodiment of madness with my hands until it is nothing.
Blinking her silver eyes for a moment, Kalia envisioned the scene over and over in her mind. I have to do it, I have to do it. I must seize it with my own hands, she told herself.
The moment she saw Garrus, Kalia felt something deep in her heart, in her gut.
You will die with honor, or be hanged. That's what you said.
Kalia's consciousness was being sucked into the scene in front of her. The dull pain that had been reverberating through her body fled her consciousness, and for this moment, her fatigue dissipated.
Looking down below, Kalia moved her lips.
I'm sorry, but I've decided how I want to die. I'm not going to let you choose for me.
Yes, I have to kill him. I have to kill him. I have to choke him out.
Even though the enemy is still below and in front of the castle gates, Kalia is unable to stop the killing intent and spirit that pervades her body.
The thing that drives her will is undoubtedly an emotion called frustration. An urgency that licks the inside of her body is attacking her.
It's a natural enemy. That maniac. That bravado that tramples down every trick and trap. Yes, that way of being is his natural enemy.
--If, by any chance. If Lugis were to come face to face with this fierce beast...
That unpleasant thought has been biting at the back of Kalia's mind ever since.
It was originally just a dream, but it kept recurring in her mind and turning into a chill. Her silver eyes narrowed, unconsciously.
"Come. It is not for me to choose your death, but for you, Garrus Gargantia.
It was a cheap provocation, Kalia thought to herself with a smile. But even so, the enemy would bite. It was in her memory that she was several times more bloodthirsty than others, she was sure of it. The vermillion spear should have been wielded immediately.
And yet... Garrus snaps his teeth lightly.
"I don't mind, but... If only this weren't a battlefield.
The fierce beast licks the gate with its eyes, fingers in its jaws. It seemed to be pondering what to do. It's a very unlikeable figure. Instinct and reason are jostling in her skull.
A few seconds passed slowly, and finally, the eyes looked up at the gate. The silver eyes and the beast's eyes overlapped.
"No. No, no, no... we will meet again, Caria Vardonick. I hope you're in a better place then.
With that, Garrus turned on his heel with aplomb. There was no hesitation, no humiliation in showing his back, as if it were a matter of course.
Garrus rode away from Gazalia as if nothing had happened. The small number of soldiers following him hurriedly followed behind.
Kalia couldn't help but let her mouth fall open in a gulp. Confusion raced through her brain.
Nonsense. How could he, that beast of prey, back down in the face of provocation and enemies? Isn't he the one who would rather take the initiative and bite down on its neck than anyone else?
In fact, Garrus certainly had the intention in his eyes to crush the gates with his vermillion spear in his hand at any moment.
And yet... And then, just as I was about to, some other idea intervened and overturned my will.
Nonsense. No, that's ridiculous.
A dull ache returned to Kalia's body. She almost fell to her knees. No... I can't even follow it anymore.
As soon as she lost sight of the beast's eyes, the tension that had been covering her body and the will that had been forcing her to hold on to it disappeared.
After all this time, is her body chasing after her lost strength? My breathing is ragged. Her lungs raged as if they had gone mad inside her. Kalia bit her lip involuntarily.
Oh, Lugis. Where have you gone? Such thoughts floated through her dazed consciousness and took on an intense glow.
What do you think it was for that you fought with your wounded body against that fierce beast knight? I know that Lugis can't know this fact. But that doesn't matter. Right now, I just wanted to take out my frustration on him.
I slit the demon monkey's throat and looked back, and sure enough, there was no sign of him. That alone was enough to make all my emotions burst.
--Lugis, this is gonna cost you. Remember. Don't think you can buy me.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.
I'm not sure what to say.
"Knight, Master Gargantia.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
I'm not sure what to make of it. His eyes narrowed, as if he were a different person from the one who had been going around stifling the great apes.
What is it? Are you a bandit or a mercenary or something?
Garrus said, cowering his shoulders, "If so, I'd at least strip you of your clothes. The squire exhaled loudly at the usual attitude, and let out a sound.
No, I thought that was unusual, sir. I thought it would be unusual for you to back down so easily after being provoked.
I don't know," Garrus replied, still lightly, and brushed his lips.
As you said, it is true that I have a tendency to get blood on my hands. I can't deny that. In fact, Garrus believed that this was one of the aspects that made him strong.
But it's not as if I've given my entire body to my emotions. How he wished he had.
If only it weren't a battlefield. Besides, there's only a few of us, and if we attacked without a fight, we'd probably be standing on our heads right now.
If this had been in the city, he might have been shaking his fist and wielding his spear as the blood rushed to his head. He would have shown his followers the same kind of thing.
If he died there a mere fool, so be it. That's the way it is, Garrus reminds himself.
But it is different when you are on the battlefield. When he is on the battlefield, he is definitely the Cathedral Knight Garrus Gargantia.
I can't show up like that, with that name. As a knight, I can't act like a fool.
"And besides...
And, besides," the squire muttered, as if he were giving a speech.
"And besides," muttered the squire, as if to add to the conversation, "Garrus said, somewhat jokingly, with a shrug.
"'Honor thy enemy. Respect your enemies, and their manners will honor you. It's in the Knight's Code. How can a knight wield a spear against a wounded enemy?
The way he said it was a joke, and the squire couldn't decide whether Garrus meant it or if it was just a play on words. The squire could not decide whether Garrus meant what he said or whether it was just a play on words.