Chapter 266 (Self Edited) – Meeting a Paladin

When they turned around to the voice, there was a warrior… no, perhaps, it was a person who seemed to be a knight.

Even the person’s face was covered with a helmet in his full-body armor, which was so tightly worn to the point that his skin wasn’t exposed at all. The person didn’t look appropriate to be seen in the city, but rather looked suspicious if the situation wasn’t right, but Soma didn’t think so because of the surrounding atmosphere. Soma thought it was a knight for some reason, which was somehow giving a peace of mind feeling.

Moreover, the knight skills seemed to be conspicuous considerably. At least, the knight should have Advanced Rank skills, and didn’t seem to rely on skills or lack of daily training. He wouldn’t lose in the fight, but depending on the situation, it might be a bit troublesome.

The person, who Soma assumed was a knight, opened the mouth as if in a hurry because of Soma’s appearance thinking about such a thing.

“Aah, no, I may look suspicious, but even so, I… should I show my face first before making an excuse?” (??)

As the words uttered, the knight extended the hands to the helmet and removed it. Immediately after that, a very good face with purple hair cut around the shoulder and sharp eyes of the same color. Coupled with a dignified look, the person was a female knight with the perfect image of a knight.

“My name is Ingrid Grenemier. I’m a paladin.” (Ingrid)

“Paladin… I remember hearing it. Did you mean the knights who are said to be the cornerstone of the Holy City protection?” (Soma)

“That seems to be it. Well, the Holy City isn’t a country, so the title is supposed to be self-proclaimed.” (Hildegard)

“That’s right. But in terms of attitude and strength, I’m proud to say that I will not follow behind the official knights. Aah, sorry. I didn’t call you both to say that.” (Ingrid)

“That reminds me, it seems so. Then, what kind of business do you have with us?” (Soma)

The Holy City, which wasn’t an official country, couldn’t have soldiers like a country had. It was simply because it didn’t have enough money to hire soldiers at all the time… At least, that was on the public appearance.

Therefore, it was the role of the paladins, who were private soldiers, to take charge of the work of the soldiers in the Holy City. One of the roles was to do patrol in the city, and it was probably the reason why the knight in front of them, Ingrid, was here.

It seemed that he called out to Soma and Hildegard for the same reason… However, they shouldn’t have done something suspicious. They were only at the level of looking around the surrounding area. It shouldn’t be a reason to call them out…

“Hmm, well… Actually, I’m also not sure about that.” (Ingrid)

“…What do you mean? If you think we are suspicious, I can understand that even though I’m going to refute it, but to say that you are not sure is…” (Hildegard)

“Well, even if you say that you’re not sure the reason for calling us out, to be honest, it’s also a problem to us.” (Soma)

“I knew that would be the case. Even so, I strongly felt that I had to call you out.” (Ingrid)

They didn’t understand what she meant, but they didn’t think she was joking. Ingrid’s attitude seemed to be disconcerting, but at the same time, she felt ‘somehow’ that she needed to call them out.

For her to have that feeling was… It was because of that, Soma turned her eyes to Hildegard because she was aware of such a phenomenon.

“Hildegard.” (Soma)

“Hmm… it’s certainly likely. Your name is Ingrid, right? Can I ‘see’ at you for a bit?” (Hildegard) (TLN: see = 視)

“See…? Well, I don’t mind if you want to look since it’s not troublesome, but why in this situation…” (Ingrid) (TLN: see = 見る)

“Hmm, since you commit to it, I’m going to ‘see’ you freely. Please excuse me.” (Hildegard)

With that said, Hildegard began to stare at Ingrid. Even if Ingrid didn’t know what Hildegard was doing, she twisted her body slightly as if she felt uncomfortable. Was there something she somewhat felt? Well, even if she didn’t feel anything, it would be uncomfortable to be stared at silently.

However, the time didn’t last very long. When she thought that she was stared for about a minute, Hildegard, began to nod as if she was convinced of something.

“Did you get anything?” (Hildegard)

“Well, I knew why she was calling out to us for the time being, and that was the cause. Intuition Special Rank. It’s almost certainly because of this.” (Hildegard)

“Intuition Special Grade…? Is that… a skill…? Even though I did a skill appraisal, I wasn’t told that I had such a skill…” (Ingrid)

“Well, intuition is systematically the same as the skill appraisal. That is the ‘see’ that I was saying.” (Hildegard)

Ingrid was somewhat skeptical, but Soma had no reason to doubt. He asked the question on the assumption that it was correct.

“What kind of skill is that?” (Soma)

“It’s difficult to explain in words… Well, in short, it’s a skill that feels the future. It’s a skill to select better actions from the future she feels. In battle, she can somehow know how to deal with the opponent’s attack, and how to attack it with the highest effectiveness.” (Hildegard)

“Hmm… isn’t that invincible?” (Soma)

“That said, it’s not that convenient. It’s a passive skill that she can’t do about it, and she can use it actively. It’s not very frequent to activate since everything is done unconsciously, and at best, it’s possible to make the worst choice. Well, that’s if it’s in a normal situation.” (Hildegard)

“What do you… aah, is it because of the Special Rank?” (Soma)

“Well. Perhaps it’s like this. After you acted a long time ago, then, you found out that it was the best course of action. Intuition can’t be trained. It’s a completely innate skill.” (Hildegard)

“I couldn’t understand some part of what you were saying, but… certainly, you’re right. There were times when I thought it would be better to do so after quite some time, and as a result, I saved the crisis in the village where I lived. Speaking of which, I became involved with the Holy Doctrine immediately, but I decided to become a paladin in the Holy City because I somehow wanted to do so.” (Ingrid)

“Perhaps, the person herself unknowingly decided that it was the best.” (Hildegard)

“Hmm…” (Soma)

Soma nodded to Hildegard’s explanation. He was convinced of what he felt when he saw Ingrid.

Perhaps, that was why he thought it would be troublesome if he had to fight her. Even if there was a difference in ability, if the best action was taken by intuition, even if it was rare, it must be troublesome. It wasn’t a scary skill to turn into an enemy, but yes, it was troublesome.

However, her worth would be most demonstrated by those who had many opportunities to make important choices. Saving the crisis in her village was likely to include her surroundings, which also included her. For those who manage the country, she was a person whom they desperately wanted to get.

It wasn’t an exaggeration or anything, and if this information spread unnecessarily, it wouldn’t be weird if a war started over her.

“But when I think about it, I don’t think it’s best to talk to us, right? That’s how things about you became known.” (Soma)

“Perhaps, it was necessary to speak to us aside from the danger. And let’s not leak the things that we know, alright?” (Hildegard)

“That’s right, but… I don’t think I have any intuition skills, but I feel like I can predict the next development.” (Soma)

“Well, maybe, that premonition is probably correct. I feel something similar.” (Hildegard)

“…It seems that you guys know a lot, but who are you? Well, I feel like I really need to talk to you…” (Ingrid)

“You don’t have to worry too much because we’re just regular visitors. Well, I feel like I can’t say that right away.” (Soma)

It was at that time when Soma said such a thing with a sigh. The three people who were there turned their eyes in the same direction almost at the same time.

It was a specific sound heard from someone… No, it was because of the voice…

“Just now… a scream?” (Ingrid)

“Goodness… it seems something like going to happen right away.” (Soma)

“Well, if it happens anyway, it’s better to happen quickly.” (Hildegard)

“Yeah, you’re right.” (Soma)

“…You guys… no, that’s the priority for the time being.” (Ingrid)

“Yes, it is.” (Soma)

In this situation, he couldn’t pretend that he didn’t care. Soma sighed again in the situation where there was only a premonition of trouble, and then, he rushed to the place where the scream was heard.

—

TLN:

• Yes, the author likes to play with words or kanji characters.