Hard Carried by My Sword-Chapter 141

Hati finally came to her senses a few minutes later, after shaking Leon around like a half-dried laundry. Leon, who had been tossed through the air, managed to plant his feet back on the ground at last. He was glad that at least no one had witnessed the ridiculous scene.

“Ugh,” he grunted as he staggered from the dizziness that made his vision spin. As a trained warrior, his sense of balance was usually sharp enough to withstand a storm at sea, but Hati’s shaking had been worse than that.

Steadying himself with difficulty, Leon looked at Hati, who still glared at him with her eyes rimmed red, saying, “I won’t apologize. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m the one who should apologize.”

Leon let out a long sigh and bowed his head deeply. Damn that cursed sword—what sort of disaster had it brought him this time? His teeth ground together behind tightly sealed lips.

—What are you whining about? Seeing a wolf girl roll over like that isn’t exactly an everyday sight! Hahaha!

I might not be able to throw you into a furnace, but I’ll make sure you end up in a pile of crap, at least.

—That’s fine. I’ll just purify it. I didn’t know you wanted to be a janitor, hehe.

You trash clunk of metal!

As Leon trembled with anger at El-Cid’s jeering, Hati gave him a suspicious look and asked, “Is that all?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if an apology is the only thing you have to say to me.”

This time, it was Leon who looked bewildered. Was there something he should have said besides an apology after seeing a beastkin’s most vulnerable posture?

What is she talking about?

He thought about it, and the image came back to him—Hati lying on her back, arms and legs up, revealing firm abs and pale skin. Fresh from battle, she had been marked with sweat and blood, yet the sight had been dizzying all the same.

Ah.

His face flushed. That posture had two meanings: submission and courtship. Submission meant exposing her weakness and surrendering life and death into another’s hands. Courtship meant flaunting her charm to a mate. If Hati meant the latter, then perhaps only apologizing after seeing her belly had been an insult.

“Ah, I... Um...” Leon trailed off, having never said anything like this to a woman before.

His voice shrank, then he forced it louder, “Y-Your belly was beautiful and attractive!”

“What...?”

Hati’s eyes went wide at the sudden praise.

“Your pale skin and defined abs rose and fell with each breath... truly captivating—”

“S-stop! That’s enough! Enough, I said!”

Her face, which had just regained its composure, turned bright red again. She covered it with both hands and shook her head furiously.

Clearly, praise was not what she had been after. Leon, who had blurted out something embarrassing by mistake, and Hati, who had concealed her intent only to be struck head-on, both lost their words, stammering in awkward silence.

“That’s not quite what I meant when I asked...” she muttered at last, though the corners of her mouth twitched upward despite herself.

With a sidelong glance, she added, “Still... thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve heard sweet words from a male.”

“I imagine you’d be very popular among your people.”

“The males of my tribe lack boldness. They tuck their tails and whimper the moment they stand before me.”

Leon found himself agreeing without realizing it. At her age, she was already aiming for the rank of Master, a prodigy and heir of the proud Fenrir clan. In a society where strength ruled even more harshly than in the desert, no beastkin would dare approach her lightly.

“More importantly, there’s something I want to ask,” Hati said, her gaze softer now. “You said your name was Leon, an adventurer?”

“Yes.”

“I won’t beat around the bush. Are you the Hero?”

“...!”

That question struck like a true ambush. The sweet atmosphere had made him drop his guard; his eyes widened before he could deny it.

It was too late to hide it. Hati’s sharp gaze had already caught his reaction.

“You are,” she said and nodded, turning suspicion into certainty.

Leon, unsettled, asked, “Why would you think that?”

“Because of my great-grandfather’s words,” Hati said simply.

“Your great-grandfather...?”

“He always told us: the only one who can truly make the Fenrir clan submit is the heir of Holy King Rodrick—the true Hero.”

“That’s...!”

“My great-grandfather fought beside Holy King Rodrick in his youth to liberate the peoples of the continent. Do you think such a man would speak baseless nonsense?”

Leon, too, thought of someone once he heard the story.

El-Cid. Is this the one you were talking about?

—Who else would it be? He’s the reason the Fenrir clan was hailed as the Royal Line, the hero who freed the beastkin from slavery and led them to the Great Savannah. He was nothing but a reckless pup before me, though.

The first Beast King Hakapel. One of the central figures of the Liberation War more than three centuries ago, the one who carved out the Savannah as beastkin land. Leon had even read his name in history textbooks back in the Academy.

So the beastkin El-Cid had once taken as his squire was that very legend?

“Hmph, in that case, I’ve no complaints!” Hati declared, her face alight with triumph. “If you are the Hero my great-grandfather spoke of, then you are fit to be master of me and the Fenrir clan! I’ll overlook one little rollover!”

“H-Hati! Keep your voice down...”

“But you’ve seen the belly of a grown maiden! If you won’t take responsibility, then whether or not you’re the Hero, as a man, you’re shameless.” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Unlike Hati, who seemed invigorated, Leon worried that someone might overhear. If his identity were exposed now, it would be disastrous.

“Please. Don’t worry about that, Hero Leon,” a new voice cut in. “I’ve blocked all attention in the area. Ever since you and this nameless woman began your... Lovers’ dance.”

Elahan stood atop the palisade, eyes shining strangely as she leaped down. Leon felt both relief at her arrival and confusion at her words.

“Lovers’ dance?” Hati asked.

“I saw it all! H-how shameless! Grabbing the Hero’s collar wasn’t enough; you had to whirl about as if this were a ballroom? Both of you!”

In defense, Leon muttered, “Calling being thrown around in the air a dance is a bit much...”

“Silence!”

With a stomp, the ground shook, a crater forming under her foot. Hati gave a startled hiccup. Sensitive to strength, her beastkin instincts recognized Elahan instantly—the Holy Church’s strongest weapon, the one even the Evil Order fled at the mere rumor of. And here she was, brimming with outrage.

“Ella, calm down,” Karen interjected.

“You’re here, Karen!” Leon welcomed her.

Karen, dressed in dark clothes that blended her into the shadows, was so inconspicuous that no one would notice her until she spoke.

Elahan, still bothered by what she had seen earlier, muttered, “But, they...”

“Is this really the place for it? Let’s go somewhere quieter, away from prying eyes, and talk it through calmly.”

“You’re right... Let’s do as you say.”

However, something felt off. Elahan, supposedly intervening, looked grim; Karen, if anything, seemed even darker.

Sensing the ominous mood, Hati’s tail drooped, and she clung to Leon, pleading, “L-Leon. I’m scared. Protect me.”

“Sorry, I can’t.”

“Eek! Save me, Father!”

With a pitiful cry, Hati and Leon were both seized and marched away.

***

Of course, being “seized” didn’t mean they were thrown into a cell or a secret chamber. The four of them slipped in through the Guild’s back door, avoiding prying eyes, and found a soundproof room inside. When it came to discussions involving the Hero, secrecy was paramount.

Elahan poured tea and offered it forward.

“Here, have some.”

“Thank you...”

Hati accepted the cup awkwardly. She might have been considered a formidable warrior in the savannah, but in this room, she couldn’t hope to defeat a single one of them.

Elahan, in particular, felt like a being on an entirely different scale. Looking at her was like staring into a living natural disaster, a volcano rumbling before eruption. Her power dwarfed even that of Hati’s revered father.

She’s terrifying, Hati thought.

All she’d done was make a pass at a male she liked, yet here she was dragged into a den of monsters. Truly, the world outside the plains was dangerous.

Regardless, the discussion moved on. Leon and Hati clarified that she was the great-granddaughter of Hakapel, the Beast King, who had once been Holy King Rodrick’s sworn squire.

That fact, along with his legacy, had muddled the conversation. There had been no “lovers’ dance”—only an ill-phrased remark and an unfortunate collar-grab that led to Leon being shaken about. Naturally, the part about her rolling over was omitted.

“That’s what happened...” Leon concluded.

At his explanation, Elahan and Karen relaxed and chuckled.

“I see. I may have jumped to conclusions,” Elahan said.

“See? Our Mr. Hero isn’t some womanizer,” Karen added.

It seemed the crisis had been averted. Both Leon and Hati let out simultaneous sighs of relief. With that noisy misunderstanding behind them, the group could finally turn to the real matter at hand.

Two points were most urgent: Hati had discovered Leon’s identity, and if they could win her cooperation, they might gain the beastkin’s support.

“If this was the Holy King’s will, then I’m in favor,” Elahan said without hesitation.

In the Holy Church, Rodrick’s authority was absolute, and there was a tendency to view his deeds in the most favorable light.

Karen nodded as well. “The beastkin... well, if our goal is to stop conflict between factions, then forging cooperation between them is the most effective route.”

Fortunately, the nomads and beastkin were not yet mortal enemies. Their skirmishes along the border had soured relations, but both sides could still see the benefit in working together. Discord would arise, certainly, but that much had to be tolerated.

Leon explained things more clearly for Hati, who still hadn’t grasped the situation. He told her of the monster roaming the desert, the nomads’ dwindling food supplies, and the shadowy force pushing the two sides toward war. The longer he spoke, the stiffer Hati’s tail became, bristling with hostility toward the unseen enemy.

“Unforgivable! To spill blood for nothing! This is nothing but a vile scheme to use us to slaughter the desert’s humans!”

“You’re exactly right,” Leon replied, now speaking to her on familiar terms. “That’s why we need to expose whoever’s behind this before it truly begins. I couldn’t approach the Bedouin, but with the beastkin... it might be possible.”

“So... You want my word as guarantor?” Hati asked.

“That’s right.”

At Leon’s request, Hati hesitated. She then squared her shoulders and answered proudly.

“Very well! I, Hati, daughter of Varg, shall guide the Hero and his companions. If all you say is true, then old grudges are nothing before such a catastrophe!”

“Thank you, Hati.”

“As expected of a descendant of one who served the Holy King,” Elahan said.

“You’re a forthright little girl, aren’t you,” Karen added.

Flustered by the praise, Hati scratched her cheek, her tied hair swaying like her tail. However, the mood soon shifted again as she knit her brows.

“Still, you must remember one thing. I’m only a candidate for chief. I have neither the right nor the authority to command my kin. Even if I vouch for you, there will be those who refuse to trust you.”

“That’s our problem to solve,” Leon said firmly.

Hati smiled knowingly and raised a finger, adding, “And one more thing. About what you said earlier, Leon—the story about the Hero wasn’t my great-grandfather’s dying words.”

“Oh? Then it was something he said regularly?”

“Well, that’s true, but what I’m trying to tell you is....” She looked hesitant, then admitted, “That my great-grandfather is still alive. So, calling it dying words would be wrong.”

“What?!” Leon’s shout filled the room. “As I understand it, beastkin live about a century and a half—roughly the same as humans,” he pressed.

“That’s true. But my great-grandfather is... exceptional.”

Once someone surpassed the Master’s wall, their lifespan nearly doubled. However, even then, Hakapel had lived at least three and a half centuries—long past what even an extended lifespan should allow.

Perhaps that was why Hati’s expression turned somber.

“He’s still with us, but... not without problems.”

“What kind of problems?” Leon asked.

“...”

After minutes of hesitation, she finally spoke the truth.

“Since ten years ago, my great-grandfather’s mind has not been whole. Sometimes he doesn’t recognize me, sometimes he forgets everything we’ve said within minutes.”

“You don’t mean...”

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Leon could not bring himself to say it, but El-Cid roared in his stead, more shaken than anyone.

—What?! That doggy’s gone senile?!

El-Cid!

—My doggy? Senile? That can’t be! No way!

The Guild’s meeting room fell into chaos. Leon’s party sat stunned, Hati looked heavy with sorrow, and Leon himself reeled from El-Cid’s howls inside his head.

A heavy silence settled over the room. Their path forward would not be so smooth after all.