There Was a Porter Who Would One Day Be Called a Prophet

163 – Lion Heart

When men gather together, especially in combinations of three or more, there are certain things that should not be done.

That means you should not criticize even the smallest things.

“Push…!”

Uncontrollable laughter burst into the silence.

“That was rude. I guess that’s how Durandal looked. Well, no matter how hard he tries, he won’t be able to hide his cuteness.”

At first glance, it may seem like he is being generous, but I couldn’t help but feel that he was being subtly mean.

“Still, it may look strange to others, so please refrain from going outside. I will support you two from behind the scenes.”

Gilbert, who was holding his stomach and giggling next to him, also added a word.

“Kias, I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear it. I don’t have to listen to you whining any more about how I stopped the marriage with my own hands.”

Ian’s face turned red after he was drunk and fed them.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying…! If you look at it objectively, it’s true! Who likes it?!”

“I’ve never said that I like her. Please tell that directly to the person in question, not me. Since a long time ago, a lady tends to be reluctant to hear things from other people’s mouth.”

“What kind of lady is this?!”

“Who is it, isn’t it your lady?”

Now, it is a situation where it is being openly changed.

I was so excited to catch one of the cases after getting hit so far.

– Jump, jump, jump!

Out of anger, I took a gulp of the alcohol in front of me. The cheap alcohol flowed down her throat, making her feel warm.

Sigh.

Then Aria pushed a plate full of snacks towards me.

“Then you might get upset, so have some snacks.”

“…Are you giving me a bottle and medicine now?”

“Now, eat mine too.”

I handed it over to Gilbert, and before I knew it, there were a lot of dishes in front of me.

“What is this?”

“I think we don’t have to.”

“What can I do when I have such great drinks right in front of me?”

“….”

I was so let down by the fact that it was a comfortable seat. What kind of situation is this because you gave me a wrong excuse? .

Whether that was the case or not, Aria did not stop there and persistently asked.

“I’m asking just in case. What would you do if Durandal confessed? Would you accept it?”

“That will never happen, so don’t talk nonsense and just have a drink, shall we?”

“So, didn’t you say it was just an if?”

‘A hero? To me?’

It was a time when she imagined the hero confessing to her, revealing that she was a woman, with a shy face on her face.

“Why are you asking such a thing? If you actually did that, you wouldn’t have the right to veto in the first place. Just looking at it, you’ll be arrested for the rest of your life. If you value your life, stop thinking about fighting as a couple.”

“In the first place, fighting is established at a similar level, so why worry? If you have a hero in mind, shouldn’t you endure it?”

“When I think about it, that’s true too.”

Two people show fantastic chemistry by giving and receiving from each other.

“….”

And as Ian watched, his expression became more and more crumpled.

***

While the drinking party continued. Aria stood up from her seat.

“Whew… Let’s get some air for a while.”

Aria leaves to run errands and is left alone with Gilbert.

“Take it.”

Gilbert thrust the bottle at me.

“Yes.”

-Pure.

When he tipped the bottle, the empty glass was filled.

“So. What do your parents do?”

Gilbert suddenly asks how his parents are doing.

“I don’t have anything like that.”

I told it honestly.

Because you can’t say that something exists that isn’t there.

“I see.”

The silence continued for a while.

“Then let’s get along well with these strangers!”

He smiled brightly, probably because he was embarrassed, and patted my back. What does this person really do?

It wasn’t that surprising anymore, so I brushed it off and asked.

“There’s something I’d like to ask more than that.”

“Wait a minute, I need to know this before that.”

“What?”

“Leaving aside Durandal, you are the youngest. How did you seduce him?”

Is Sonia the next hero? It’s really gross, it’s gross.

“…Why are you curious about such a thing, even though you are a knight commander?”

“Why? Can’t I be curious about such things? I’m trying to get vicarious satisfaction by listening to young people’s stories of fresh love.”

What is this guy really doing?

I don’t know if it was because I was drunk, or because I usually had no one else to complain to, but in the end, I told Sonia exactly what I had told her.

He is not sure if he will be able to return to where he came from, but he is worried because he does not want to accept his feelings for no reason and then betray them later.

“Well, that’s what happened.”

“That’s right. I thought he was just a guy who couldn’t act like a man, but I was worried about that.”

Gilbert picked up the fried meat that was served as a snack, put it in his mouth, and brushed the crumbs off his beard.

“…Is that all?”

“What more should I have done here?”

“No, it’s a bit surprising. Since we’re part of the same order of knights, I expected to be told to take good care of him or something like that.”

“What right do you have to get involved in other people’s lives? You take care of everything.”

Surprisingly, you can speak normal language. I didn’t know.

“But keep this in mind. It’s a happy thing when someone likes you.”

“I guess there was a time like that there too?”

“Me? I was there. Wow~ It was great back then.”

“No, then you should have said that first.”

“Are you curious?”

Nod.

From noble mtl dot com

“Let’s see, where should I start talking…”

Gilbert crossed his arms and opened his mouth.

“There was originally a kingdom called Voltaire where the current capital is located. It was time to conquer it and focus on maintaining the territory. The remaining kingdoms were scared and surrendered. So they tried to establish an empire in earnest. “Kaias, that guy wants me to take charge of training the knights.”

“So what did you do?”

“What should I do? What should I do? I couldn’t say no to it now, so I accepted it. Back then, it wasn’t the time to wrestle with paper like it is now. Among the kids who applied to become a knight at that time, there was a guy named Lionel.”

“If you like me, I guess your skills were great.”

Then Gilbert shook his head, saying the opposite.

“No? Even now that I think about it, that guy’s talent was poor. He was a worthless guy who fell behind his classmates and couldn’t be a role model for his juniors.”

“No, but how do you write an article?”

“He was the only advantage he had that allowed him to remain a knight.”

“What is that?”

“Perseverance. He was a guy who never gave up. Every day after training, he came to me and asked me to guide him in the areas he was lacking. Since that didn’t work, he asked me to help him by doing housework or anything else.”

It seems that the women were more active.

“I thought it was a good thing, so I passed on all the overdue household chores to them. If it was late, I even let them sleep in. And before I knew it, people around me started to call them a lion couple. The reactions they showed every time that happened were so funny. I miss them.”

His eyes looking up at the ceiling seemed to be chasing the past.

“Then you should have confessed.”

“What is a confession? What would I know, having never held a woman’s hand? It was just nice to be around her, that’s all. Anyway, at that time when the country called the Empire was being established and the foundation was being laid, Durandal awakened as a warrior. “I don’t have to say anything after this, okay?”

“…The demons have invaded.”

“That’s right. After fighting the war with the Demon King’s army for so many years, there was talk of a truce. They and us, the Demon King and the Hero were just created. Until the truce is concluded, we are trying to secure a little bit of territory for each other. “I had to protect the front line.”

Gilbert, who drank his drink as if he was thirsty, continued to explain.

“While Keias went to sign a truce with the demons. I had to go to the place where the strongest ones were infested. But Lionel lost his courage. He asked me to take him there too. “

“Did you take him?”

“No. I thought it would be difficult for him to survive with his skills. That’s why I sent him to a place that was at least as spacious as possible. To a so-called neutral area, where those who dislike fighting among the demons gathered and formed a village.”

Then he paused for a moment.

“But, that was a mistake. When I came back after pushing the wire all the way, everyone was just looking at me. So I grabbed a guy and told him to talk to me. Well, do you know what he said?”

“…What did you say?”

“It means annihilation. All those who went to neutral territory.”

“….”

I couldn’t say anything as I saw him calmly saying shocking words.

“I wanted to call a truce and just attack, but when I thought about when the Demon King regained his power later, I couldn’t just go and die. I thought I had nothing to lose. But there was.”

Gilbert drinks one drink after another.

“I just thought that way. If I had trusted that guy back then, if I had paid attention to him, he wouldn’t have been scratching my side by now.”

Is it an illusion to think that his hands trembled even for a moment as he said those words?

“After leaving like that, the feeling of discomfort was no joke. When I returned home, there was no one there, the house felt unnecessarily large, and there was no one to do the housework for me. And… There was no voice that I always heard.”

“Mr. Gilbert…”

“That’s when I realized. This was the original me.”

Gilbert stared at his hands. Rough hands covered in calluses.

“It was only then that I realized that he had changed me, who had been swinging a sword my whole life, without even realizing it.”

A feeling of regret appeared on his face, which had no trace of negativity.

“As if he couldn’t bear to look at me like that, that guy, Keas, said he would give me a title along with my last name. I’ve always refused, saying it wasn’t necessary, but I just decided to accept it. I wanted to repay him.”

“No way, the last name is Lion Heart…”

-Squeak.

Gilbert just filled his glass without saying a word.

“I’m sorry. I said something unnecessary…”

“It’s okay. You should talk to others and do that.”

Gilbert emptied his glass and muttered quietly.

“That way, at least one more person will remember him.”

“….”

That was the first time I saw a soft side in him.

The appearance of a male lion that has let go of its companion.

“Well, let’s end this dark story.”

He returned to his usual self and looked at me as if I had never seen him like that before.

“It’s your choice from now on, but as someone who has lived a little longer, let me tell you one thing. Don’t do something you’ll regret later. It’s too late to regret it then.”

When Gilbert said those words, it seemed as if he was projecting his past onto me.

“I’ll keep that in mind….”

“Then that’s it.”

He laughed and spoke again in a playful tone.

“It’s a shame. If I had gotten along well with that guy back then, I would have had a son as big as you by now.”

“Why are you sure it’s your son?”

“Well, it would be so pitiful if she had a daughter who looked like me.”

“….”

“Are you cool? Would you like to call me dad once?”

“Are you crazy… No, are you drunk?”

“Tsk, that’s expensive.”

Hot.

Gilbert struck the player as he reached for the bottle.

“What are you doing?”

“Why am I filling up my glass alone? Please give it to me.”

-Squeak.

“It’s been a while since I received alcohol from someone else.”

“There’s Mr. Herald and Ms. Viola.”

“How did you do that… Ah, you said you could see the future. How convenient.”

“…Who heard that from?”

“Who could it be?”

The emperor told me.

It was new, but I was able to confirm the trust between the two.

“More than that, how did you two meet?”

“Me and Keas? Why? Won’t the goddess tell you?”

“He’s especially unkind to me.”

“Shouldn’t you have done something better?”

Gilbert opened his mouth, raising the glass that was slightly more than half full.

“About 40 years ago, a bastard from the kingdom and a simpleton running errands on the street ran into each other. That was the beginning.”