I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 303: Thawing

For hours, Arthur vigilantly looked over his daughter as she slept soundly.

He seemed particularly dour each time he looked at his daughter, who occupied the bed he slept on when he was a child. He agonized as to why she was out for so long. Was it merely exhaustion? Perhaps her body was recovering from the strenuous activity she had unwittingly put it through.

However, there was a darker worry eating away that he had accidentally hit her too hard when he knocked her out cold, and he had actually injured her. He would never forgive himself if that were the case.

People were easy to hit their kids for the purpose of discipline, but he didn’t believe it was a good way to earn their respect. Only those he wanted to fear him, he was violent towards. Perhaps that was merely his personality. His wife had no trouble with physical discipline, which was why he often stood in her way.

He knew that it would likely soon be the middle of the night, so the former knight decided he ought to get some shut-eye as well. Irene seemed to be in stable condition, and there was no evidence that magic was still present within her.

He put more logs on the fire before lying down his furs and blankets and turning in for the night. If he didn’t, he knew he would be useless to whatever they faced ahead. The worst part of leaving the knighthood was losing his stamina. He needed more sleep than he ever had before these days.

The grumblings of a man who felt he was getting old despite only being in his forties.

At some point in the night, Irene’s body fully relaxed. She was finally just sleeping and not resisting the magic that consumed her before.

She had been waking up with the sunrise the entire time she was in the Sunstoian region, and her body seemed to have adjusted to the same schedule, as she woke up bright and early despite all that had happened the night before.

As she rose and stretched before rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, it was clear she thought nothing of the situation until she felt a strange, tingling pain in her fingers, and she stared down at her battered hands in confusion. She had blisters, and they were a bit stiff to move.

Not only that, but she soon realized that the clothing she had been wearing before was gone, and there were furs wrapped around her body to keep her hidden from the world. Normally, if she got too hot, she would merely shed layers of clothing because there was nobody else there who would care to see her state of dress.

She pushed blankets and furs off of herself, and when he feet touched the cold floor, she jumped a bit. Never did she ever take off her woolen stockings. It simply wasn’t smart when you were in such a freezing environment to do that. Fingers, toes, and head were the most important things to protect.

The knight then went to tend to the fire, but she jumped when her eyes went across the room and saw that, for the first time since she had been there, the bed across the hearth from hers was occupied. Her heart raced, and she was tempted to find her sword.

Throwing caution to the wind, she stalked forward and pulled at the blankets of whoever was there.

"D-dad!" she shouted.

Red hair and beard were revealed to her. He started to stir at her interruption.

Recalling everything that had happened the night before, Arthur was quick to sit up, and when Irene was within reach, he offered her a hug. Having felt rejected the night before by his daughter, who was normally someone who was willing to receive it whenever he poured his love into her, he was grateful when she returned the hug as she usually would.

However, feeling bare shoulders since all she wore was a half chemise and shorts caused him to pull back.

"Get into clothing!" he ordered. "You’re going to freeze."

Without waiting for a response, he went to the fire where socks and riding pants were hung.

"When did you get in?" she asked in disbelief that she wouldn’t have woken up to someone entering the house. She took notice of something else as well. "My clothes? They were wet?"

She certainly hadn’t put them there herself.

"You don’t remember anything," he muttered in disbelief as he turned towards Irene with the things that had been dried. On the other side of the hearth was her tunic as well, which seemed to be fortunately dry and warm.

Irene put on each piece of clothing handed to her. While she dressed herself, she spoke to her dad.

"What is there to remember, dad?" she wondered. "I must have been tired for you to get in here without me knowing. It makes me feel a bit worried that I am far less on alert than I originally thought."

"No," he vehemently disagreed. "Sit down. I have quite a story for you."

Rather than arguing, she shut up and did just what was requested of her. It seemed there was a mystery she needed to get to the bottom of.

With that, Arthur explained to her the happenings of the day and the night before.

From finding Sammy wandering alone, to her concerning appearance as she was almost eaten by a wyrm. He also told her how he couldn’t fault her for putting herself in such danger because she was clearly under a spell. Her glowing purple eyes were a dead giveaway. Her rejection of her father was another.

"Well... I do believe it is a bit my fault," Irene admitted. "It seems to have slipped my mind that there are two villages in this region. The other village was where I wandered first. I should have noticed the night I got there, but I was simply worried about getting shelter rather than noticing that the details of the village were missing. Only when I checked the village map did I realize I really did have the wrong place."

"You’re in one piece," Arthur explained. "That’s all that matters. I have done far more mindless things in my life. There was a time I had to promise your mother I would stop being so reckless or she was going to leave and find someone safer."

Irene had a lot to say about that, but she merely raised her eyebrows in disbelief at her dad. It seemed that her mother’s threat to leave was a secret weapon that made Arthur comply. It also seemed as if she had used it more than once in the past.

Times like that, Irene believed she was better off alone than getting married if her option was such control from someone she loved. Perhaps she had a pushover trait like her father that she wasn’t aware of. Only if she found a man worthy would she know for sure, but that wasn’t in her plans.

"Shouldn’t we be finishing what we started?" she asked. "The wyrm hasn’t eaten. Won’t it stay awake until it does?"

Arthur sighed. She was just like him.

"Until it’s a credible threat to Chemois, there is no reason to endanger ourselves. As much as I hate to admit it, we’re outmatched here. If needed, we can ask for help from the others if it gets to that point."

The girl nodded at her father’s response. It was fair enough.

However, after knowing there was such a beast there, another question was being tossed around in her head, and she couldn’t help asking what she was thinking.

"If we see beasts such as this, aren’t we supposed to report it to His Majesty?" she wondered.

As much as she hated the thought, she had heard that very sentiment over and over again.

Irene glanced at her father. His expression was pensive as he stopped for a moment with his arms crossed over his chest. He stared into the fire and it set his light brown eyes ablaze almost as much as his hair.

"These lands don’t belong to that monarch," Arthur responded resolutely. "Nor will they ever. It is pointless for him to get involved in something that hasn’t taken a credible threat to those he deem his loyal subjects. If the wyrm ever wanders south, I will be the first to raise my sword and protect the kingdom."

That was where Irene was proud of her father. While he was of noble title, he still had his own thoughts and didn’t bow to anyone when it came to his opinion. Perhaps it was the roughness of the north that made him like that, but whatever the reason was, Irene was happy.

"I will follow your lead," Irene responded equally as resolutely. "I was the one who woke it up so I will take responsibility as well."

It seemed they were both in agreement with where their conversation had ended up.

"Now we’ve gotten that out of the way," Irene continued. "Why on earth have you already come after me. You said you would give me two months. By that metric, you should still be in Chemois."

Arthur looked guilty for a moment, but he stood up for himself.

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