# Chapter 132: A Tiny Tiff
At the same time, on the south side of the brightly lit camp, in front of a collapsed monastery, a tiny argument was brewing. A young knight with his arm wrapped in bandages hung his head low, standing face-to-face with a girl in a black skirt who was exquisite and irked. She had her hands on her hips, her brows knitted tightly, shooting him a displeased look.
“You’re not at home. What about Grandma all alone?”
Her voice was soft and melodious, but you could hear a hint of emotion laced within.
That sounded a bit like a scolding.
Earlier during the day, Barry was at the triage center. Fresh from flirting with d*ath, his emotions weren’t exactly stable, and I could see that.
In this fierce battle, he had witnessed and experienced things that he, as a boy, could never have imagined, and the impact on his heart must have been immense. Moreover, with so many people around at the camp, some topics were better left unsaid. So, I just comforted him to help ease his tense nerves without delving into his thoughts.
When evening came, I went to see him again, and after chatting about some trivial matters, I noticed he was in fairly good spirits. So, I invited him out for a walk, and as we strolled to the south side of the camp, Barry began recounting some funny stories from his time as a trainee knight, sharing how strict his instructor was. The conversation flowed naturally, and he wasn’t as stiff as when we first met. That was my chance to bring up my idea.
Or rather… my demand.
Once the battles in Alectine City settled down and Barry’s injury healed, I wanted him to go back to the Northern Region and not get involved in anything here anymore.
I didn’t want to force him to give up being a knight, and I certainly wasn’t the type to play puppet master with other people’s lives. Afterward, I would directly propose to Angel that he arrange for Barry to be transferred to the Emerald City to work in the parish. It was close enough to the village that Barry could come back every now and then to check on Grandma and see what she needed, spending a few days with her.
At the same time, Barry would still be able to pursue his knightly dream. The Versailles parish in the Emerald City is one of the core parishes of the Holy Church, where he could connect with higher-ups in the church and have more opportunities for promotion, or even to learn about Divine Miracles. There were some things I wouldn’t tell him directly, just quietly pave the way for him behind the scenes.
I could even bypass Barry’s opinion and have Angel transfer him directly. Now the Third Knights Order was devastated, with their entire structure collapsing; keeping him there wouldn’t serve much purpose. I wouldn’t even need to mention it; soon enough, the few hundred survivors from the Third Knights Order, after the church handed out medals and compensation, would be gradually reassigned or merged into other legions.
If that was the case, I’d rather go talk to Angel first about transferring Barry to a more comfortable place, closer to home.
I pondered on this for most of the day, ultimately deciding that before I spoke to Angel, I should first hear Barry’s thoughts.
However, to my surprise, he rejected me outright… Even though he was blushing and struggling to get his words out, once I hinted at, “Once you’re healed, you’ll go to the Emerald City,” the young knight fell silent, his expression obstinate. No matter how soft I tried to be with my words, he wouldn’t respond, merely walking away silently and kicking a small stone every now and then.
It wasn’t until I grew a bit impatient, halted, and turned to face him that, with a firmer tone, I resorted to the underhanded tactic of bringing Grandma into it to pressure him. Barry finally grumbled out:
“Little Shay… I-I’m already a qualified knight. The honor of being a knight is etched in my heart! I can’t hide in a cozy city! If I run away at the sign of danger, what kind of knight, what kind of man would I be…”
He kept his gaze down, stealing a glance at me before quickly looking away. His timid demeanor fueled a strange fire in my heart, and my words came out sharper, “Honor, honor, you just keep talking about honor! Adding one more person to the battlefield doesn’t change a thing—why are you so stubborn? If you d*e, does that mean you’re a man?!”
As soon as I finished, Barry’s eyes widened, and he finally dared to meet my gaze. His face flushed with indignation, “Y-You’re the Pope Knight! How could you say such things?! The people of Silgaya are in their most dangerous hour, so many have died, so many suffering from war and hunger! As a knight, even if I’m not that strong, even if my role pales in comparison to yours, even if… even if I d*e… I must d*e on the battlefield. Before I do, I want to take down at least a couple of heretics with me! How can I just go back, like, like…”
His emotions got the better of him, causing the young knight to stutter. He seemed like he wanted to form a coherent thought but couldn’t, eventually trailing off with a flat, “Anyway, I can’t go back…”
“If you don’t go back, then have you thought about what Grandma will do! What if… she has no one left but you!” I shot back loudly.
Barry’s face grew even redder, “But if those heretics come to the Northern Region, the village could become dangerous! I need to stay here and keep fighting the demons! I-I’m not going back…”
“You’re so infuriating!”
“I! … Even if you hate me, I’m still not going back…”
“If you don’t go back, I’ll have someone take you away!”
“You… Little Shay, I’ll run away!”
“You can’t escape.”
“I can!”
“……”
By the flickering lights along the street, the girl and the young knight glared at each other—one was determined, the other obstinate; neither was willing to back down. Their cheeks flushed, the argument turned increasingly childish.
Not long after, they reluctantly returned together.
The girl led the way, with Barry trailing a meter behind her. They walked along the broken path, surrounded by the debris of destruction, both lost in their thoughts and saying nothing more until the bright camp came into view.
A few knights approached, “Miss Silvya, we found your weapon, it’s just over there.”
The knights pointed to a small square in front of the camp, then guided me over while Barry followed quietly. In the center of the square, the pitch-black scythe lay quietly on the ground, the blade dark as ink and the handle icy cold.
I crouched down and gently touched the scythe, whispering, “Captain Gray…”
Captain Gray was broken.
The once razor-sharp blade was now bent and damaged, resembling an ugly serrated edge. The straight handle was deformed from infernal fire, a segment of chain sticking out, unable to retract due to its warped end. Part of the scythe was melted, the black material transformed into irregular and unsightly fluid, now solidified clung to the blade.
I traced my fingers over the countless scars on the blade, a twinge of sorrow flashing in my eyes, as though a boulder was wedged within my heart—such melancholy.
“I-I know there’s a great blacksmith shop in the city…”
Suddenly, Barry piped up from behind, “Little Shay, how about I help you ask tomorrow? It should be repairable…”
I shook my head gently, saying nothing.
No, it wouldn’t work…
Captain Gray’s primary material was Moon Crystal, and there’s no way this city had any, and even if they did, an ordinary blacksmith wouldn’t be able to handle it. To have it reforged, I’d need to take it back to the central workshop and let Uncle Pagos take a look…
But I vaguely remembered that when forging Captain Gray, as well as my gauntlets and greaves, I had already used up the last of the workshop’s Moon Crystal.
“Barry…”
I gripped the handle of Captain Gray with both hands and rose to my feet, turning back to him, “What I just said, I hope you’ll think it over seriously.”
“Little Shay…”
The young knight opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more, but I didn’t want to listen. So, clutching Captain Gray, I said goodnight and quickly left.
It wasn’t until I was quite far away that I realized Barry was still standing there, possibly feeling indignant.
He was likely mad at me.
But…
I’d probably stay in the city for a few more days.
After all, once everything settled down, the runaway heretics must still be cleared one by one by the Knights Order.
The cleanup process would undoubtedly be long and possibly bloodier than the fiercest battlefield, filled with cowardice and sorrow. Before embarking on such a path, I hoped Barry would reconsider and then let me hear his final choice—by then, no matter what decision he made, I would no longer try to stop him.
With a mix of emotions, I left the camp, holding Captain Gray, and strolled toward the city walls.
The night air was cool.
The acrid smell and flying ash lingered over the ruins, making the air thick and dirty.
The girl returned to her quarters in the city walls, clutching the pitch-black scythe, wrapped in a thin blanket, dragging her weary body into a corner of the room, curling up like a cat, and quietly fell asleep.
