“Err, if it’s Reus…” (Emilia)
When I followed Emilia’s gaze, a familiar figure was leaning against an arena wall. Could that be…Reus? He had a thick, dark atmosphere about him that was far different from his usual vigorous aura.
Since he has such a different atmosphere about him than usual, I didn’t even recognize him.
“…What’s going on with him?” (Sirius)
“That is… the mercenary leader escaped and took Golia with him. He felt like everything since is his fault, and he is depressed because of that…” (Emilia)
“He was very happy to be praised by Sirius-san, so he felt like that mistake betrayed your expectations.” (Reese)
“Good grief… Oi, Reus!” (Sirius)
Reus slowly turned around when I called out to him. It was obvious that he was depressed, his ears and tail were drooping low. Oh dear, it’s hard to feel elated when this guy is in such a state.
“Come here quickly, Reus. ‘Pause’!” (Sirius)
“… Yeah.” (Reus)
Reus slowly began moving towards me when I gave the order, dragging his favorite sword behind him. Finally, he reached me.
“Why are you depressed?” (Sirius)
“That’s because… Everyone was in trouble because of me.” (Reus)
Haa… this foolish disciple.
Hey, don’t tell me such obvious lie. I poked Reus on the head to get his attention on me, and stop him from looking away.
“You’re not depressed because you made a mistake are you, you’re depressed because you think I’m upset with you, right? Answer honestly.” (Sirius)
“… Yeah.” (Reus)
“If that’s the case, then you’ve made another mistake. I’m not going to scold you. Rather, I have to praise you for doing as well as you did against that enemy.” (Sirius)
“Eh!?” (Reus)
Reus was surprised, looking towards me to confirm if I was being genuine or not. I didn’t mind, instead patting his head and rubbing between his ears. It didn’t take long for his smile to return to his face, and light to return to his eyes.
“You made the mistake of not checking to see if Dominique was dead or alive before leaving. Do you understand that?” (Sirius)
“Yeah. As a result of that, I troubled everyone.” (Reus)
“If you understand that, then it’s all good. In the first place, you were fighting a tough opponent. Judging it honestly, it was probably too soon for you to go up against someone like him.” (Sirius)
If the opponent were simply strong, it wouldn’t have been a problem. However, Dominique was a member of the underworld, cunning and not afraid to fight dirty. That guy was plotting the entire fight, and if it weren’t for his obligations to the ones who hired him, he likely would’ve fought more seriously against Reus. If that were to happen, Reus most likely would’ve died.
I simply wanted Reus to fight that man as training, and yet Reus managed to even win against him. With that level of growth, there’s no way for me to be anything other than proud, let alone angry.
“Besides, your opponent this time was doping with ‘life boost’. So, you should be proud of that victory.” (Sirius)