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Veronica, who had come out of Gilbert’s hospital room, got into the carriage under the escort of the paladins waiting at the door.

As she boarded, the carriage moved towards the Warp Gate to return to the Sacred Empire.

Inside the swaying carriage, Veronica, who was gazing at the capital cityscape of Infractus, habitually tapped the window frame with her fingers. She still wore a smile, but her mind was incredibly tangled.

Her visit to Gilbert wasn’t planned.

If she returned to the Sacred Empire like this, she might face a barrage of scolding from the Pope and the cardinals.

Considering the influence Saintess Veronica held in the Holy Kingdom, moving so freely wasn’t the right thing to do. There were political reasons, but moving without her safety guaranteed was too dangerous.

Yet, she had to meet Gilbert. Her reckless trip to Infractus was solely to face him.

The problem was, her head was even more tangled now.

Veronica sighed deeply.

Meeting Gilbert impulsively was fine, but needlessly raising his suspicions bothered her. She couldn’t forget Gilbert’s questioning gaze as she left.

Of course, she understood his feelings. The Saintess of the Sacred Empire visiting a 5th Grade Knight of the Empire was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

Even though she had gone to Infractus, she felt uneasy about having incurred Gilbert’s hostility.

Veronica twirled her long silver hair with her fingers, recalling their recent meeting. Gilbert’s eyes, filled with a strong will, shone brilliantly.

Despite just recovering from severe injuries, his eyes didn’t dim; instead, they sparkled even more. That alone was reason enough for her visit.

She couldn’t be certain yet, but the possibility was confirmed in that brief meeting. It was a direction worth some hope.

“Your Holiness, we’ve arrived at the Warp Gate.”

“Already? I’ll get off now.”

Lost in thought, Veronica snapped out of it at the paladin’s words. Her tangled thoughts had somewhat sorted themselves out.

As she stepped out of the carriage, she glanced back towards Gilbert’s hospital room.

She earnestly hoped that in their next meeting, she could confirm if he was the man from her visions.

***

After Saintess Veronica left, Gilbert, who had been organizing his thoughts, greeted the Special Forces members who had come to see him.

They must have come as soon as they heard he had woken up.

“Lord Gilbert, I, Hans, am once again moved. You split a Colossal Mech in half?!”

Seeing Gilbert’s healthy appearance, Hans greeted him with his usual lively demeanor. His eyes, determined to follow in Gilbert’s footsteps, resembled those of a child idolizing their hero.

“Hans, this is a hospital room. Don’t you think you’re being too noisy?”

Angelina frowned, scolding the excited Hans. Of course, Hans, already in high spirits, barely listened.

“Angelina, it’s a Colossal Mech! How can I not be excited after seeing you split that thing in half alone!”

“If you can’t keep your mouth shut, I can help you with that.”

As Angelina raised her fist, Hans flinched. Her punches had become more painful lately, likely due to her recent martial arts training.

“I’ll behave…”

“Still, I was surprised too. Even if it was an old model, I didn’t expect a human to split a Colossal Mech in half.”

Brynhild recalled the deep sword marks left in the armory. Even now, it was a thrilling scene that made her heart race.

I must have chosen a good husband.

Brynhild, who never imagined she’d be tied to an Empire man, now felt that choosing Gilbert was the right decision.

Given the Sigurd clan’s admiration for strength, there was no better husband for Brynhild than Gilbert. Though his stubborn attitude made progress difficult, she had no intention of giving up.

Even though their duel ended in her defeat, she had no intention of losing in this regard.

“How’s your body? Are you okay?”

Lily, who had shed past grievances, looked at Gilbert with concern. Naturally warm-hearted, Lily asked if there were any issues with Gilbert’s body.

Gilbert felt a warm comfort from her kindness. It showed how broad-minded she was, able to speak so kindly to someone who had caused her such terrible memories.

“No problem.”

Of course, he couldn’t voice his thoughts.

Gilbert’s body still resisted such warm words. Though it had improved since he first inhabited it, discomfort remained.

“That’s good. But how did you do it? When we arrived after receiving the support request, everything was already over, so we didn’t see the details.”

Ilene, like Hans, looked at Gilbert with admiration, but her demeanor was markedly different. Her serious nature showed only a thirst for knowledge.

Gilbert recalled the memory at Ilene’s question.

Honestly, Gilbert himself didn’t understand how it was possible. Luckily, his Physical Ability Stat had risen, allowing him to utilize the Beast Skill’s effects, and a vague confidence from Limit Break made him think he could do it.

So, he poured everything into that one sword strike and unleashed it.

Having given his all, he passed out, only to wake up hearing he had split the Colossal Mech in half. He couldn’t guarantee success if faced with the same situation again.

An old model Colossal Mech wasn’t a tin can; splitting it in half wasn’t easy.

“I don’t know either. I thought I could do it, so I did, and that’s what happened.”

“Do you know how annoying that sounds?”

Angelina’s eyes turned slightly fierce.

This is why geniuses are unbearable.

Gilbert coughed awkwardly at her gaze. He had spoken without thinking, but upon reflection, it did sound incredibly annoying.

“By the way, where’s Camilla?”

Gilbert looked for Camilla, the only Special Forces member not present. Given her personality, he expected her to be the first to show up, but she was unexpectedly absent.

“Lady Camilla seems to be training separately. She might be feeling guilty for leaving you behind…”

Hans trailed off.

Since Gilbert was hospitalized, Camilla had been training like a madwoman. Following Gilbert’s grueling training regimen was insane, even for Hans, a fervent admirer of Gilbert.

He had once tried Gilbert’s training out of sheer bravado, determined to follow in his footsteps.

Of course, that determination lasted less than a week before he gave up.

It was inhuman, he concluded after countless thoughts.

Yet, Camilla was following that insane training.

She was so relentless that even when others tried to stop her, she remained unmoved. She seemed driven by some compulsion, skipping meals to focus solely on training.

Hearing this from Hans, Gilbert clicked his tongue.

In Tactical Combat, Camilla’s awakening routes often involved losing something precious.

Sometimes it was a friend, other times family.

She believed her neglect of training due to her interest-driven personality was the root cause and began training fervently. Without a trigger, her dormant talent blossomed, leading to her awakening.

And this time, the trigger was likely himself.

Gilbert thought so.

“Where is Camilla now?”

“Probably at the lodging’s open space. She’s been there ever since you were moved here.”

At Lily’s words, Gilbert got out of bed. Though not fully recovered, moving wasn’t an issue.

Checking on Camilla was a priority. Camilla’s awakening scenario was a double-edged sword; without proper care, she could end up on a destructive path.

Preferring not to see her deteriorate, Gilbert intended to guide her towards proper growth. It wasn’t right for her to fall into despair when he wasn’t even dead.

“Are you sure you should be up?”

“No problem.”

Gilbert answered Lily’s question indifferently and stood up.

Indeed, the Saintess’s Sacred Power had accelerated his recovery. The Sacred Healing even offset the penalties of Limit Break, making it no surprise.

Though physical fatigue remained, the Regeneration that should have offset Limit Break’s penalties was now focused on physical recovery, so full recovery seemed imminent.

“Then lead the way.”

Guided by the Special Forces members, Gilbert headed towards the open space at the lodging where Camilla was.

 

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