Chapter 42 – Changes and Anomalies
Scary to show interest in the story of the battle in earnest, the vice-captain put various books and thick sheets of paper on his desk.
-Thud!
“Captain, please look at this first.”
“…What is all this?”
I was slightly embarrassed. If you want to hear from me, are you telling me to get things done quickly?
When I was suddenly faced with a huge amount of paper bombs in the morning, I put them aside.
It was because I felt a kind of instinctive rejection.
– Rummage
By the way, whether I did it or not, the vice-captain would be rummaging through a pile of papers with sparkling light green eyes, like a cat who found an interesting toy.
Wanting to do something, I watched quietly, and she found a book and stuck her chin out in front of me.
[All about the Knights War]
As I unfolded it without hiding a timid expression, the vice-captain stuck his head out in front of my nose and began an explanation I hadn’t even asked for.
“Captain. The Knights Battle is a time-honored event that has been held ever since the first emperor, His Majesty, stayed on this earth…”
It was really fun to watch a beautiful woman with a sharp impression burn with passion in front of her with a sweet scent wafting in.
If he left it alone, he would be concentrating on talking about the knights war all day long.
Did the vice-captain have this kind of side? It was very refreshing in many ways.
With a strange sense of familiarity, my hand naturally went to her hair, which was just right in the right place.
I stroked her hair and spoke softly.
“Vice-captain. That’s fine with the explanation. Thank you for preparing this material. I’ll read this book separately later.”
“Hot…! I’m sorry, Captain!”
Then, the vice-captain, at a loss for what to do, showed a faint blush on her face.
When I first met her, I thought she was a cold and composed woman like ice, but lately she shows a lot of human side in front of me.
It must mean that she is close to me.
Well, since we’ve done so many things together, including dizzying and weird situations like mana injections and sham marriages.
Our relationship is already on the verge of entering into a relationship between a man and a woman beyond a normal boss and subordinate. I was staying somewhere in that ambiguous gap.
But that’s it, I’m at work right now, so I’ll have to focus on my work. I moderated the topic.
“Vice-captain Agnes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show such interest in something.”
“Uhm, of course. As a single knight, how can I stay still?”
Even though I was a knight, I was a bit dark in the unique culture of knights, having been dragged to the battlefield after training almost all my life and crossing the line of fire.
Since it was said to be hosted directly by the imperial family, it couldn’t have been a mediocre event.
Judging by that, it seems that this is a bigger deal than I expected.
Besides, it wasn’t just the vice-captain who showed something different than usual.
—One, two! One, two!
—Jump! Run faster! Are you going to run slower than a horse? I see legs!
Since morning, the inside of the unit has been noisy, so when I glanced out the window, my subordinates were circling the training ground at an inhuman speed.
No matter how much the knights are all superhuman, the training was so severe that I wondered if they would all fall out in the afternoon.
“Well, everyone’s doing great.”
“That’s true. I won’t fall out of it no matter where I give it to you now.”
Standing side by side with the vice-captain, I looked out the window and exclaimed.
In their appearance, there was no trace of the previous blurry rags to be found anymore.
— Even if you feel like you’re going to faint from exhaustion, don’t stop! Go beyond your limits! Sooner! Are you still knights!
The identity of the person who is properly training his subordinates with a momentum reminiscent of the demons of hell is Sir Elizabeth, the commander of the Imperial Guard’s Ten Commandments.
She originally came to me to receive practical training, serving as Alicia’s liaison.
However, the mission broke before I could teach them properly, so I had the unfortunate fate of staying in the unit and losing my life.
Well, of course, it’s more like force majeure than my responsibility…
Still, I felt a little guilty for moral reasons, but fortunately while I was away, it seemed that I had adapted to the unit with a feeling similar to that of a drill instructor.
Was this the reason why, despite the vacuum of the commanders and other elites, the rank knights felt like they were better polished than before, far from deteriorating in their discipline?
… Come to think of it, the dispatch period is now over, so what should I do?
This is how it happened. From now on, I’ll have to do a lot of sparring with the imperial escorts, and write out Sir Elizabeth’s work evaluation report as best as possible.
Anyway, seeing my subordinates training so hard, I too was itchy and couldn’t stay still.
—No, Sir Lois. Why is swordsmanship so… Have you changed drastically?
-Well. Let’s just say there are things that can be slightly affected during the mission.
Seeing the commander-level personnel having a sword conversation in a separate training ground made me want to move my body even more.
I invited him while staring at the vice-captain standing next to me.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at your sword separately. Shall we go to training together?”
“Four?! Captain personally sent me… It’s an honor!”
The road to the training room dedicated to the Knight Commander with the vice-captain.
Sure enough, she babbled nonstop about her story of the match.
“Even during the preliminaries alone, it’s two weeks long.”
“Yes. Considering the size of the empire, it’s rather a very tight schedule.”
“Then what about the finals?”
“The finals are the flower of the knights competition. It is an honorable place for His Majesty to directly observe. This is a golden opportunity to prove the skills that have been honed so far on the promised stage.”
The atmosphere of the entire unit was heating up, and even the vice-captain, my closest subordinate, kept blowing the wind from the side.
Naturally, all my interest was directed there.
I don’t know how many outstanding knights will participate in the event called the Knights Battle.
I am quite confident in my personal strength, but since the empire is so vast, I may encounter a strong person with a unique and powerful imagery that is difficult for me to deal with.
However, unlike before, seeing his subordinates become incomparably more reliable, it seemed that he would have a chance against any knights.
At least I won’t have to worry about getting eliminated in the preliminary round.
Well, no matter what, it is something that must be proved in practice in the end.
As always.
* * *
The Palace of the Sun, where the emperor resides.
This place, which has always stood tall in one place and has been with the empire for a thousand years without collapsing even once, has a far-away mystery that goes beyond simple architecture.
A large meeting room where important matters that influence the course of the empire are discussed.
The cool air that hovered there changes completely in an instant.
Beneath the single seat of honor that is always empty. The 12 seats surrounding the huge round table began to be filled one by one.
The 12 rulers who defended the empire in their respective positions could gather in one place whenever and wherever they wanted.
“Let’s start.”
One of the 12 rulers and the strict judicial system of the empire, starting with a word from the Supreme Court.
After a long hiatus after the war, the cabinet meeting was finally held again.
“I heard that the authority of the empire is being seriously damaged due to the recent unrest in the center. Commander-in-Chief, what do you think?”
It was Duke Bellaryon who touched his chin and went straight to the point as if nothing had happened, digging into the most sensitive topic.
A few people cleared their throats at the bold remarks because they were not straightforward, and showed signs of being obviously uncomfortable, but he didn’t even pay attention.
He was the one who controlled the entire logistics of the continent with the entire West under his influence.
Four dukes who would have been called kings if the empire hadn’t existed on this land.
As I am a part of it, I have no hesitation in expressing my opinion.
“First of all, I feel deeply responsible for this situation. As someone in charge of the military field of the Empire, not being able to prevent this from happening is definitely disloyalty to the Emperor and a great sin.”
“Ha! Then what are you planning to do next?”
Commander-in-Chief of Unified Command, Craig.
Inconsistent with his rough and strong impression, he quietly accepted his restraints and seemed to curl his tail.
This is because, among the 12 rulers gathered here, he is the only one who is present as a proxy instead of himself.
Originally, the event was supposed to be attended by the generals of the empire, but the high elves who had lived for a long time were free people who were not affected by the world.
In any case, her place would always be replaced by the Commander-in-Chief.
From an objective point of view, it is an act that is rude, but no person stupid enough to dare to point out the fact has not existed in this place for at least the past thousand years.
However, even though he is an agent, Commander-in-Chief Craig is also the highest-ranking official who is the de facto head of the Empire’s military field.
I had never quietly accepted Duke Bellaryon’s checks on me.
“It’s a pity. To think that the son of the traditionally prestigious family of the Medici marquis would make such a deviation.”
“Ooh! Overcome your Korean-American background and rise to the position of Commander-in-Chief, isn’t it a bit overconfident? It’s just that your voice got louder while fighting the war, huh?”
Yes.
Pietro de’ Medici, the culprit behind the recent mass riots and treasonous act of treason by collaborating with traitors and devil worshipers at the same time.
The family he belonged to, the Medici Marquis, was one of Duke Valerian’s closest aides.
“Couldn’t be. I just expressed regret.”
“Your challenge. I will never forget it and pass it on. How long do you think you can keep your position as commander-in-chief?”
Not only the Medici Marquis family, who suffered a blow close to extinction due to taking direct responsibility, but also the Duke of Bellaryon could not be completely free from the aftermath of this incident.
I had somehow tried to defend my position somewhat by grabbing the commander-in-chief and dragging him down into the mud.
“Puha! West Sandyim. You, your appearance is out of the question. To be honest, you’re ugly.”
“What? Be polite, you’re the leader of a savage without a root.”
“Ah, excuse me. But aren’t you and me the same duke? I am not your subordinate.
“Damn it! That’s why these vulgar things!”
Of course, as a result, I couldn’t find the original match.
When the meeting loses its original direction and becomes noisy due to Duke Velarion.
-Thud!
With a loud noise, everyone’s eyes turned to the center of the round table.
“It’s been a while, dear ones. Hmm… There are also faces I’ve never seen before.”
Originally, a person who should not have appeared here on the pretext of being annoying.
Grand General of the Empire, Arien de Lauriel Alfheim.
She broke into the convention hall.
