Chapter 58 - What Happened?

Alicia appeared without warning.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall became lively again because of her blatant interest in me.

Of course, there was no way to openly criticize the actions of the imperial princess, so the few remaining nobles just whispered among themselves.

I could clearly hear their conversation with my keen hearing.

"The princess has definitely visited the Black Lion Knights in the past. Without even revealing a clear reason." 

"I don't feel much of a distance between the two of you. Maybe you already knew each other. If so, I wonder what their relationship was exactly." 

"The Black Lion Knight Commander is strangely reserved in his external activities compared to his achievements. During the war, even those with lesser achievements were treated as heroes. The Princess is showing interest in him..."

If I may add, the reason Alicia visited the Black Lion Knights without permission was simply to do something perverted in front of me.

The reason I avoid external activities is simply because I don't enjoy meeting strangers.

No matter how familiar I am with them, it's never pleasant to be the target of fear and avoidance due to their fierce appearance.

The reason Alicia and I seem close is because we've actually already had a secret love affair that's gone too far.

"So, were you already part of the royal family from the beginning? Given your abnormal level of strength, I can't rule out the possibility that you're a secret weapon that the royal family has been developing." 

"There have been various opinions about why the military appointed someone like me as a mere knight commander. Why did you make such a flashy appearance in front of the public this time?" 

"Perhaps the intention of the general who has been silent all this time is also…"

No, that's really not it.

Except for the few times I've met His Majesty the Emperor at official functions, I've had no personal contact with anyone from the royal family except Alicia.

Why did I become a knight commander? That was simply because I followed the personnel orders of the Unified Command.

Aren't knights also soldiers? Soldiers are supposed to follow orders.

The sight of nobles who directly influence the rumors going around in social circles gossiping among themselves and piling up misunderstandings was truly burdensome.

That alone was already giving me a headache…

"The courage of the Black Lion Knights was also very impressive to me." "W-Wow, I'm embarrassed!" 

"Don't kneel. Each and every one of you are great warriors who protect the empire. Excessive politeness weighs heavily on my heart." 

"Ahhh... Your Highness the Princess...!" 

"Hehe, I look forward to your future activities."

Because of Alicia, who had been playing around and started showering her subordinates with compliments, I couldn't even eat properly and had no choice but to chase after her.

At that moment.

"Whoa...?!" 

"Your Highness!"

Alicia, who had been walking well, suddenly stumbled and fell into my arms as if she was hugging me.

No. To be exact, she tried to hug me.

If she fell and got hurt, it would be a big deal, so I tried to hurriedly pick her up, regardless of the attention of others.

—Whew!

With a gust of wind blowing from somewhere, an unexpected person appeared here.

My teacher and the great general of the empire.

Arien de Lauriell Alfheim.

'Why is the Master here?'

... Without any time to wonder, the Master immediately supported Alicia with invisible, nimble movements and spoke.

"Hmm? You're... a cute baby with soft cheeks. How many years has it been since I've seen you? You've grown so much." 

"Huh, hukwak?! Lien, huh…"

—Turn up!

"Baby, what did you just say? Aha, I was going to call you Sister Lien! Did you mishear me, huh?" 

"Ugh, ugh! It hurts… It hurts…!"

The first thing the Master did after storming into the banquet hall in a truly indecent outfit of a shirt and tights was.

It was to cover Alicia's mouth and pull her pure white cheeks like dough.

In front of all these people, the only person who could treat the princess of the empire, Alicia, so rudely is probably the master.

"That elf... really...?" 

"I-it seems right?"

The nobles who were here as uninvited guests and my subordinates who were enjoying the banquet all looked blank as if they were dreaming.

That's understandable...

For most of the people of the empire, the existence of the general is like a legendary guardian deity.

Furthermore, everyone has some kind of fantasy about the mysterious and beautiful high elves who have the strongest military power in the empire and have lived for nearly a thousand years.

But the first thing such a general does when he appears is to harass the princess who is still standing.

It must have felt like an absurd, almost surreal sight to them.

That's why no one could say anything when the master approached me gently and started to touch my body here and there.

—Tuktuk

'Ah, your butt is a bit.'

Instead, the people's blank expressions gradually turned to shock.

"Hmm, you're not hurt anywhere. That bastard's power is definitely there. But just in case, open your mouth." 

"Ahhh…" 

"Yeah, yeah, good."

I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment, as if I had become a conch.

"Congratulations on winning, disciple. Your skills have improved a lot. It was worth giving you a gift." 

"…Thank you."

Still, no matter what, when I finally heard praise directly from my master, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

He's not someone who usually gives praise. Winning the Knights' Competition was probably a satisfactory achievement even from the master's picky perspective.

While I was feeling a little happy inside,

"But there's one thing. That ignorant technique. I'm sure he told me not to use it." 

"Ah, no, that's..."

The Master began to show a faint displeasure.

Damn it, it seems that the problem was that he had modified the non-seasonal equipment without permission. No matter what, he wouldn't hit me here, right?

"Well, that's enough. It's a bit much to scold him here. There's another reason for coming all the way here besides congratulations, so let's talk about that later." 

"Another reason...?"

Fortunately, the Master's anger quickly subsided, and as I felt a little relieved, he gestured toward someone.

"That kid."

The one who caught the attention of the Imperial General was none other than Vice-Captain Agnes.

Was that bad luck, or luck? Maybe both.

"Uh, you mean me?!" 

"Yes. You, the blue-haired girl. Come here." 

"Yes!"

The Vice-Captain was seeing a superior who was completely new to him. It wasn't just any superior.

A legendary figure who was at the top of the military hierarchy had called me.

Because of that, the vice-captain must have been very nervous, and he approached his master with a nervous expression.

A loud salute echoed.

"Glory to the Imperial Family! To His Majesty the Emperor…" 

"Ah, that's enough. You have a fighting spirit and a clear mind that I've rarely seen these days. I like it." 

"Go, thank you!" 

"Yes, yes. Your talent is good enough for a human, so work harder. Your disciple has a good subordinate."

For such an expression to come out of the master's mouth, it was truly an incredible compliment.

I was a little surprised that the vice-captain's spirit had been raised to the level of a knight commander after the match, but it seems that her potential is even greater than I thought.

"Well, I'll go now. Disciple, come visit the headquarters sometimes." 

"Haha. Okay."

Meanwhile, the Master seemed to be leaving without any regrets as soon as his business was over.

The Unified Command isn't some kind of playground, and even if I went to see him, he'd most likely be absent, but I said I understood for now.

I've had enough of experiences where I've gotten in trouble for adding useless words.

—Whew!

As the Master left, even more violent reactions erupted than when Alicia had appeared earlier.

"Did you see that? The Guardian of the Empire appeared. This is the first time I've seen him in person." 

"No, rather... wasn't the rumor that Lord Wolfgang was designated as the General's successor proven to be false? The way he just appeared was clearly..." 

"The General's actions may seem incomprehensible to the eyes of a criminal, but I heard that there is definitely a unique long-lived mentality behind them." 

"What does it mean to show off your closeness with Her Highness the Princess and express interest in the Vice-Captain of the Black Lion Knights?"

Alicia was already too much to handle, and now the Master has suddenly appeared.

I was so scared of what kind of news would spread in the future that I didn't want to hear any more.

"Her Highness. Should we seal off the banquet hall right now and have everyone here swear a vow of silence?" 

"No problem. Why go that far? Just a moderate amount of restraint is enough. The General is someone that even Abama Ma can't do anything about."

A somewhat bloody conversation was going on between Alicia and the attendants escorting her.

"Da, I've met the General. I don't know if this is a dream or reality." 

"I wondered where the commander's strength came from. I never thought he was the general's disciple." 

"If this continues, aren't we just holding the commander's ankles?" 

"Don't say such weak things. We should train even harder. Until we don't become a burden to the commander." 

"Yes. We should definitely do that."

Even the subordinates began to burn with an unusual enthusiasm among themselves.

The celebration banquet for the victory of the knights' competition had long since changed from its original purpose of celebrating the winner and relieving the fatigue of battle to something completely different.

—Gurgling...

In the meantime, the only thing that resonated from my hungry stomach, regardless of the chaotic atmosphere, was the sound of sad screams.

........

Since the victory, the daily life of the Black Lion Knights had changed noticeably.

—Cheong, Cheong!

The clear sound of swords that woke me up in the morning.

It was the sound of swords clashing between subordinates who arrived at work earlier than the scheduled time.

It was great to see their desire to improve, but I was worried that they would all end up facing a wall. Until then, it was an area I could not do anything about, so I just hoped things would go well.

And finally, a new administrator was appointed. And an incredibly trustworthy one at that.

"It is an honor to serve you, Lord Wolfgang. I have heard of your reputation. This administrator is Vias of the House of Sitwell." 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Vias. I will be counting on you in the future."

A woman with brown hair tied up and wearing glasses, who looked very strict.

She was said to be a former bureaucrat from the Ministry of Finance. If that is the case, then her ability must be beyond doubt.

'This is very moving.'

For the past few months, I had barely managed to survive without an administrator, thanks to the secretaries I had temporarily hired and the strangely excellent paperwork skills of the deputy director.

It was because the execution of the old administrator who was put in prison as soon as I took office was so slow.

He, who was of noble birth, could not accept the punishment and appealed, but I heard that his previous status and authority were maintained until the trial was over and he was branded a criminal.

That is why our knights still had an administrator on paper, so he was pushed down in the priority of personnel assignment.

"First, I have news to tell you, Commander. As a prize for the individual knight commander, he will be granted first-class access to the Imperial Relic Vault, but only once." 

"Oh my."

The Imperial Relic Vault.

It is practically a treasure trove, filled with valuables that are difficult to obtain even with money.

It is not the highest grade, but it is still an excellent reward befitting the winner of the Knights' Competition.

After all, the highest grade is a privilege granted only to the Imperial family.

"Hmm. And… Vice-Captain Agnes submitted an emergency leave of absence." 

"What?"

As I was thinking that, I suddenly heard a remark that I could never ignore.

"What's the reason?" 

"She didn't go into detail, but she said that she had personal issues."

According to the personal records that the Knight Commander could check, the Vice-Captain had never been late or absent since she was appointed.

Of course, aside from what was written in those documents, the woman I knew was always a woman with sincerity that came from thorough self-management and a stronger sense of responsibility than anyone else.

But for such a woman to submit an emergency leave of absence that was no different from an unauthorized absence.

This didn't seem like a serious matter.

I guess I should visit her house.

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