chapter 24

The atmosphere of the Knights of the Silver Dawn has been extremely chaotic recently.

Even during mealtimes, which took place three times a day, conversation was minimal, and it was difficult to find the same liveliness and bustle as before.

The reason, of course, was the new recruits who had recently arrived.

The atmosphere became tense as the new recruit left to subdue the monster alone, which even caused Claudia to return with serious injuries after failing to subdue it. The new recruit was worried about Claudia's safety, so he became worried about her safety.

Lize, who always created a lively atmosphere that didn't exist before, was the first to shut her mouth, and Erika, who was already calm, also became even quieter, perhaps under her sister's influence.

Iris would sometimes hold her head and blame herself. With three out of four people in the castle in this situation, it was only natural that the overall atmosphere would be a mess.

Except for one person, Claudia.

Claudia was no different from usual. She had no relationship with the newcomer and didn't really know him.

Of course, I was worried that he might not be able to return, but that was just the mind of a knight commander worried about a new recruit.

The other three, especially Lize, didn't seem to consider the man a mere newbie.

Above all, didn't he say he wouldn't go, but didn't others push him to go? Didn't he stubbornly insist on going on his own despite everyone else's objections, and finally get permission to leave?

If a man who uses his wits to run away alone fails to subdue and dies, that's all he'll get out of it. We've already seen the pitiful words of a wretched man.

If by some chance you succeed and come back, then that's another story.

Thanks to this thought, Claudia was as usual, but since she had been lying in bed all day, it didn't help much in refreshing the mood.

"Claudia, do you think the newbie can come back alive?"

"That question again? Do you know how many times this has happened?"

Claudia blushed at the question Iris asked in a gloomy voice.

"… … It's because I can't objectively see the situation right now. The other two are the same. Aren't you, Claudia, the only one who can stay calm here?"

Claudia shook her head inwardly.

I couldn't understand at all what he had been doing here that made his presence felt so deep that people around him were anxious about his absence in just a few days.

"I'm not sure either, but if that newbie can wield much more destructive power than my greatsword, wouldn't I be able to defeat him and come back alive?"

"It's no different from saying that you will definitely die."

"That's what I said, but do you know? Just like Iris said, I'll use that incredible skill to find a way out that I never thought of. I almost died because I was so flustered that the greatsword didn't even work."

For someone who had come back from the dead, his voice was surprisingly calm.

Of course, people don't die easily. Things like a scratch will disappear in a few minutes, and even if you suffer serious injuries such as broken bones, twisted limbs, and torn skin, as long as you're alive, you can eventually recover.

Even if an arm or leg is cut off, it can be reattached if treated with potions and magic in time, so human life was considered to be extremely tenacious.

Claudia was one of the more outstanding of them all.

In fact, it would have been possible to just leave the hospital right away without having to stay in the hospital room any longer, but since Erica had been told not to even think about leaving the room until the treatment was over, she just stayed there quietly.

In the first place, it would not have been strange if he had died on the spot, but his body endured for two days while riding a horse at full speed with only a bandage roughly treated for his wounds, so how could it not have recovered here?

"He left with such confidence, so let's trust him. He must have had something in mind. And, it's even more rude to the newbie to do that. You know that, right? Your actions are the same as treating the newbie as someone you can never trust."

"...."

"Iris, you can read people's expressions, so you probably noticed it a long time ago, but was there any hesitation or fear on his face?"

Iris shook her head from side to side. No. Absolutely not. Far from being scared or hesitant, she was even slightly excited. Why she was excited at all was beyond her imagination.

He was an incomprehensible man. What on earth could he be so sure of, and how confident could he be that he felt so excited as he went to hunt a monster that even Claudia could easily defeat?

"I'm still not sure if I should have sent the newbie there alone. Couldn't I have just followed him from a distance?"

"I told you not to even think about following me. What are you going to do about the consequences if you get caught?"

"Do you think a newbie can sense our presence, Claudia?"

"Oh, that's true. I heard he was cursed and was level 1?"

"The reason I'm anxious is none other than this. You heard about that new recruit, didn't you?"

Claudia was shocked.

"Yes. I've heard it so many times. That the newbie was cursed by a witch, that he defeated a monster alone with only a crude steel sword in prison, and what he showed me when he took the entrance exam with Lize. It's all so annoying now."

"Even if you had the abilities of a regular knight of the Knights Templar, I wouldn't have worried at all. Claudia, you also know what it means to be cursed by a witch."

"I know. I know, Iris."

Leaning back against the back of the bed, her pink eyes turned towards Iris.

"It's the path he chose. If he comes back after catching that monster, he's a talented person whose talents we must definitely develop. If he doesn't come back, he's a retard who didn't know his place and acted like a guest. That's not something we should interfere with, and we shouldn't. If that newbie didn't know his place and almost died, and we saved his life by helping him, do you think his personality would change? Of course not."

"...."

"And, I don't understand you, Iris. Why on earth are you so overprotective of that newbie? You said you defeated a human slaughterer with a single sword, saw through Lize's parrying, and passed the entrance exam? There's nothing wrong with you. I'm not particularly expecting much, but I'm not worried either. Since you left with such confidence, I'll just trust you."

"… … Is that so."

"Is that so? No, it is. That's right. What you're worrying about is useless. What on earth did that rookie do that makes you and Lize and Iris so anxious? Is there a pheromone that attracts women?"

The face and body are quite similar. Claudia stretched while thinking about that. She couldn't stand the sting of just staying in bed.

"You're missing out! That's not it! I'm just worried about the newbies—"

"NEW GUY!!!!!!"

At that moment, Iris' words were interrupted by Lize's loud voice coming from outside the window.

Iris and Claudia stared at each other blankly for a moment, then stood up without saying a word.

"… …Why is the atmosphere like this, Lize? Did I do something wrong?"

"Mistake? You made a big deal out of it. Do you know how worried we were while you were gone?"

When I returned with the horse's head as evidence of the subjugation and the huge spear he had been using, I was greeted by an overall very awkward atmosphere. For a moment, I wondered what I had done wrong as soon as I returned.

"No, I promised I would come back."

"Do you think that kind of promise can ever be kept?!"

Lize looked at me with a face of absurdity. After all, in creative works, a promise to definitely return is usually used as a death flag.

"I protected it, didn't I?"

Of course, that's that, and this is this. When I said that confidently, Lize looked at me with a face full of absurdity. It seemed like there was no way to refute what I said because it was true.

"Really… … ."

Lize made a complicated expression, then smiled brightly and hugged me tightly from the front. Her swollen chest touched my abdomen. I barely managed to control my lower body, which was about to rise on its own.

As I was trying not to let my lower body react to the feeling of my chest touching hers through the sleeveless top, Erica came over to me with a smile.

"Newbie."

"Oh, Erica."

"Wow, Mr. Shin has a knack for surprising people."

It was a voice that sounded somewhat tired. However, there was a sense of relief in that expression. There was no sign of negative emotion in the smile on his face.

"I sincerely congratulate you on your successful subjugation. You have successfully subdued a large monster within a week of joining the guild. This is a new record. It will probably never be broken in the future."

"Thank you. Well, it wouldn't take much talent to break the record I set."

"What the heck? Isn't that a bit too humble of a choice of words?"

While Erica and I were talking, Iris and Claudia, who had been seriously examining the giant horse head lying on the floor, got up.

"… … That's true."

"Oh my god, I actually caught this."

Iris looked at the horse's head in shock, and Claudia laughed in vain.

"I told you. I'd bring him here. Do you believe me now?"

"Really… … you… … ."

Instead of Iris, who was speechless and staring at me with a blank expression, Claudia strode over to me and put her arm around my shoulder. Since we were almost the same height, the pose came out very naturally.

"Congratulations, rookie. You're really amazing. I have to say this too. Where did Iris pick up someone like you?"

"Thank you, Commander Claudia."

"Are you good at drinking?"

"yes?"

As soon as I thanked him for the congratulations, he asked me out of the blue whether I was a good drinker. I was bewildered and asked him back.

Claudia laughed heartily and tightened her arm around my shoulder. Lise's arm tightened as she held me close, perhaps irritated by the fact that she had put her arm around me before we even broke off our embrace.

"Do you drink well? Normally, we should celebrate by having a drink at a time like this. You don't have the right to refuse, so just follow along later. Today, I'll pour you something special."

"Uh… … Well, I guess today won't work."

"Not today? Why?"

My neutral face turned into a puzzled expression. I glanced down at the pouch containing the demonic book, securely fastened to my waist.

"Because there's still work to be done."

When I said that there was still work to be done, four of the knight commanders simultaneously expressed their doubts.

"What do you mean, there's work left to do?"

I answered with a snicker.

"You will find out soon."