Chapter 148
Third Knight Order. Led by the renowned Zackhart-sama, it is one of Geadland’s stalwart guardians, known for its no-nonsense strength.
Next was the Fourth Knight Order. They were comrades who had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Roa Unit at Kitzal Fortress. They might not be flashy, but their tenacious fighting style, centered on heavily armored soldiers, was truly impressive.
I had little direct contact with the Fifth Knight Order, but they were the ones who had held off the Empire’s attacks. It was hard to imagine them being outmatched by any other order. Their commander, Beckstatt-sama, was a taciturn man who loved writing letters.
Then there was the Sixth Knight Order, a group with deep ties to me. It seemed they’d finally chosen a new commander.
Last was the Seventh Knight Order, led by Toru di Solurgia-sama, a man capable of taking on both of the Fourth Knight Order’s twins at once.
And then there was our Tenth Knight Order.
Though each had sent only a small contingent, this was the first time so many knight orders had gathered in one place since the war with the Empire began. I had no memory of such an event, so I could say with certainty that it had never happened in the history I knew.
We had placed a limit on the number of soldiers each knight order could bring: six hundred at most.
The reason was the number of new recruits. Despite our heavy losses, our consecutive victories at Hakusha and Zetta had buoyed the country, and more volunteers had enlisted than expected.
So, with six hundred from each knight order, we’d have around a thousand once the new recruits joined the exercises.
As a result, the training grounds near the royal capital were now filled with a considerable number of soldiers, including the new recruits and the Tenth Knight Order soldiers who weren’t scheduled to take part in the exercises.
And with the commanders of each knight order among them, it was quite a sight. I honestly wished I could look down on them from that spot instead of King Zeurasia, who was watching us from the raised platform.
To clarify, the Fourth Knight Order was led not by its commander, Boldras-sama, but by the deputy commanders, Yuizest and Meizest. Boldras-sama’s letter to Raiz-sama had been filled with lines like, “I apologize for all the trouble this has caused...” It gave me a good idea of the hardships Boldras-sama had endured.
We had also approached the First Knight Order, just in case, but they politely declined, saying, “We have a duty to protect the royal capital.” Given their relationship with the Tenth Knight Order, it was just what I’d expected.
King Zeurasia was delivering a lengthy address about the joint exercises, with us lined up before him. Prince Zeland stood at his side, back straight and looking rather tense. It was quite endearing.
Even so, Prince Zeland had begun to look more at home in the role. Standing beside the king in front of the knight orders, he didn’t seem out of place.
“The full-scale exercises will begin tomorrow! I expect each of you to strive to improve!”
The king’s rallying cry rang out. Zackhart-sama, standing beside him, called, “Salute!” and the soldiers all saluted the king at once.
The joint exercises were scheduled to last five days.
Today, the first day, was only for the king’s address and introductions. It was also a reserve day in case any knight order was delayed on the way here. Fortunately, all the knight orders had arrived as scheduled.
The full-scale exercises would begin tomorrow. Lessons on the Ten-Knight Bow and polearms were planned.
Which meant I had nothing else scheduled today. It was completely free time.
I’d been running around making preparations until the day before, so I’d hoped to make an early exit and take it easy. Things never go exactly as you hope, though.
After King Zeurasia returned to the palace, Zackhart-sama came over to see Lufa, and Prince Zeland came along with him. That much was more or less expected.
I’d also expected the twins to come bother us, but Toru-sama showing up after spotting them—and Beckstatt-sama coming over to us for some reason—were complete surprises.
In other words, all the commanders ended up gathered around us, attracting curious looks from officers and soldiers who didn’t know what was going on.
They were all used to drawing attention. They didn’t spare the slightest thought for what anyone else might think, simply chatting and joking around as usual.
Watching them from a distance was entertaining, but one man went out of his way to approach a group I personally had no desire to join.
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation. May I speak with you for a moment?”
The one who joined our conversation was Foggard-san.
Among the Sixth Knight Order’s veteran unit commanders, Foggard-san was the only one who hadn’t been demoted. Foggard-san had supported the Sixth as it rebuilt and had been one of the central figures overseeing improvements to the roads between the royal capital and Geadland.
This man was the new commander of the Sixth Knight Order.
At first, they had seriously considered bringing in someone from outside the Sixth Knight Order to serve as its commander. But after taking Foggard-san’s achievements in improving the roads into account, they ultimately appointed Foggard-san to the position.
When Foggard-san introduced himself, Toru-sama was the first to respond.
“I’d heard the news, but it’s been a while, Foggard-dono. Congratulations on becoming a knight commander.”
“Thank you, Toru-dono.” After replying, Foggard-san glanced at Wickhart for just a moment.
Wickhart deliberately stepped forward.
“You’ll have your work cut out for you taking over from an inadequate predecessor like me, but I know I can trust you with it, Foggard.” He held out his hand for a handshake.
After seeing Wickhart’s reaction, the others each offered Foggard-san their congratulations on becoming a knight commander.
It would have been nice if things had ended on that peaceful note, but, as always, it was the twins who stirred up trouble.
“So, who among us is the strongest...”
“...of the knight commanders?”
Having barely said that, they added:
“No, wait. Who’s the second strongest?”
“We’re obviously first.”
And so they continued.
Toru-sama provoked them. “Oh? Have you already forgotten our match the other day?”
“If you mean the strongest after me, then by all means, have a proper discussion about it,” Zackhart-sama said.
“...” Beckstatt-sama raised an eyebrow in silence.
“Um, everyone... perhaps you could calm down a little...” Foggard-san alone looked perplexed, and spoke timidly, trying not to get caught in the invisible sparks flying through the air.